London, England (Sports Network) - Colin Montgomerie and Ken Schofield have
been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The announcement was made on Tuesday at the Race to Dubai European Tour
Golfer of the Year Luncheon.
Montgomerie never won a major, but did win the European Tour Order of Merit a
record eight times. He was elected through the International Ballot
"It is a wonderful surprise to hear that I will be inducted into the World
Golf Hall of Fame next year. I know I am very fortunate to have enjoyed such a
successful career playing the game I love and it makes me feel very proud that
my achievements have been recognized in this way," Montgomerie stated. "While
my eight Order of Merit wins were very special, as everyone knows my Ryder Cup
experiences have provided the very best moments in my career and receiving
this great honor is the icing on the cake."
Montgomerie won 31 times on the European Tour, fourth most in tour history. He
was named the tour's Player of the Year four times.
The 2010 European Ryder Cup captain competed eight times in that event, and
posted a remarkable 20-9-7 record, including a 6-0-2 mark in singles.
Including his win as the team captain, Europe was 6-3 in his nine Ryder Cup
appearances.
Schofield was selected from the Lifetime Achievement Category. He served as
the European Tour's Executive Director from 1975-2004. The tour jumped from a
mere 17 events in his first year to 45 official events his final year. In
2004, there were also 29 European Challenge Tour tournament and 21 European
Seniors Tour events.
"I am delighted not just for myself, but also for the European Tour. This is
an honor for absolutely everyone who in the last 40 years helped the tour
become what it is today," said Schofield. "For me, it is quite unexpected and
I am both delighted and humbled that I should be given a place in the World
Golf Hall of Fame & Museum in the company of so many great names who have
together contributed to making the game of golf so special in our lives."
Montgomerie and Schofield join Fred Couples, Ken Venturi and Willie Park, Jr.
as the class of 2013 for the World Golf Hall of Fame. The group will be
inducted on May 6 during The Players Championship in St. Augustine, Fla.
The Sports Network