Lanny Wadkins Inducted To World Golf Hall of Fame
11/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Nov. 3, 2009
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Lanny Wadkins, who won a PGA Championship at Pebble Beach and played on a record-tying eight Ryder Cup teams, was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday.
After spending much of the decade watching other players get inducted with fewer victories, Wadkins was elected on the PGA TOUR ballot with 61 percent of the vote.
Wadkins was inducted Monday evening at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., along side President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Christy O'Connor and José María Olazábal. He was the only player elected from the PGA TOUR ballot, which is voted on by Hall of Famers, media and golf executives.
Wadkins attributes his election in large part to longevity, noting that he won in three decades and qualified for eight Ryder Cup teams, an American record he shares with Billy Casper and Raymond Floyd.
But he also was renowned for his fearless play, and if there was one club that stands out in his bag, it was the wedge.
For all his victories, starting with the 1972 Sahara Invitational and ending with the 1992 Greater Hartford Open, Wadkins said his greatest moment on the golf course came in the 1983 Ryder Cup at PGA National.
He was playing Jose Maria Canizares in the second-to-last match, trailing by one and needing to earn a halve to give the Americans an outright victory over Europe. Wadkins hit a wedge from 72 yards out to inside a foot to win the hole. "The coolest thing I ever did," he said.
His signature victory came at Pebble Beach in the 1977 PGA Championship, where Wadkins became the first player to win a major in a sudden-death playoff. He started the final round six shots behind Gene Littler and made up ground with a pair of eagles on the front nine. Wadkins did not make a birdie until the 18th hole, but it was a big one.
"Behind the 18th green is the big scoreboard," Wadkins recalled. "I was 5 under and had a 92-yard wedge shot to the 18th. They changed Littler from 7 (under) to 6. My eyes got as big as saucers."
He hit the wedge to a foot for a birdie, and got into the playoff when Littler closed with pars and Jack Nicklaus failed to make a 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole. Wadkins made a 15-foot putt to stay alive on the first extra hole, then won with a 6-foot par on the third extra hole.
He had six other top 3s in the majors, although his only close call came in 1987 when he lost in a playoff to Larry Nelson. Wadkins was the PGA Tour player of the year in 1985, when he won three times, but he never won a money title or a Vardon Trophy.
Among other players from his generation previously inducted were Nelson (10 victories, three majors), Curtis Strange (17 victories, two majors), Ben Crenshaw (19 victories, two majors) and Hubert Green (19 victories, two majors).
Wadkins set himself apart with his play in the Ryder Cup, a format that fit his personality. He won the first seven matches he played, and while the 21 points he earned over two decades is not a U.S. record, he built his mark as continental Europe joined the Ryder Cup and the matches became far more competitive. He was captain in 1995 at Oak Hill.
Wadkins also played on the Walker Cup team twice and won the 1970 U.S. Amateur. "I love representing my country. That's the thing I enjoyed as much as anything," Wadkins said. "I think I was a good teammate. I loved competing, fighting for wins. I was more feisty and temperamental that I should have been, but we all do things our own way."
At Wake Forest, Wadkins won five individual titles and was part of eight team victories from 1969-71. He was also a three-time All-American, earning first team honors in both 1970 and 1971.
Wadkins was inducted into the Wake Forest Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982. His son Travis is currently a senior on the men's golf team at Wake Forest.