Hitting into the rough

Vijay Singh was recently elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame and, while few debated whether Singh deserved a place among the game8217;s ...

Vijay Singh was recently elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame and, while few debated whether Singh deserved a place among the game8217;s greats, his election raised issues with the process by which members are selected.

In 1998, golf8217;s Hall of Fame was moved to a new building in St. Augustine, Florida, that includes photographs, artifacts and interactive exhibits in a complex that includes a golf school and two courses open to public play.

By virtually all standards, it8217;s first rate as an entertainment destination for fans of the game, but for a variety of reasons, induction has lacked the ultimate-honor status it carries with the halls of sports such as baseball, football and basketball.

Among the issues:
There8217;s no age requirement for selection. Singh has won 26 PGA Tour events and three major championships but he8217;s 42 and still very much in the prime of his career as the No. 2-ranked player in the world. He8217;s also closing in on Sam Snead8217;s record of 17 wins after the age of 40, needing three more to pass him. But the timing of his selection makes it feel less like a crowning achievement and more like another honor in a stretch that includes a playoff victory at last week8217;s Houston Open
Golf8217;s selection committee remains something of a mystery. It includes golf writers including this one, PGA Tour executives, Hall of Fame members, representatives from a wide variety of golf organizations and a representative from Shell Oil because they8217;re a big Hall of Fame sponsor. By contrast, all of the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters are listed on the shrine8217;s Web site
The percentage of votes necessary for a player to be inducted has been changed three times since 1998 and still doesn8217;t satisfy everyone. In 1998, a player had to appear on 75 percent of the ballots to be elected. In 2000, that was changed to 65 percent.

Two years ago, a clause was added that said if no one got 65 percent, then the leading vote-getter on the ballot would get in as long as he had at least 50 percent. That allowed Singh to get in with 56 percent, but also gave the impression he got in on a technicality, which undoubtedly would not have been the case had his candidacy been decided later in his career.

LA Times-Washington Post