Pacific Northwest Golf Association and Pacific Northwest Section PGA to Induct Five at Joint Hall of Fame Ceremony
For the fifth time in Northwest golf history, the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) and the Pacific Northwest Section PGA (PNWPGA) will conduct a joint Hall of Fame ceremony to honor inductees from each organization. This combined Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at Inglewood Golf Club in Kenmore, Wash. on April 26, 2019.
Being inducted this year for the PNGA are Cathy Mant of Eugene, Ore.; Rick Fehr of Seattle, Wash.; and Bill Sander of Lake Forest Park, Wash. The PNWPGA will be inducting Dan Hill of Seattle, Wash. and Pat Fitzsimons of Las Vegas, Nev.
For information on attending the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on April 26, contact the PNGA office at 206-526-1238 or click here for information.
The two associations began discussions in 2009 about the possibility of unifying their two induction ceremonies, and agreed upon one combined ceremony every two years to honor inductees from both organizations. Their respective Halls of Fame recognize those who have distinguished themselves through outstanding playing accomplishments as well as contributions to the game in the region.
“Every two years we recognize those individuals who have distinguished themselves by their achievements, dedication and selfless giving to golf in the Pacific Northwest,” said Peter Fibiger, PNGA President. “This year’s inductees have brought recognition to the Pacific Northwest through excellence in championship play or outstanding contributions of their time and effort in the advancement of the game. A partnership of amateurs and professionals is the essence of making golf the wonderful game that it is. This joint induction dinner and ceremony exemplifies that positive relationship in the Pacific Northwest.”
Said Greg Morris, PNWPGA President and PGA Head Professional at Iron Horse Golf Club in Whitefish, Mont., “The Pacific Northwest Section PGA values our great relationship with the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, as together we promote this wonderful game of golf. In 2011, our ties grew even stronger when we united our Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. This year, the Pacific Northwest Section PGA will be inducting two outstanding members of our Association. They represent all that is good about the game and the profession of golf, as they have consistently kept the best interest of their facilities, their customers, and the entire community of the Pacific Northwest at the forefront. We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our amateur counterparts to showcase two of our best and to uphold the great tradition and legacy of golf in the Pacific Northwest.”
Rick Fehr – Seattle, Wash.
Rick Fehr was introduced to the game when he was 10 years old, caddying for his father. The Fehrs were members at Sand Point Country Club in Seattle, and although Rick got some instruction from the club’s head PGA professional, he was a self-described self-starter. At age 12, he won his age bracket in the Seattle Junior Amateur, and began building an impressive resume. He won the Washington Junior Golf Association state title in 1979, and later that summer he grabbed national attention by winning the PGA Junior National Championship. Attending BYU on a golf scholarship, he helped lead the team to an NCAA Division I national title in 1981, then went home that summer and won the PNGA Men’s Amateur. While in college, he won the Western Amateur, was twice named First-Team All-American, was a semifinalist in the 1982 U.S. Amateur, was selected for two Morse Cup teams in the Pacific Coast Amateur, and was named to the 1983 U.S. Walker Cup team. In 1983, he was runner-up for the College Player of the Year award. In 1984, during his senior year at BYU, Rick was the low amateur at both the Masters and the U.S. Open. He qualified for the PGA Tour in 1985, and during his 18 years as a tour pro Rick won twice and had 41 top-10 finishes. He also won the 1994 Northwest Open. A Class A member of the PGA of America, he opened his own golf academy in the Seattle area, and also served as an instructor at TPC Scottsdale in Arizona.
Pat Fitzsimons – Las Vegas, Nev.
Pat Fitzsimons has a distinguished playing record that includes winning the Northwest Open (three times), the Pacific Northwest PGA Professional Championship (three times), the Oregon Open (twice) and the Al C. Giusti Memorial (twice). These titles span 27 years of consistently impressive play. Only three Northwest professionals hold more titles and they are all Hall of Fame members. Fitzsimons played on two Hudson Cup teams as an amateur, 10 as a professional and four as a senior professional. His record in the professional matches is an impressive 20-4-4. He was the PGA Tour’s 1975 Glen Campbell Los Angeles Open champion and played in two Masters. Fitzsimons served as the PGA Head Professional at Prineville CC, The Oregon Golf Club and The Cedars on Salmon Creek. A renowned teacher, he taught students at Salem Golf Club and was an instructor to his fellow professionals at PGA Teaching Workshops.
Dan Hill – Seattle, Wash.
Dan Hill, PGA Director of Golf and Operations at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle, has a career of unparalleled service to his fellow professionals. He served 13 consecutive years in PGA governance, highlighted by his role as President of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA from 2009-2010. Hill’s duties moved to the national level from 2014-2016, when he served on the PGA of America’s National Board of Directors. A passionate advocate of education throughout his entire career, he has led education committees at the chapter, section and national level, including serving as Chair of the National Education Committee. Hill has achieved the PGA’s highest certification level in becoming a PGA Master Professional. Honored by his peers, he was the 2010 Pacific Northwest Section Golf Professional of the Year and a six-time Pacific Northwest Section Merchandiser of the Year. Hill’s career includes employment at Wing Point Golf and Country Club and Hayden Lake Country Club, between three postings at Broadmoor Golf Club.
Cathy Mant – Eugene, Ore.
Cathy Mant played on the boys’ golf team at St. Francis High School, and began entering junior events outside of Eugene. From 1966 until 1970, there was no better amateur golfer in the region than Mant. She won the Southern Oregon Junior Amateur, Oregon Junior Girls’ Amateur, the 1968 PNGA Women’s Amateur, the Oregon Women’s Amateur three times, the Southern Oregon Women’s Amateur twice, and the Oregon Coast Amateur. She also qualified for two U.S. Girls’ Juniors, three U.S. Women’s Amateurs, the Women’s Western Amateur, the Women’s Broadmoor Invitational, and finished runner-up in the 1967 PNGA Junior Girls’ Amateur. Attending Arizona State University, she won the 1970 NCAA Women’s Individual national title, was named a first-team All-American, and won six individual collegiate titles. Cathy played on the LPGA Tour from 1976 to 1986. One of her mentors on tour was PNGA Hall of Famer JoAnne Carner. Cathy played in 10 U.S. Women’s Opens, as well as each major on the tour. She became very involved in the LPGA player government, serving as a player representative to the LPGA Board of Directors, and was the president of the LPGA Tournament Division in 1985. She is a Class A member of both the LPGA Tour, the Teaching and Club Professional Division. In 2002, Cathy was named one of Golf for Women’s “Top 50 Teachers.” She has been the head women’s golf coach at Georgia State University since 2000, and has been named her conference’s Coach of the Year six times. She is the winningest coach in Georgia State history. In 2015, she was selected to coach the U.S. Girls’ Team for the Junior Golf World Cup, held that year in Japan. Cathy served on the U.S. Girls’ Junior Committee for 25 years, receiving the USGA Ike Grainger Award in 2014, which recognizes outstanding volunteer service to the game.
Bill Sander – Lak Forest Park, Wash.
In 1968, at age 12 Bill Sander began working as a caddie at Inglewood Country Club in Kenmore, Wash. He would become a shooting star that illuminated the Northwest golf scene in the 1970s. In 1973 he won the Washington State Junior title, and played on the golf team at Shorecrest High School where he was regularly breaking par by his junior year. In 1974 he won the first of three consecutive Seattle Amateur titles. Sander’s long-driving ability allowed him to regularly power the ball 330 yards off the tee. Just prior to the 1976 U.S. Amateur, he won the Washington State long drive contest with a 329-yard smash, using a Persimmon driver, at Seattle’s Jefferson Park Golf Course. That summer, in preparation for his upcoming departure for the University of Houston, Bill won his third Seattle Amateur title, and then won the PNGA Men’s Amateur. He then was selected for the PNGA Morse Cup team in the Pacific Coast Amateur, and a week later the unheralded Sander won the U.S. Amateur by the widest margin in the championship since Jack Nicklaus won it 15 years earlier. He accepted invitations to play in the World Cup, the Walker Cup, the Masters (where he finished low amateur), the U.S. Open, and the PGA Tour’s Sea Pines Heritage Classic at the Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C. (where he again finished low amateur). Sander qualified for the PGA Tour in 1978, where he competed for 15 years.
The PNGA and PNWPGA each have their own respective Halls of Fame that already include many of the Northwest’s finest golfers, with the PNGA honoring the amateurs and the PNWPGA honoring the PGA professionals. The PNGA established their Hall of Fame in 1978, and it currently has 66 amateur golfers as members. Click here to view a complete list of inductees and a full list of their accomplishments. The PNWPGA established their Hall of Fame in 1981, and it currently has 54 members. Visit www.pnwpga.com to view a complete list of inductees and their bios.
The PNGA and PNWPGA will continue to have a separate selection process for inductees into their respective Halls. However, members of both Halls will someday be showcased together as one combined display at the future Northwest Golf House, which will be located at The Home Course in DuPont, Wash.
About the Pacific Northwest Section PGA
The Pacific Northwest Section is one of the 41 geographically separated districts which make up the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. The Section provides services for the PGA golf professionals throughout the Northwest, and is divided into five chapters: Western Washington, Central Washington, Inland Empire, Western Montana, and Oregon. The Pacific Northwest Section is the largest in the country geographically, and with over 1,100 members, apprentices, and novices, ranks sixth in the number of golf professionals. Its membership is a group of professionals dedicated to making golf a better game. They are the club professionals throughout the Northwest who are responsible for the day-to-day activities at the many facilities throughout the Section. They are the driving force behind growing the game through programs like Drive Chip and Putt and PGA Junior League Golf.
About the Pacific Northwest Golf Association
The PNGA was founded on February 4, 1899. It is a 501c3 charitable, international, amateur golf association dedicated to preserving the true spirit of golf by supporting its allied associations, conducting quality championships, and promoting activities beneficial to golfers in the Pacific Northwest. The original purpose of the PNGA was to conduct a regional amateur championship for men and women, and for 120 years the Association has been a pioneer in developing and providing competitions and services to Northwest golfers. Today, the PNGA remains committed to being a truly regional organization, providing benefits to 220,000 individuals at over 720 PNGA member golf clubs.
Attached photo of Rick Fehr is courtesy Rick Fehr; photo of Bill Sander is copyright PNGA; photo of Cathy Mant is courtesy Cathy Mant. Photos of Pat Fitzsimons and Dan Hill are copyright PNWPGA.
