Tiger Woods will have extra time to work on drafting his World Golf Hall of Fame Induction acceptance speech.
Woods was elected to the Hall’s Class of 2021 along with LPGA great Susie Maxwell Berning, former PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and female golf pioneer Marion Hollins (posthumously), in a March vote. The four Inductees will bring the World Golf Hall of Fame member total to 164. Neither a date nor a location for the 2021 ceremony was ever announced.
Golfweek has learned that the ceremony, which has been televised by the Golf Channel for years, has been postponed to 2022 due to the global pandemic. Multiple sources, including family members of the inductee class, confirmed the news.
The most recent ceremony was held during the week of the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach at the Sunset Center in Carmel-By-The-Sea, California, an indoor facility. It previously has been held outdoors on the lawn of the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida.
It is believed that the ceremony was tentatively planned for March 8, 2021, the Monday of the Players Championship, but that given the expected widespread interest in attending the induction of Woods, a 15-time major winner, it made sense to wait until March 2022. The state of Florida has allowed limited attendance to sporting events, but gatherings of large groups have also been accused of being “super-spreader” events.
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The World Golf Hall of Fame switched from an annual to a biennial induction ceremony beginning in 2015 and has held the festivities in St. Andrews, Scotland (2015), New York City (2017), and Carmel-By-The-Sea (2019).
In January, the World Golf Foundation board, which administers the long-term direction and policies of the Hall, lowered the age for eligibility to be inducted into the Hall from 50 to 45, which allowed Woods to be considered for induction in the Class of 2021. The Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee, a 20-member panel co-chaired by Hall of Fame Members Beth Daniel, Nick Price, Annika Sorenstam and Curtis Strange, and includes media, discussed the merits of 10 finalists.
While Finchem and Maxwell Berning both participated in news conferences following the announcement of their elections, Woods has not. He said the following in a press release trumpeting his election: “I am both honored and humbled to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. This past year has been such an incredible journey and the support I’ve received from my family, friends and fans has been overwhelming. This achievement is the ultimate recognition to never give up and keep chasing.”
Efforts to reach Woods as well as a spokesperson for the World Golf Hall of Fame for comment on the postponement were unsuccessful.
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