Dent honored by Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

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Champions Tour member Jim Dent will be inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on February 16 in Atlanta, Ga.

The Honors Court announced their decision to bestow this honor upon Dent, as well as eight other notable names in Georgia sports, on Monday. They whittled the list down from 36 nominees through two rounds of deliberation and came up with the nine finalists.

"I'm thrilled with the wealth of talent represented in the upcoming induction class", said GSHF Executive Director, Jacquelyn Decell. "Our selection committees have a very difficult task in choosing from the many deserving nominees, but once again I think they've made excellent choices."

Dent is a 12-time winner on the Champions Tour and had his best finish on the PGA TOUR in a tie for second at the 1972 Walt Disney World Open Invitational. He earned his last victory on the 50-and-over circuit at the 1998 Home Depot Invitational but continues to be a presence on the Champions Tour, making his 500th start in 2007.

The native of Augusta, Ga., used to work as a caddie at Augusta National Golf Club and Augusta Country Club. He was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in January 1994.

The other nominees include Leslie "L.C." Baker, Earnest Byner, Norman Carter, Jr., Richard Dent, Ernie Harwell, Wayne "Tree" Rollins, Elmore Smith, and Herb St. John.