Wadkins for the Hall of Fame -- Not sure? Just ask Jack

text size

Cannon /Allsport /Getty Images

Sep. 22 1989: Lanny Wadkins watches his chip on the 17th hole during the Ryder Cup at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England.

Jan. 27, 2009
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor

Respect comes in many forms among professional golfers. But the legendary Jack Nicklaus might have given Lanny Wadkins the ultimate compliment when he once kissed Wadkins' grass.

We're not making this up.

It was at the 1983 Ryder Cup at PGA National. Back then, the U.S. dominated this biennial competition the way the Harlem Globetrotters handled the Washington Generals, having won the previous 12 Cups over the Europeans (and 19 of the last 20).

But this time, the Europeans were no patsies. The U.S. held a slender 14-13 lead with one singles match remaining: Wadkins vs. Jose Maria Canizares, who had a 1-up lead heading to the 18th hole. If Wadkins didn't win this par 5, it would have marked the first time in 26 years the Americans didn't win the Cup -- on home soil, no less.

Nicklaus, who was serving as U.S. captain for the first time, wasn't used to making this kind of history. Thanks to Wadkins, he didn't have to. Wadkins hit a sand wedge from 60 yards to within a foot of the cup, ensuring he would win the hole, halve the match and the U.S. would win the Cup, 14 � -13 �.

A thrilled Nicklaus ran out onto the fairway and kissed the divot Wadkins produced with his clutch shot. This can't be documented, but I believe this is the only time the Golden Bear ever smooched another player's turf.

That was the kind of player Wadkins was -- the bigger the moment, the better the result. That's why he should finally hear this spring that he'll be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. (The ballots were sent out last week.)

The aforementioned Ryder Cup moment isn't the only reason why I think Wadkins should be enshrined, of course. And it doesn't have to be.

With 21 PGA TOUR wins, Wadkins boasts the most victories in the modern era of the 15 players who appear on the Hall of Fame ballot involving PGA TOUR players. He also has the equivalent of three major titles -- the 1970 U.S. Amateur, the 1977 PGA Championship (when he beat Gene Littler in a playoff) and the 1979 PLAYERS.

Ask the players who competed against Wadkins in his prime, and they will tell you: His was not the name you wanted to see getting closer to yours when you were at the top of the leaderboard.

Just as he did in that '83 Ryder Cup, Wadkins wasn't afraid to find himself in a nerve-wracking situation. And more times than not, he delivered.

His grit was evidenced by this impressive statistic: During a 24-year stretch from 1969-93, Wadkins played in 10 team events (eight Ryder Cups and two Walker Cups).

Wadkins seems to be building momentum toward his induction. Last year, his name appeared on 53 percent of the ballots, which was the highest vote total among those who weren't inducted.

It probably hasn't helped Wadkins' cause that he alienated some of his fellow players with his strong opinions while serving as CBS lead analyst from 2002-2006. All that means is Wadkins spoke the way he played: He came out firing, not worrying about the ramifications if things didn't go well.

As a Hall of Fame voter, my ballot will have one more name on it: Doug Ford. That's right, Doug Ford.

With 19 TOUR titles, two majors (1955 PGA and 1957 Masters) and four Ryder Cups, Ford has the credentials. Heck, he was in the PGA Hall of Fame, but for some reason he was among several men who weren't automatically transferred from the PGA Hall of Fame to the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Ford's failure to receive enough votes in recent years can likely be traced to the last generation of golf fans and media watching as he continually showed up at the Masters, failed to break 80 and then withdrew from the year's first major. His friends tried to tell Ford that these actions were making it more difficult for him to make the Hall of Fame, but he wouldn't listen. (Only Gary Player and Arnold Palmer have made more Masters starts than Ford's 49.)

Truth is, what a player does in his 60s and 70s should have no bearing on whether he gets enshrined. Ford has a chance after he finished fourth last year in voting 35 percent, but he probably will have to wait at least another year.

Not so for Wadkins.

Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.