JAN STEPHENSON Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame Story by Karen Lunn • Image courtesy ALPG
Australian golfing superstar Jan Stephenson has fulfilled a lifelong dream, being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at a ceremony in, California on June 10th.
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an was inducted into the prestigious World Golf of Fame, which really is a who’s who of golf, and includes compatriots Karrie Webb, Greg Norman, Peter Thompson, Kel Nagle, David Graham and Walter Travis (born in Australia), along with legends of the game Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez. When I messaged Jan back in late 2018 to congratulate her on her induction, she was absolutely over the moon at finally being selected. She had previously been rejected by the selection committee having been nominated on two occasions, and I know that she feared that becoming a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame would probably remain just a dream. However, that was all about to change, when in October last year Jan received a telephone call from her good friend Nancy Lopez. Nancy, a legend of the LPGA Tour and current member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, had been the one to deliver the bad news on the past two occasions, and when Jan saw Nancy's number come up on her phone she said that she once again braced herself for more bad news. However, this time the news was different, and an extremely emotional Nancy Lopez finally blurted out the good news she knew her friend had waited so long to hear, this time the selection committee had voted in her favour! Fast forward eight months to Carmel, California, and it was former LPGA player and Jan’s good friend Hollis Stacey who had the honour of presenting Jan for her induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, while actress Jane Seymour, another of the 67-year-old’s closest friends wrote her induction video. Jan had waited many years to make this speech and she was not about to leave anything or anyone out, she took to the stage and thoughtfully and passionately paid tribute those who had impacted both her golfing career and her life. While of course we don’t have space to catalogue Jan’s entire speech, I have picked a few parts out which I thought would be nice to share and speak volumes about Jan as a person.
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Ladies GOLF Summer/Autumn 2019/20 • ISSUE 26
“As I look back on my career, more than the wins and the fame, what stands out most to me is the remarkable women I’ve had the opportunity to compete with, get to know and call my friends. I consider myself lucky to have played in some of the most amazing times. I even got to witness the birth of Korean women's golf with the success of Se-Ri Pak and played with fellow Aussie and friend Karrie Webb in her very first professional event in Australia. “To be now counted amongst the stars as a World Golf Hall of Famer is not only an honour, but it’s so humbling. Golf has taken me on a wonderful journey, allowing me to travel around the world and make relationships that have lasted a lifetime and now it has taken me here to the World Golf Hall of Fame. It’s truly a dream come true.” Fellow Aussie and World Golf Hall of Fame Member Karrie Webb was also onsite to witness her good friend’s induction. Karrie was the first to admit that she hadn’t known much about Jan’s career when she started playing golf, but the two greatest women players to come from our shores have grown to be good friends over the past 25 years and Karrie was genuinely thrilled for her mate to finally achieve this accolade. “I’m really excited for Jan to finally be recognized for her outstanding career and her contributions to golf in being inducted into the WGHOF. As an Australian woman, Jan was really the trailblazer for all Aussie girls to aspire to one day compete on the LPGA tour in the US. With her success on and off the course creating her notoriety, it inspired the generations behind her to believe that they too could be successful playing on the LPGA.” “I am glad that I could be here with Jan tonight to celebrate this occasion” While Jan may sometimes be better known here in Australia for her raunchy photos and calendars, it is her outstanding playing record which makes her absolutely deserving of her place in the World Golf Hall of Fame. - 16 LPGA Tour victories - Wins on the Ladies European Tour, LPGA www.ladiesgolfmagazine.com.au
