Younger world-class players went into changing World Golf Hall of Fame age requirement
"The [Foundation] board's view is that we wanted to insure the greatest players were recognized at the proper time," McLaughlin told the Times-Union on Wednesday. "The best player and the winners are getting younger all the time. It's our hope that lowering the age enables us to bring greater attention to those players and their careers earlier, rather than wait until they're 50."
RELATED: Read more golf coverage
The next Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for 2021. McLaughlin said the nominating committee will meet soon and an induction class could be announced as soon as early April.
The WGF board announced the change in age on Tuesday, along with an expansion of the voting body to 20 members and streamlining the induction categories. Nominees will be required to get 15 of 20 votes for induction.
Half of the current top-20 on the World Golf Rankings are 30 or younger, including the top four:
Eight of the 14 PGA Tour events played so far this season have been won by players 30 or younger, and 12 by players 35 or younger.
McLaughlin said no individual player's pending nomination went into the decision to change the age, but
That also makes
Other players under 50 who are now eligible include 2003
McLaughlin said the 2021 induction ceremony will follow the pattern of those held since 2017 when the event was moved from being held annually in St. Augustine to every two years at the site of major championship or a significant event. Since then, ceremonies have been held at St. Andrews, New York and
If Woods is voted in, two sites may leap to the front of the line: Torrey Pines near San Diego, where he won the 2008
Woods is a native of
McLaughlin didn't rule out an induction ceremony returning to
"We look at two things when considering sites for the induction ceremony," he said. "Attendance and we like to have as many past Hall of Fame members attend as we can. We have a better chance of that at the site of a major, or in cities such as New York or Los Angeles.
___
(c)2020 The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Visit The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Fla.) at www.jacksonville.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Covr Financial Technologies Announces New Head of Sales
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News