Columnist Peter Benton: Crenshaw, Jacklin headed for the Hall

Peter Benton

Wednesday, April 17, 2002 | 9:11 a.m.

Peter Benton's golf column appears Wednesday.

Ben Crenshaw and Tony Jacklin, both winners of two major championships, have been elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

These two players will be inducted on Nov. 15 at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Fla., joining Germany's Bernhard Langer, who was elected on the 2001 International ballot but opted to be inducted this year.

Crenshaw, 50, a native of Austin, Texas, is the fifth PGA Tour member elected via the PGA Tour ballot, which was introduced in 1996. He received 65 percent of the votes cast by the 207-member voting body, the minimum percentage allowed for Hall of Fame admission. Crenshaw has won 18 PGA Tour titles, including the 1984 and 1995 Masters, and was the successful 1999 Ryder Cup team captain.

Jacklin, a 57-year-old native of Scunthorpe, England, received 66 percent of a necessary 65 percent of the vote. Jacklin has won 27 tournaments worldwide, including the 1969 British Open and the 1970 U.S. Open, and was a four-time European Ryder Cup captain.

Nick Price finished second in the PGA Tour voting with 61 percent, beating Tom Kite with 44 percent and the late Henry Picard with 42 percent. Japan's Isao Aoki finished second on the International ballot with 59 percent of the vote.

Retief Goosen, my top selection, could get nothing going the final day and finished second.

My second pick, Vijay Singh, had the displeasure of making a quadruple bogey on the par-5 15th and placed seventh.

Tiger Woods, who won his second green jacket in a row was my third choice. He won, of course.

My fourth pick was Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal and he obliged by placing fourth.

Ernie Els, the Big Easy, was going along fine until the 13th when he blew a fuse and took a whopping triple bogey. Picked fifth, he finished fifth.

My sixth selection was Sergio Garcia who started off with a hiss and a roar. But a closing 3-over 75 left him in eighth place.

Phil Mickelson, my seventh favorite, played very well overall. He placed third.

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