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GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
Hall of Fame 2008
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 Andy Williams (Photo: Courtesy Century Club of San Diego). But the most interesting item on his résumé for golf fans is that Torrey Pines Golf Course might not be the famous venue it is today without him. In 1968, Williams began serving as celebrity host for the San Diego Open Invitational, which had joined the PGA Tour in 1952. He agreed to become the face of the tournament only after he was assured that the city’s Salk Institute would be one of the major beneficiaries. That same year, the event was moved to Torrey Pines, and, for the next 21 years, the city-owned course, the Century Club and Williams worked together to create one of the Tour’s most successful events. That 21-year association ranks only behind Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in terms of celebrity affiliation at a Tour event. Williams’ celebrity clout helped the event flourish into the 1980s, when Wickes, Isuzu and Shearson Lehman Brothers became corporate sponsors. Only in 1991, when Buick was named corporate sponsor, did Williams’ name disappear from the title. But his long-term affiliation with the event and venue can’t be underestimated, and the national exposure and acclaim he helped spawn played a big role when the USGA awarded the 2008 U.S. Open to Torrey Pines. OTHER HALL OF FAME PROFILES: GLEN CAMPBELL WILLIAM P. AND WILLIAM F. BELL DINAH SHORE JIM FLICK HALL OF FAME 2008 — MAIN PAGE A LOOK AT PAST INDUCTEES |
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