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Gary Koch and FSGA President Mike Timbers |
The Florida State Golf
Association (FSGA) inducted three men into the Florida
Golf Hall of Fame at the 2006 Annual Dinner at
Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa on Friday,
November 17. Gary Koch, Bob Rankin and
Bill Baker were honored as the second class of
inductees into the Florida Golf Hall of Fame.
Gary Koch began his golf career early
on in 1969 winning the Florida Open at the age of 16.
From 1968-1970, Gary won three straight Florida Junior
Championships and won the US Junior Championship in
1970. He then captured the Florida Amateur in 1972 and
went on to the University of Florida where he was a
three-time first team All American and a member of the
1973 NCAA Championship team. In 1975, Gary joined the
PGA Tour and won six events over 15 years. Now on the
Champions Tour and part of the NBC golf announce team,
Gary also keeps busy with his golf course design and
development business. In 1992, the Governor of Florida
named him the "Ambassador of Golf."
Bob Rankin played college golf at Ohio State
University and won the 1955 Ohio Amateur. After moving
to Florida, Bob won the Florida Amateur in 1969 and
Mid-Senior in 1972. Other FSGA Championships include the
1989 Senior Four-Ball Championship and 1992 and 1994
Senior Championship. He won Gasparilla twice, the
Florida State Senior Golf Association Championship three
times and US Senior Challenge Championship four times
including three consecutive years. Bob, a founding
member of Cypress Run Golf Club in Tarpon Springs, was
inducted into the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame in 1996.
In the early 1980's, Bill Baker began
volunteering with the FSGA after attending a Course
Rating workshop in South Florida. From there, Bill got
extremely involved in both course rating and tournaments
and traveled just about anywhere he was needed for more
than 15 years. Bill could be seen starting at almost
every major Championship and was in charge of all
qualifiers in South Florida. Bill was also a Board
member and a USGA Committee Member for several years
serving on the Senior Amateur Committee. When he wasn't
volunteering, Bill played in a few tournaments.
The FSGA Players-of-the-Year and Volunteers-of-the-Year
were also honored at the Annual Dinner.
Blayne Barber, 16, won two State Championships in
2006 earning him the Junior Player-of-the-Year. Blayne
captured the Boys Junior Championship and Junior Match
Play Invitational during the summer. He also won two
Florida Junior Tour (FJT) events and placed second in
three events last season. In his hometown of Lake City,
Blayne is a three-time Lake City Open Champion.
Rick Woulfe, 56, of Fort Lauderdale, received the
Senior Player-of-the-Year award for the second
consecutive year and his third Player-of-the-Year
winning in 2002 and 2004. This year, Rick was runner-up
in the British Senior Amateur as well as played in his
9th Southeastern Challenge Matches and won the
Mid-Amateur Four-Ball South Championship. He also
advanced to match play of the US Senior Amateur
Championship. Rick placed third in the 2006 Senior
Championship and tied for second in the 2006 Mid-Senior
Championship.
Steven Jones, of Lakeland, and the Collier
County Course Rating Team received the Charlie
Bedford Award for Volunteers-of-the-Year. Jones, an FSGA
Committee Member since 2004, traveled North Central
Florida to volunteer his time at more than 20 events
this season. The Collier County Course Rating Team
captained by Don Glaser and Bob Powers has rated over 20
courses this year in Southwest Florida. As a
volunteer-based organization, the FSGA is extremely
grateful for all the hard working and dedicated
volunteers who assist us in serving this great game. |
