WORLD #1 LUKE DONALD FIRES THE FIRST PITCH AT A CUBS GAME, STEVE STRICKER BIDS
FOR 3 TITLES IN A ROW AT JOHN DEERE. (PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARY HOLAWAY WGA AND
BARRY CRONIN JOHN DEERE CLASSIC).

With pure talent and also being total class acts, pro golf and the PGA Tour are
in great shape with players like Luke Donald at World #1, and Steve Stricker
winning tour events, and making hole in ones at the Memorial Tournament.

Don't let anyone fool you that claims nobody has heard of these guys, thats
a Big load of Bull. Both Donald a Northwestern alum and Stricker a U of Illinois
alum are quite well known. I don't want to hear any excuses about lack of
majors either, both have won plenty of big events and need not make any
apologies.

Both Donald and Stricker are class acts on and off the course. No profanity
tirades, no attitude acts with reporters or fans. In fact outstanding with both
groups, and no off course scandals.

With players like this on top of the World Rankings and winning PGA Tour
events, the PGA Tour and golf are fine shape. Don't let anyone fool you
otherwise.

ILLINOIS PGA HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2011 HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED,
congrats and a tip fo the cap or golf visor to the following gentlemen on
their induction to be held this fall on October 21st.

The four inductees are. Steve Benson of Buffalo Grove who is one of the
most decorated players in Illinois PGA history. Benson was a club pro
at three top area clubs for years, most recently Hillcrest in Long Grove.

Benson won the Illinois PGA Section Championship three times and
has twice as many IPGA Senior Majors as well. He made the final four
in the 2011 Match Play at Kemper a few weeks back.

Sherm Finger of Wilmette played college golf at USC, before coming
back to Chicago and being a club pro at several of the Chicago area's
top clubs. Most recently Knollwood Club in Lake Forest where he worked
for 27 years. Finger was a past winner of the CDGA Amateur and played
in the US Amateur four times.

Finger won the PAC-10 championship and helped lead the Trojans
to four straight conference titles. Fingers started out learning the game
by being a caddy at Westmoreland.

The late Robert Gardner of Hinsdale was a past president of the CDGA,
and a past winner of the US-Amateur Championship. In fact the youngest
winner of the tournament for over 85 years until the record was broken
by guy named Tiger Woods in 1994.

Gardner played on the first four Walker Cup Teams and also served as
a playing Captain on the last three. Gardners two US Amateur championships
were won in 1909 at Chicago Golf Club, and in 1915 at the Country Club
of Detroit.

Paul Voykin spent over 50 plus years working as a golf course superintendent,,
he started his career as an apprentice at Olympia Fields. After a stop at
Calumet Country Club, he moved on to Briarwood Country Club where he
worked for 47 years until his recent retirement.

Voykin was known for his program he presented to the USGA in 1972
called "Overgrooming is overspending." He planted many mixes of
colored flowers around Briarwood, adding to the courses overall beauty.

Voykin was names the 2003 Superintendent of the year, at the GCSAA
75th dinner.

A great class yes. Question for the voters of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame.

When can we get a media member voted in, the year 2012 would be a
fine time to start. The list of great candidates is growing every year, and
it's time one should be joining the hall.

My list of the qualified are. Len Ziehm the 40 year plus golf writer at the
Sun-Times who now is writing for many more publications as well, Ziehm
has been the backbone of local golf coverage in Illinois for decades.
Ziehm is supposed to be "retired" now, but the truth is he writes more golf
than ever.

The late Phil Kosin, Publisher of Chicagoland Golf and host of  a golf show
by the same name on multiple radio stations. Kosin had other causes he
worked on in golf, before passing of cancer in 2009. Love him or hate him,
Kosin was outspoken, something that's lacking in society today. Kosin
also created the Illinois Womens Open.

The late Reid Hanley who also covered golf for the Chicago Tribune for
many years, Hanely passed on last year after losing his battle with cancer.
A gentleman on and off the course, Hanley also wrote for the CDGA
magazine.

Hanley also helped golf writers everywhere in making conditions better
while at tournaments of all levels. He served as an officer of the Golf
Writers Association of America.

Tim Cronin who is now well into over 30 years of golf coverage in Chicago,
Cronin a well known golf author and historian is so busy writing the game
and promoting it too, he never really gets to play as much as he would like.

Cronin wrote the history of the Western Golf Association, the history of
Medinah Country Club, and wrote books on several other Chicago area
clubs as well. Many members of various clubs now know the history of
the clubs they pay dues at thanks to Cronin.

I ask the voters, make 2012 the year a media member joins the ranks
in the IGHOF.

THE GOG BLOG SPEAKS OUT, is written by Rory Spears. They are his
opinions and not those of fellow Golfers on Golf Radio Partners, Ed
Stevenson, Mike Munro and Bill Berger. Rory Spears is reachable
through this site, on twitter @GogBlogGuy or Facebook under
Rory Spears.