Inaugural RDGA Hall of Fame class to include Walter Hagen, Sam Urzetta and Jean Trainor

If you’re going to create a new hall of fame, the first induction class should undoubtedly be as close to impeccable a group as possible.

And the Rochester District Golf Association has certainly striped it right down the fairway with the eight-person class it has announced.

How’s this for a who’s who of Rochester royalty: Walter Hagen, Don Allen, Sam Urzetta and Jean Trainor for starters, followed by John Kircher, Jim Scorse, Jerry Stahl and Mike Sorce.

“Golf in Rochester is our ‘major league’ sport and Rochester is recognized around the world as a hotbed of golf,” RDGA president Andrew Conway said. “With such a rich history, the time has come to recognize and honor those amateur players, professionals, volunteers, administrators and benefactors who have made a significant contribution to the Rochester golf community in support of the game we love, and who played a role in bringing our community the honor and distinction we enjoy in the world of golf.”

The Class of 2022 will be formally inducted during a special ceremony hosted by the Country Club of Rochester on Tuesday, July 12, corresponding with the week of the annual RDGA John H. Ryan Jr. Memorial Championship which is also being held at CCR that week.

Based on the criteria established by the newly-formed selection committee, each inductee checks every box and is richly deserving of the honor of being part of the inaugural class.

Among the attributes that were used to select the class, each candidate was judged on their contributions to the enhancement of the sport through playing, teaching, coaching, maintaining/managing, educating, writing or advocating for an extended period of time.

Eligibility also includes candidates who have, by virtue of name recognition, brought honor, distinction, and/or have produced favorable contributions to golf in the Greater Rochester area.

► Hagen, of course, is Rochester’s most decorated professional player, the winner of 11 men’s major championships and who is widely recognized as the player who helped pave the way for professional golfers at a time in the early 20th century when amateur golf was the more respected pursuit.

He was born and raised in East Rochester and for a short time served as a caddie at the Country Club of Rochester and was also its head golf pro. In addition to his major championship success, he won approximately 70 other tournaments worldwide and also served as captain for the first six United States Ryder Cup teams when that event began in 1927. His teams won four times, and at a time when captains sometimes played in the Matches, Hagen’s record was 7-1-1.

► Urzetta, who also grew up in East Rochester, had a tremendous amateur playing career as he won the New York State Amateur once, the RDGA Championship twice, the Monroe Invitational Championship three times, and capped it by winning the 1950 U.S. Amateur.

He later played in 12 major championships – four U.S. Opens, four Masters and four PGAs – finishing as high as a tie for 12th in the 1956 Masters. But rather than tour, he wanted to stay home with his family and served as the head pro at CCR for close to four decades.

► Allen is Rochester’s most decorated amateur player, a member of CCR who won the New York State Amateur six times, the State Mid-Am twice, the State Senior-Am three times, and the RDGA Championship six times. He also played on two U.S. Walker Cup teams, two America’s Cup teams, played in 18 U.S. Amateurs with a best finish of third in 1965, four U.S. Opens and three Masters.

► Kircher and Scorse have followed behind Allen and have forged remarkable amateur playing careers, dominating the local men’s scene for more than 40 years - Kircher winning events dating back to the 1980s before Scorse took the baton and did all of his winning since the start of 2000.

Within the RDGA, Scorse has won the Championship five times, the Match Play nine times, the Mid-Am eight times, and the Senior Championship once while garnering 15 RDGA player of the year trophies since it was first handed out in 1997. Kircher has four RDGA Championship titles and two RDGA Match Play crowns, while combined, the two have won countless local major events such as the Brook-Lea Invitation, the CCR Invitation, and the now defunct Tournament of Champions.

► Trainor is the greatest female amateur to call Rochester home, the matriarch of one of the city’s great golf families which included her husband, Dr. George Trainer, and her daughter, Anne Trainor Ralph. Jean Trainor won the Women’s RDGA Championship an incredible 24 times including streaks of 13 and eight in a span of 23 years, as well as numerous CCR women’s club championships.

► Stahl has been one of the staunchest advocates for Rochester on the national golfing scene through his work as an Executive Committee member for the United States Golf Association, plus his stewardship of several of the major tournaments that have been played at his home club, Oak Hill Country Club, including the 1984 U.S. Senior Open, the 1989 U.S. Open and the 1998 U.S. Amateur. He also served as the tournament chairman of the LPGA’s annual event at Locust Hill and has long been a USGA rules official.

► And Sorce was recognized as one of the RDGA’s long-time volunteers, a tireless worker who has served in almost every capacity on the RDGA board since the 1980s including two years as its president. He has also been one of the leading drivers of junior golf in Rochester and is a tournament rules official.

A limited number of tickets will be available for the ceremony through a link on the RDGA.org website. Ticket registration closes on June 11. The cost is $75 for the public, or $50 for players entered in the 2022 RDGA District Championship and will includes hors d’oeuvres and an open bar throughout the evening.

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Walter Hagen and Sam Urzetta golf pros inducted into RDGA Hall of Fame