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2005 PNGA Hall of Fame
Women leading the charge
By Paul Ramsdell, PNGA Media
If there's any thought that it was just a politically correct move to have the 2005 class of the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of
Fame be its first made up entirely of women, well someone hasn't looked at all the facts.
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| Mary Budke |
These three - Mary Budke, Marilyn Palmer O'Connor and Jean Smith - are all national champs.
"It's just a wonderful group of people," said Judy Thompson, the chairperson of the Hall of Fame Committee for the PNGA.
And more so, a wonderful group of golfers.
Budke, of Eugene, Ore., was just 18 years old when she won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1972. O'Connor, now of Calgary, Alberta, captured the
title in the Canadian Ladies Championship in 1986. Smith, of Eagle, Idaho, was the winner of the 1995 U.S. Women's Senior Amateur.
These three will be honored at the PNGA's Hall of Fame Banquet, set for April 15 at Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver, Wash.
"So I remember mentioning to the group, 'Do we realize we have three women and this would be a first for the Hall of Fame Banquet?'" Thompson
said of the selection process among her committee members. "Nobody said anything right away, and then I think Jack Lamey, or somebody
commented, 'Well, isn't that great.'"
There is geographic diversity among this group, covering all ends of the PNGA region. Budke grew up in Dayton, Ore., went to college at Oregon
State, then settled in Eugene where she's an emergency room physician at Sacred Heart Hospital.
O'Connor started playing as a youngster in Kamloops, B.C., went to school at the University of British Columbia and eventually settled in
Calgary.
Smith was given a set of golf clubs on her 16th birthday in St. Louis. She learned the game from one of the top players of that time, and then
moved to the Boise area and became one of Idaho's most dominant amateur players ever.
"All the corners are covered, and everybody is just thrilled to death," Thompson said. "I just think they are real different individuals in
their own right."
In her youthful exuberance, Budke already had failed to reach her golf goals even before winning the U.S. Women's Amateur at age 18.
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| Marilyn (Palmer) O'Connor (second from left) |
"My biggest goal in golf was to win the U.S. Junior, that's the one I wanted the most," she said.
The problem was she had to go against Hollis Stacy, who won the three U.S. Girls Junior titles when Budke competed.
Budke, though, quickly registered some big-time success by winning the U.S. Amateur.
"The U.S. Am clearly stands out. It opened immense doors for me, and it continues to do so."
One of the first doors it helped open was a spot on the 1974 Curtis Cup team.
"It was the most fun I've ever had, playing on that team, with those great players. It was wonderful."
And nearly three decades after playing in the Curtis Cup, she was asked by the USGA to be the captain for 2002.
"It got me around the game again," she said, "and it got me around young people, young women who are wonderfully talented, and have just great
energy."
Budke has shown great energy herself, winning eight Oregon Women's Amateurs, a PNGA Women's Amateur crown, two Western Junior Girls, two PNGA
Junior Girls, and three Oregon Junior Girls titles.
"I loved growing up in the Northwest and playing Oregon Golf Association and PNGA events because they were my foundation, and I was around some
wonderful players," she said.
One of those wonderful players remembers Budke. O'Connor and Budke both played in the 1972 World Amateur Team event, representing different
countries.
"I was really very excited when I saw Mary was also being inducted," O'Connor said.
O'Connor's list of accomplishments can generate some excitement in its own right.
Besides her Canadian Ladies title, she captured the PNGA Women's title in 1973 and has won 10 B.C. Ladies titles, seven in Alberta, one in
Saskatchewan and three B.C. Junior Ladies titles.
"I still truly love the game. I've played it for the love of the sport through all the years and I love to compete."
It started at a young age, thanks mostly to the fact her father was a club professional in Kamloops.
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| Jean Smith |
"I sort of grew up right on the golf course. The golf course was out of town a bit, so it was kind of the one thing to do. I started playing
some tournaments and once I started to do that I was kind of bitten by the game."
It took a while for Jean Smith to be bitten. She grew up playing tennis, so it was no big deal when her father gave her a set of golf clubs
for her 16th birthday.
She then took lessons from E.J. 'Dutch' Harrison, a three-time Ryder Cup player and a top teaching pro in his time.
"It was very gradual," she said about her interest and improvements in golf, "but I really got to love the game and basically pretty much quit
tennis altogether."
The improvements haven't come close to stopping. Her resume, besides the U.S. Women's Senior Amateur, includes seven Idaho Women's Amateur
titles, two Idaho Women's Senior Amateur crowns and six Women's Western Senior titles and the PNGA Women's Senior Amateur in 2003.
"It's been a great journey for me, really. It's been a lot of fun. I've seen a lot of great places and people, and I have really thoroughly
enjoyed all of it."
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