Sir Michael Bonallack, past Secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and recently appointed as a Non-Executive Director of The European Tour, has been added to the Board of Directors of the World Golf Foundation.
The appointment was announced by Board Chairman, Tim Finchem, the Commissioner of the US PGA Tour, and follows Sir Michael’’s induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame last November.
Sir Michael, 66, was one of the Britain’’s greatest amateur golfers. He won the Amateur Championship five times between 1961 and 1970, and was a nine-time member of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team, twice as captain. In 1983 he was named Secretary of the R&A, a post he held until his retirement in 1999 and was elected the Millennium Captain of the R&A the following year.
Sir Michael was knighted in 1998, joining Sir Henry Cotton as the only people to be so honoured for their contributions to golf. He was selected for membership to the World Golf Hall of Fame in the Lifetime Achievement category in early 2000, and inducted on November 20.
"Given the scope of the Foundation's activities, we felt it was important for the Board to have an international representation, and there is certainly no one more qualified than Sir Michael," said Finchem. "We are honoured that he has agreed to join the Board and help guide the Hall of Fame, The First Tee programme and future initiatives of the Foundation."
Bonallack commented: "I have admired for some time the way in which the World Golf Foundation has united the various entities in golf, not just from the U.S. but from around the world, behind common goals and purposes.
“The Hall of Fame is certainly an international shrine, and The First Tee programme has some very exciting and commendable goals outside of the U.S. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to get more involved with these first-class initiatives."
The World Golf Foundation was formed in 1994 to oversee the creation and design of the World Golf Hall of Fame at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida. The First Tee programme, which was announced in 1997, creates golf facilities primarily for youngsters who have not previously had access to the game.
