TCU great Angela Stanford headlines Texas Golf Hall of Fame’s Fort Worth-heavy class
Angela Stanford reminisced about learning the game of golf on a couple of Fort Worth area courses that have since closed in Z Boaz and Willow Springs. She told the story of how she ended up at TCU, opting for a school with an easier path to the five-member traveling squad compared with offers from Texas A&M and SMU.
“I was not highly recruited and I wasn’t a math major,” said Stanford, a Saginaw Boswell product. “But A&M had 15 girls on the team, TCU had seven and SMU had somewhere in between. I’m like, ‘I can beat two. I can’t beat 10.’”
Playing at TCU opened doors for Stanford to upgrade from the Z Boaz-type courses to the city’s exclusive and prestigious courses such as Shady Oaks and Colonial. It eventually paved the way for a professional career, too, that has seen Stanford win one major championship (2018 Evian Championship), post 95 top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour and play in six Solheim Cups.
Stanford received one of her highest honors Monday night, being inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame at River Crest Country Club. She headlined a Fort Worth-heavy 2020 class along with longtime club professionals Mike Wright (Shady Oaks) and Dow Finsterwald Jr. (Colonial).
Others in the class included Dallas native Hank Kuehne and longtime CBS Sports announcer and Austin High graduate Verne Lundquist. The Hall also recognized San Antonio’s Oak Hills Country Club.
The night featured plenty of laughs and walks down memory lane for golf enthusiasts.
“I’m just a small town kid from Saginaw. How in the world did I end up here?” Stanford said. “You’ll never know how much it means to me that this little kid from Saginaw, Texas, is in your Texas Golf Hall of Fame. Thank you so much.”
Stanford thanked a number of people who were influential in her career, starting with her parents. She went on to talk about her most influential mentors from taking lessons from Amy Fox at Leonard Golf Links as a high school student to TCU golf coach Angie Ravaioli-Larkin offering her a scholarship to Wright helping her as a professional.
Stanford also recognized Marty Leonard, the daughter of Marvin Leonard. Marvin Leonard, the famed Fort Worth businessman, was the man behind building Shady Oaks and Colonial.
“Your father is one of five people I want to meet in heaven,” Stanford said. “Without Marvin Leonard, there is no Shady Oaks. There is no Colonial. The landscape of Fort Worth golf looks a lot different. This kid from Saginaw would never have an opportunity to play at Shady Oaks.
“I grew up on Z Boaz and Willow Springs. I’m grateful for that. I’m thankful for that. That made me who I am today, but Shady Oaks was different. It made me the professional I am today.”
Fittingly, Wright was inducted on the same night as one of his former students. Wright has worked at Shady Oaks for 36 years after becoming the head professional at age 23 on the recommendation of Ben Hogan.
As the story goes, Hogan gave Wright the sports jacket off his back before his interview. Hogan also had Wright add a line to his letter of introduction, saying that Shady Oaks could part ways with Wright if the membership wasn’t happy with him after one year.
After he landed the job, Wright smiles back on an exchange he had with Hogan shortly afterward.
“Mr. Hogan said, ‘You did OK. Now don’t mess it up,’” Wright said, laughing. “I’ve tried not to.”
Finsterwald had his own golfing legend help him land the job at Colonial in 1987. Finsterwald told the audience that Arnold Palmer called a few prominent Colonial members to offer his support of Finsterwald. Palmer and Finsterwald’s father were close friends.
“Arnold Palmer said, ‘Give him a chance,’” Finsterwald said.
That was part of an entertaining speech Finsterwald delivered, keeping it light with self-deprecating jokes while also expressing his love for Colonial and its membership.
“Colonial is my most favorite place in the world,” Finsterwald said. “My whole life has been a dream.”
Kuehne and Lundquist embraced the moment too.
Kuehne, the former U.S. Amateur Champion, had a humorous recollection of playing the 1999 Masters. Kuehne snap-hooked his drive off No. 1 but somehow made par. Kuehne didn’t feel nervous throughout his pre-round warmup but that changed suddenly walking up to the first tee.
Lundquist went through a number of his golf calls over the years. He’s best known for his “maybe ... yessir!” following Jack Nicklaus’ putt on No. 17 at the 1986 Masters as Nicklaus won his final and 18th major at age 46. Lundquist also called Tiger Woods’ chip-in at No. 16 during his 2005 Masters victory, expressing after Woods’ ball fell in: “In your life, have you seen anything like that?”
Lundquist brought it back to his days as a sports anchor at WFAA, sharing a story about playing golf with Byron Nelson. He also fondly remembers having lunch with Hogan at Colonial with the CBS golf crew one year.
“Ben and Valerie Hogan were so nice and agreeable,” Lundquist said. “This is a great honor to be in the same Hall of Fame with Mr. Hogan. I’m so grateful.”
This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 4:28 PM.
