Mississippi Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Submitted by msgolf on Mon, 02/11/2019 - 8:38pm

The following individuals were selected as the inaugural class of the Mississippi Golf Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony was held on January 26, 2019 at the Country Club of Jackson.

 

James Ray Carpenter: A Hattiesburg, MS native, Carpenter was born December 12, 1926 and died on September 19, 2018. He was a member of the Hattiesburg High School golf team (1943-1945). He attended MSU (1945-1946) and USM (1947-1951) where he lettered in basketball and baseball (’45-’46,’47-’50). Carpenter’s Professional Golf Career earned him outstanding awards and honors including Professional Golf Association Membership (PGA) from 1969-2018; Golf Professional at USM (’64); USM Golf Coach (1968-1980); President of the Mississippi PGA (’73,’75,76); Secretary of the Gulf States PGA (’73); President of the Gulf States PGA (’74); MS PGA Professional of the Year (’75); President of Mississippi Turfgrass Association (‘76); Gulf States PGA Professional of the Year (’77); Member of the National PGA Board of Directors (’80-’82); PGA Rules of Golf Committee (1979-2018); Rules Official, PGA Championship (1979-2018); National Treasurer of the PGA (’83-’84); National Vice President of the PGA (’85-’86); Chairman of the 1985 Ryder Cup; National President of the PGA (’87-’88); Mississippi Pro Sportsman of the Year by the Jackson Touchdown Club (’87); and  Golf Person of the Year by the Southern Golf Journal (’88). James Ray is a member of four Halls of Fame: Southern Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame (1977); Charter Member of the Gulf States PGA Hall of Fame (1999); Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (2003) and PGA of America Hall of Fame.

Cissye Meeks Gallagher: A Greenwood, MS native, Cissye was a standout athlete at Pillow Academy as a female playing on the boy’s golf team. She played collegiate golf at LSU. Cissye played one year on the LPGA before injuries forced her to retire. Cissye regained her amateur status and continues to have a decorated amateur career. Her amateur titles include 12 Women’s Amateur Titles, her first win was at age 19 and her 12th title was in 2015 (’86,’87,’88,’93,’94,’97,’98,’99, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2015); two MS Girls Junior Amateur Titles and a Senior Women’s Amateur Title (2017). She has represented the state in five USGA Women’s State Team Championships. Cissye’s women’s state amateur championship titles span over 4 decades of completion and she continues to compete on a state and national level. Cissye is being inducted into the MS Sports Hall of Fame in August, 2019.

Ken Lindsay: Born in Glencoe, AL in 1943, Ken Lindsay is a longtime resident of Canton, MS. Ken is the Alabama State Junior Amateur Champion (’60) and the Sunkist Mid-Winter Tournament Champion, Biloxi, MS (’65). Ken played collegiate golf at Memphis State University (University of Memphis). He only lost 4 matches out of 44 played to set a new school record. He also won 18 consecutive matches to set a new school record. After his college golf career, Ken joined the Air Force and had an outstanding amateur golf military career, Base Champion Little Rock (’68, ’69); State Public Links Champion, Riverdale CC, Little Rock, AR (’68); World Wide Air Force Champion, San Antonio, TX (’68).  After Ken’s military career, he moved to Jackson, MS and became the assistant golf professional at Colonial Country Club under head pro, Norman Bryant. Ken’s professional golf career is highlighted by his playing accomplishments and his service to the game through national committees and offices held. His professional honors include Mississippi Apprentice of the Year (’72); Member of the PGA of America (1973-present); Apprentice Golf Professional at Colonial Country Club (’70-‘75); Golf Professional at Colonial Country Club, Jackson, MS (1975-2006); Secretary/Treasurer of MS Chapter of the Gulf States PGA (’74); Member of the Gulf States PGA Section Board of Directors (’74-’79); President of the MS Chapter of the Gulf States PGA (’75); Gulf States PGA Section Secretary (’79-’80); PGA Rules of Golf Official (1980-present); Gulf States PGA Section President (’81-’82); PGA Golf Professional of the Year (’83); National Horton Smith Award Winner (’87); Member, PGA Board of Directors (’89-’91); Secretary of the PGA (’92-’94); Named as one of the World’s Greatest Golf Pros (’95); Vice President of the PGA (’94-’96); and 30th President of the PGA of America (’96-’98).  Ken is a member of five Halls of Fame: Memphis State University Sports Hall of Fame (1981); Gadsden, AL, Sports Hall of Fame (1992); Muirfield Village, OH, Golf Club’s Captain’s Club (2000); Gulf States PGA Hall of Fame (2000); MS Sports Hall of Fame (2001) and PGA of America Hall of Fame.

Michael D. "Mike" Taylor: Taylor, an outstanding junior golfer at Meridian High School (1961-1964) playing on State Championship Golf Teams (’61, ’62, ’63, ’64) and winning the State Jaycee Junior Golf Championship in 1962. Taylor played collegiate golf at Brigham Young University (1965-1968). His accomplished collegiate career includes Gold Team (’65-’68); All Western Athletic Conference (WAC) team (‘65, ’66, ’68); WAC Individual Championship (’68); Finished 8th Overall in the NCAA Golf Championship (’66); and All American (’66).  Mike’s amateur golf accomplishments include winning the Mississippi Open (’75, ’78); Named the Clarion Ledger Amateur Athlete of the Year (’78); 10 Men’s Mississippi Amateur Titles over two decades, including 4 straight titles (’65,’66,’68,’70,’72,’73,’74,’75,’77,’78); Mississippi Mid-Amateur Champion (’89, ’92); State Four-Ball Champion with partner, Randy Pool (’87, ’88) and Bill Cass Senior Four-Ball Champion with partner, Randy Pool (2001) and the  Senior Amateur Title (2011). Taylor is also a past president of the Mississippi Golf Association (’79). Mike was inducted into the MS Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Robert A. "Robbie" Webb, Sr.: Robbie was born August 11, 1939 in Gulfport, MS and died August 2, 2012 in Canton, MS. Robbie is known to golfers throughout the state as the “Godfather of Mississippi Golf.” Robbie was the Head Golf Professional at Canton Country Club (1963-1979; 1988-2007). Robbie’s junior golf career includes a State Junior Amateur Title at the age of 14 (’53); played on the Gulfport, MS high school golf team with Mary Mills (1954-1957); and qualified for the USGA Junior Amateur Championship in 1955 & 1956, finishing in 7th place at the age of 16. He was a four year letterman in golf at USM (1957-1961). Robbie played 62.5 career rounds at USM with a 74.99 career stroke average, which ranks no. 19 in school history. He was the USM Assistant Golf Coach for the Men’s Golf Team (1962). After his amateur career, Robbie became a PGA member in 1965 and began his professional golf career.  Robbie’s professional career is as accomplished as his junior and amateur golf career. He was a member of the PGA MS Cup Team (’67,’70); Mississippi State Open Champion (’68); PGA Gulf States Professional of the Year (’70,’84); PGA Head Golf Professional at Deerfield Golf Club, Canton, MS (‘79-‘88); Gulf States PGA Junior Golf Leader Award (’91, ’95,’96) and he was Inducted into the Gulf States PGA Hall of Fame (’98) and the USM Athletic Hall of Fame. Robbie was the founder and coach of the Madison-Ridgeland Academy golf team (1988-2007). He has coached 26 junior players who earned college golf scholarships and his golf students earned 10 MS State Open titles and 3 Men’s State Amateur titles.  The Mississippi Golf Association created the Robbie Webb Award in 2000, to recognize those individuals who have given of their time and resources to junior golf. Robbie was the first recipient in 2000 and the award is given annually to deserving individuals. A proclamation was made of “Robbie Webb Day” by Governor Haley Barbour on January 8, 2007.