WSGA To Honour Bill Wright With A Special Day

(From: Tom Cade - PNGA)

The ceremony, also celebrating Wright's contributions to the game of golf, will be held at Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle, at noon on Saturday, October 10 and will be open to the public. The event will include Wright giving a Junior clinic for The First Tee kids.

"Bill Wright has inspired generations with his achievements and also by who he is as a person," said Heidi Wills, Executive Director of The First Tee of Greater Seattle. "He is a great role model for the kids participating in The First Tee program where we teach that golf is more than a game - it's about values such as perseverance, confidence, sportsmanship and integrity; all values that Bill Wright embodies and elevates. What an honor for The First Tee kids to get to meet him."

"The game of golf is fortunate to have someone such as Bill Wright," said John Bodenhamer, Executive Director of the Washington State Golf Association. "His integrity is something that is having an impact on the game across the decades."

Wright's ties to golf began at age 14, when his father began taking him to Jefferson Park GC. Within a year he was the city's Junior champion. He earned athletic honors in golf and basketball at Western Washington State College (now University), winning the NAIA collegiate individual golf championship in 1960, and is a member of WWU's Athletic Hall of Fame. He briefly ventured onto the professional tour, and played in the 1966 U.S. Open. He still carries his PGA Tour card in his wallet. Staying in the game, he has qualified for five U.S. Senior Opens, and now, at age 73, teaches golf four to five days a week at The Lakes at El Segundo course in the Los Angeles, Calif. area.

Bill's father, Bob, was a fine player in his own right, competing in the 1963 U.S. Amateur Public Links. Bill counts World Golf Hall of Famer Charlie Sifford as a source of inspiration during his youth. Sifford was often a guest at the Wright household during visits to Seattle and amazed Bill with his practice routine. "Every single time he was there, both my Dad and I would watch him, said Bill. "All day long, he would practice his chip shots, his putting, whatever he could do."

In the summer of 1959, at Wellshire Golf Course in Denver, Colorado, Wright defeated Frank Campbell of Jacksonville, Florida 3 & 2 in the 36-hole final match of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

Two incidents from that championship a half-century ago stand out today for Wright, who still maintains a regal presence with his athletic 6-foot-2 frame.

First, just after the ceremony where he received his trophy and medal, he was told he had a phone call. It was a sports announcer from Seattle. "He said: 'How does it feel to be the first black to win the tournament?' And, I just slammed the phone down," Wright recalled. "I wasn't thinking in those terms. I hung up and got myself back together. That was how I felt inside. I wasn't mad. I wanted to be black. I wanted to be the winner. I wanted to be all those things. It just hit that other people were thinking that (being the first black winner). I was just playing golf."

The second incident, which illustrates Wright's innate sportsmanship, occurred during the championship's semifinal match against Don Essig. On the match's sixth hole, Essig overshot the green and faced a difficult lie. During his stroke, some in the crowd continued their conversations and Essig's chip attempt did not reach the green. Immediately, Wright walked to the gallery and said politely, "Some of you folks bothered him on that shot. It was very unfair. Please give him a better break so he can play his regular game."

Essig and Wright were reunited in 2000 at the 75th Anniversary of the championship, which was being held that year at Heron Lakes GC in Portland, Ore. Essig's take on that semifinal story: "Bill has always been a perfect gentleman."

Asked what winning that championship has meant to him, Wright says, "It means that I was playing well at the time, but it also meant that someone else could come along and play in the tournament. It didn't make a difference if they were young or old or anything - they could play, and they'd have a chance to win. I am proud now, if you ask me. I have been for many years. I was able to at least give an image to kids like that."

The WSGA was formed in 1922 to conduct the men's state amateur golf championship. Since its humble beginnings more than 85 years ago, the WSGA has evolved into one of the largest amateur golf associations in the United States, providing a multitude of benefits and services to approximately 80,000 individual members at nearly 640 member golf clubs throughout the state of Washington and Northern Idaho. The WSGA is a 501(c) 6 non-profit amateur golf association governed by volunteer, amateur golfers who employ a full-time, professional staff of 13 people. WSGA members pay an annual membership fee, through their club, to belong to the Association. The WSGA also serves as a state-wide representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA).