Bob Ford
Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame
Class of 2016
Longtime Oakmont Country Club Golf Professional, Bob Ford
Inducted Wednesday, October 6, 2016 at Oakmont Country Club
Bob Ford, the Director of Golf at Oakmont, was the club’s head golf professional from 1979-2015. He qualified for three U.S. Opens, finishing T-26 in the 1983 U.S. Open at Oakmont, and ten PGA Championships. Ford has won every major event locally, including the 1979 West Penn Open, the Tri-State Section PGA Section Championship and the Tri-State Open eight times each, the Frank B. Fuhrer, Jr. Invitational (formerly the Pittsburgh Open) four times, and the Tri-State Section PGA Senior Section Championship twice. He won the McKay Trophy for best scoring average seven times from the Tri-State PGA Section, and was the section’s Player of the Year on ten occasions. A winner of the PGA of America’s National Stroke Play Championship in 1988 and 1993, Ford also won the Pennsylvania Open in 1977, 1981 and 1993. He was awarded the Professional of the Year in 1987, Player of the Year in 1988, and Merchandiser of the Year in 1985 and 1997 by the PGA of America. Ford also served as president of the Tri-State Section from 1996- 1998. He was elected into the PGA National Hall of Fame and the Tri-State Section PGA Hall of Fame in 2005. The Tri-State Open Championship Trophy is named in his honor.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund.