Local Golf Pro Inducted Into PGA of America Hall of Fame

LAKE FOREST, IL — A longtime local golf professional is set to be inducted into the 2023 class of the PGA of America Hall of Fame.

Don Wegrzyn and five other inductees will be recognized during a special ceremony Nov. 8 in Frisco, Texas.

Wegrzyn, 85, of Gurnee, began his golf career in 1947 as a caddie at the Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest.

Five years later, he began a 47-year career at the Old Elm Club in Highland Park, working his way up from a front-door attendant to director of golf.

There is now a scholarship named in his honor at the club.

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Wegrzyn served on the board of the Illinois PGA from 1972 to 1987, with a stint as president form 1980-81. And he launched the junior golf program now known as First Tee of Greater Chicago.

"The mission of the First Tee ... is to teach respect, integrity and confidence, so [kids] can succeed in life," Wegrzyn told the Chicago Tribune in 2003. "And we want to make it fun."

A three-time winner of the Illinois Section PGA Professional Development Award, Wegrzyn has previously been elected to the Northern Illinois University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992 and to the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame in 1999.

Wegrzyn later served as a managing general partner of The Lakes Golf Club in Virginia and as president and director of golf development for Old Mill Creek Saddle & Golf Club, according to a PGA of America release.

Other members of the 2023 hall of fame class set to join Wegryn include fellow golf professionals Robert Dolan and Herb Wimberly, former PGA President Suzy Whaley, former LPGA player Kathy Whitworth and CBS Sports broadcaster Jim Nantz.

“It is an incredible honor for the PGA of America to recognize and celebrate our six inductees who have made a real impact on the game of golf and the countless individuals they’ve inspired along the way,” PGA President John Lindert said in a statement.

“Whether they proudly wear the PGA of America logo in their daily efforts, or have inspired golfers nationwide through their voice with continuous support of not only the sport, but the PGA of America," Lindert said, "we honor their contributions to this great game we all love.”