ST. AUGUSTINE, United States (AFP) - Japan's Isao Aoki, American Tom Kite and color-barrier conqueror Charlie Sifford were among four people inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Also joining the elite honor society was amateur standout Marlene Stewart Streit, the first Canadian enshrined.
"Aoki, Charlie and Marlene are an example that golf belongs to the world," golf legend Arnold Palmer said.
"We think they represent the most diverse group we've ever had," World Golf Village chief executive Jack Peter said.
Aoki was the first Japanese player to win a US PGA Tour event, dropping a wedge shot on the final hole to capture the 1983 Hawaiian Open. The wedge used for the winning shot will be part of the display.
Aoki, who lost a memorable 1980 US Open duel with Jack Nicklaus, marked the way for Japanese players to the US tour, including current standout Shigeki Maruyama.
Sifford, 82, was kept off the US PGA Tour in his prime because he is black. He became the first black in the hall and on the tour, winning his first title at age 45 and paving the path that Tiger Woods has followed into stardom.
"If any man is qualified to do something, I don't care if he's white, black, blue or green, he deserves a chance," Sifford said. "This makes me believe that they finally accept me."
Kite's 19 US PGA titles included the 1992 US Open. He finished in the top 20 on the US money list for 15 years in a row, twice winning the title, and was the 1989 PGA Player of the Year.
Streit, 70, won the 2003 US Women's Senior Amateur, defeating some rivals 20 years younger. She has been winning titles for six decades and has claimed Australian, British, US and Canadian women's amateur crowns in her career.
11/16/2004 - 17:24 GMT - AFP