By Mike Kern
It sure took Jan Stephenson way too long to make it into the World Golf Hall of Fame. But at least the powers that be who are in charge of that kind of stuff finally got it right.
Stephenson will be inducted in the Class of 2019, along with former Masters Chairman Billy Payne, two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, renowned paralyzed trick-shot artist Dennis Walters and longtime Top 100 instructor Peggy Kirk Bell. The ceremony will take place on the Monday before next June’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
One of the questions some of my colleagues and I would constantly ponder is what exactly had kept Stephenson – who is now in her mid 60s – on the outside until now. It’s a question that didn’t really have an answer that made much if any sense. But that’s the way the world works sometimes. It doesn’t matter any more, so we’ll probably never really know what role politics or pettiness or any number of obstacles played in prolonging the process. But as someone who’s had the chance to get to know Jan fairly well in the last five years or so I know it had to bother her at least to some degree. Just because. She probably knew it was bound to happen one day, since she was simply just too deserving. Still, the wait can become, well, a burden of sorts.
It’s called a Hall of Fame for a reason. The key word is fame. Obviously you have to accomplish enough to be considered worthy. And she certainly did. Jan won 16 times on the LPGA Tour, including three majors (in a three-year span). The Australian native, who now calls Florida home, was the Rookie of the Year in 1974. She accumulated 41 victories worldwide, including eight majors and 10 on the Legends Tour. Which is appropriate, since she was one of the founders of the Women’s Senior Tour. But her impact goes far beyond what she did on a golf course.
It gets lost in time, but back in the day she did as much to promote the women’s game as anyone. And she’s continued to be one of the game’s greatest ambassadors, even after she was no longer Jan Stephenson. She was good looking, and she wasn’t shy about showing it. And most people loved it. She posed naked in a bathtub full of golf balls, which was like Burt Reynolds taking his clothes off for the centerfold of Cosmopolitan. It got folks’ attention, in again mostly a positive way. There’s always going to be detractors. Jan also recreated the ageless photo of Marilyn Monroe having her dress fly up while standing over a subway grate for the movie “The Seven Year Itch.” Who else would dare even attempt that? And yet Stephenson pulled it off. And maybe it gave a different audience a reason to tune in and watch what was going on besides rookie Nancy Lopez taking the golf world by storm as a rookie in the late 1970s.
Jan has never shied away from her sexuality. And why should she? I admit I’m a bit biased. If you spend 30 minutes in her company listening to her many stories, you’d understand. She meant a lot to the sport. That shouldn’t be forgotten. But distance can do that. It’s been awhile. Nowadays, a lot has changed. Sexuality is viewed differently, on and off the course. Now, thanks to this honor, a whole new generation will be rightfully exposed to her exploits. And that can’t be anything but overdue. Not to mention just.
Stephenson has said she wants to do a book, to properly tell her story. And yes, she even has Donald Trump stories to share. Imagine that. She has even said she might want me to do it with her, which obviously would be my pleasure. I’ve heard enough from being around her to know it would be nothing short of entertaining and enlightening. She has a lot to say. And those stories never get old. I think there’s a large portion of the public out there who don’t remember who she was and what she stood for. That’s a shame. Because she has so much to offer.
These days her life remains full. Not only does she still look wonderful, and still plays some serious golf, but she now is really into her wine business and her Crossroads Foundation, which gives to those who have given so much in the military. Operating out of the Tarpon Woods Golf Club in Palm Harbor, a once big-time facility that she and business associate Mike Vandiver have totally overhauled, it serves as a partner organization for the Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation. So she’s doing work that makes a difference. And her wines are downright spectacular. I urge you to give them a try (I’m an especially big fan of the Chardonnay, but she’s particularly proud of the mixed reds), and if possible make a donation to her cause. It’s about giving back. Because she realizes where her journey has taken her, and just how special it truly was.
Indeed, it’s a ride worth celebrating. And now we will all get that chance. About time. But at the end of the day, it was worth the wait. The best things always are. Just makes you appreciate it that much more.
Jan did it her way, the only way she knew how. And it served her well, even if some didn’t always get that. Their loss.
Jan recently was at Forsgate Country Club, just off Exit 8A of the Jersey Turnpike, for an event to help raise money for charity. Unfortunately the golf part of the itinerary got rained out. It happens. Nobody beats Mother Nature. Yet Jan was there early, just to meet the people who had come to support her. She told stories, most of them funny and all of them informative, and answered questions. Nothing was off limits. She had the audience in the palm of her hand. Not surprisingly. I’d seen her do it many times before. She exudes charm. Then we sat down to a five-course dinner that paired up each offering with one of her wines. Nobody left without buying at least a few (and in cases many) bottles of her best stuff. I think she actually sold out. And nobody seemed to mind that they hadn’t got to play. They had met an all-timer, and that was a keeper experience. She gave them a unique insight into her very soul. Few can open up to strangers the way she does. So you can’t help but walk away rooting for her.
I feel so good for her, that she’s made it to a place she belongs. I’m sure her speech will be among the highlights of the ceremonies. I don’t know if anyone will appreciate it more. Well done.
What a career. What a life. And now it will be out there for everyone to see, and appreciate. That’s forever.
