November 19, 2015 PGA Tour player Bo Van Pelt and long-time IGA tournament player Skip Runnels will enter the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place at Forest Hills Country Club in Richmond, Ind.
Van Pelt grew up playing on the Indiana Junior Golf Tour and won numerous individual titles. He went on to play at Richmond High School, where he was named All State in ’93 and won back-to-back team Championships in ’92-’93. He then, attended Oklahoma State University and was named an All-American in ’97 and ’98.
In ’98, Van Pelt earned his PGA Tour Card and has maintained status for the last 17 years. While on Tour, he has participated in 356 events, made 228 cuts, had 125 top 25 finishes, 50 top 10 finishes and has competed in 27 majors.
Van Pelt is also the founder and on-going ambassador of The First Tee Indiana-Richmond Chapter. Each summer, he hosts a fundraiser called the Bo Van Pelt Classic, in support of The First Tee. With the help of the community, The First Tee of Indiana-Richmond has raised over $100,000 to-date and impacts over 125 kids yearly.
Van Pelt’s success as a player and his constant support of the game of golf has earned him a spot in the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame and we look forward to honoring him this November.
Runnels, also a native of Richmond, has had a tremendous amateur playing career. When you think of amateur golf in Indiana, Runnels is a name that comes to mind.
Runnels played on the Richmond High School Golf Team from ’69 to ’71 and was a three-year Letterman winner. He went on the play collegiately at Ball State University where he won the ’75 Ball State Invitational.
After college, Runnels’ golf game continued to improve. He participated in every Indiana Golf Association tournament that he could, and continues to do so today. Throughout his career, he has won 15 Club Championships, 20 plus Team Championships, and seven IGA/IGA Senior individual Championships. Runnels was also named the IGA Senior Player of the Year in 2013.
At the age of 62, Runnels continues to finish towards the top of the leaderboard in almost all IGA events and his sportsmanship on and off the course does not go unnoticed. We look forward to welcoming him into the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame.
Located in Franklin, Ind. the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame is where esteemed members of the golf community are chosen for induction based on their extraordinary contributions to the game as players, teachers, administrators or promoters.