The 2022 Indiana Golf Hall of Fame took place Thursday, November 17th at Broadmoor Country Club, where professional golfers, Jeff Gallagher and Jackie Gallagher-Smith, were chosen as esteemed members of the golf community and inducted based on their extraordinary contributions to the game as players, teachers, administrations, and promoters.
It was a memorable night as Jeff and Jackie were formally welcomed into the Hall of Fame by brother Jim Gallagher Jr., who spoke of their positive impact within the industry and their tremendous accomplishments.
In addition to their induction, our Indiana Junior Players of the Year, Amateur Players of the Year, and Wagoner Award recipients were also recognized. Those award winners included:
Clifford E. Wagoner Award, Bob Jacobs
IGA John K. David Player of the Year, Brett Widner
IGA Senior Jerry Nelson Player of the Year, Mike Bell
IWGA Alice O’Neal Dye Player of the Year, Julia Potter-Bobb
Boys Junior Program Player of the Year, Jake Cesare
Girls Junior Program Player of the Year, Michaela Headlee
Co-Junior Tour Boys Player of the Year, Mattingly Upchurch and Elijah Lemmon
Junior Tour Girls Player of the Year, Taylor Larkins
Boys Prep Tour Player of the Year, Landon Tropf
Girls Prep Tour Player of the Year, Ressie Lemmon
Julia Potter-Bobb has been honored with the IWGA Alice O’Neal Dye Player of the Year award 10 separate times and has an inspiring outlook for the years to come.
"This year was definitely the most challenging year when it came to my golf, just adding this variable of being a new mom and my responsibilities growing both professionally and personally. I had an incredible support system including my husband, son, parents and in-laws, and I am just really hoping to continue that going forward. Golf in the state of Indiana is really important to me and I feel like one of the best ways to show support for that is to continue to play in the great events that Indiana Golf offers".
Potter-Bobb added “I never considered I would be someone who could say that they have won something 10 times, let alone Player of the Year. What helps me the most is when I feel the lowest about my game, or the challenges I have in my game going forward, it’s helpful to mentally fall back on things like this and know that I never thought I would get to ten, but I got there, what else can I do that I never thought I could do?”
About Jeff Gallgher
Jeff Gallagher was born and raised in Marion, Indiana. Growing up with a father who was a PGA Professional, meant he really had no other choice but to pursue the game. That pursuit has resulted in numerous accomplishments.
He won the Indiana Boys State Junior Championship (‘82) and then went on to play collegiate golf at Ball State University. During his time at Ball State, Gallagher was a 4- year letterman, two-time All-MAC selection. He captured 2 collegiate titles while playing for the Cardinals. Away from the collegiate circuit, he finished Runner-Up at the ‘85 Indiana State Amateur, and was inducted to Ball State University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in ‘98.
After completing his collegiate career, he followed in his older brothers’ footsteps and turned professional in 1987. During his time on the Tours, he captured the 1991 Korn Ferry Cleveland Open and the 2000 Korn Ferry South Carolina Classic. In the Cleveland Open, he outlasted eventual Major Champion and Ryder Cup Captain, Tom Lehman, by one shot. He added a Runner Up finish in the 2009 Rex Hospital Open where he lost in a playoff.
He amassed 34 Top Ten Finishes on the Korn Ferry Tour and an additional 6 Top Ten Finishes on the PGA Tour. All totaled, he played in over 400 PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour events.
As he moved into the senior playing ranks he continues to be competitive. He has been a member of the PGA Champions Tour and has competed in 4 US Senior Opens including a 17th place tie in 2019. Gallagher continues to compete on the PGA Champions Tour and is also an instructor at High Performance Golf Institute in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada, where he prides himself on bringing decades of experience to his instruction.
Gallagher has placed an emphasis on promoting the game of golf through charity events, including YMCA Junior Programs, and the Jim Gallagher & Friends Skins Game, which raised $500,000 over twenty years.
The Gallagher Family has been named the National Golf Foundations Golf Family of the Year and the PGA of America National Golf Month Family of the Year. He lives with his wife Kim in Henderson, Nevada, and has two daughters, Allison, and
Meredith.
About Jackie Gallagher-Smith
Jackie Gallagher-Smith was born in Marion, Indiana, and grew up playing on the Girls golf team at Marion High School where she received the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award in ‘84. Jackie saw tremendous success early in her golf career, winning the Indiana Junior Girls Championship in ‘83 and ‘85, finishing as a semifinalist at the ‘87 Indiana Women’s State Amateur, and placing third the following year.
She moved forward to play collegiate golf at Louisiana State University and was an NCAA All-American in ‘88, and All-Conference in ‘90. Gallagher continued to impress as she qualified for the Women’s U.S. Open from ‘89 to ‘92, and in the midst turned professional in ‘90. She saw quick success in ‘93 placing 2nd in the Betty Puschard Classic, 3rd in the US Air Future Classic, and 7th on the Futures Tour Money list.
Jackie was an LPGA Member from ‘94 to ‘12, where she became a Rolex First- Time Winner at the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic in ‘99. She remained exempt on the LPGA Tour from ‘00-’09 and has received many special awards and recognitions including the National Golf Foundation Golf Family of the Year (‘90), Top 5 Merit of Honor on the Asian Women’s Tour (‘96), PGA of America National Golf Month Family (‘96), and was inducted into Grant County Indiana’s All Sports Hall of Fame in ‘11.
Gallagher prides her involvement around the game in a number of ways, including sitting on the Advisory Council for the Women’s Professional Golf Fellowship for three years. She has also participated in numerous charity and fundraising events, including the FCA, Jack Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and Cancer Society, Prader Willi: Special Olympics, Wounded Warrior, the Inaugural First Tee opener in Richmond, Vancouver, and the Jim Gallagher & Friends Skins Game, which raised $500,000 over twenty years.
Jackie has placed an emphasis on the importance of youth golf by participating in 10+ LPGA Junior Golf clinics and 4 FCA Junior Golf camps. Jackie is married to Eddie Smith and has two sons, O’Connor and Sullivan. She currently resides in Jupiter, Florida, and is in her 9th year as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher.