Els: "I was lucky ... I got the breaks in life and won at the right time."

That was Ernie Els accepting his Hall of Fame induction, according to Garry Smits who does a nice job wrapping up the evenings activities from St. Augustine.

As for the no-shows Jumbo Ozaki and George Bush, Smits writes:

Ozaki, who was elected through the international ballot, is the most prolific winner in the history of Japanese golf, with 113 worldwide titles. Unable to travel because of back problems and the recent natural disasters in his country, his brother Joe Ozaki accepted on his behalf.

And as for the former President, who had no business being inducted except for his willingness to put up with Tim Finchem, the official line was that 41 was busy.

President Bush was unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts.

Meet The New WGHOF Inductees...

There hasn't been much buzz about this year's golf Hall class for a few reasons, most notably that an active player (Ernie Els) is the headliner while two others (Jumbo Ozaki and George Bush) are less than ideal inductees who are not appearing to accept their place in golf's impressive shrine. Here is the entire group courtesy of a nice PGATour.com synopsis page.

Also, Deane Beman (with Adam Schupak's help) pens a My Shot this week for SI on inductee Frank Chirkinian, writing this about the legendary CBS producers' skill:

If you watched the Masters on CBS this year you saw Frank's artistic legacy. Tiger's tournament hinged on his putter at the 12th on Sunday. CBS got that. It wasn't that he had to make his birdie putt, it was that he couldn't miss the second putt, for par, which is what he did. He needed to step on the 13th tee feeling confident, make the birdie there, on the short par-5, and he didn't do that either. CBS showed all of that. A good broadcast paints the picture of how a player builds a round, or dismantles it for that matter. That's why Chirkinian showed fewer players making more shots. When golf is good on TV now, it's when producers follow Chirkinian's example.

President Bush Stops In At Redstone; Still Passing On St. Augustine

Bob Strauss caught this shot of former President George H.W. Bush for PGATour.com attending the Shell Houston Open with son Jeb. Great to see he's looking well as always, which only makes his decision to skip his World Golf Hall of Fame induction that much more of a headscratcher.

President Bush Will Not Be Attending World Golf Hall Induction

For immediate release...

World Golf Hall of Fame announces 2011 Induction host and presenters Nantz, Rupert and Hicks to attend Hall’s May ceremony

St. Augustine, Fla. (March 30, 2011) – The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum is pleased to announce that Jim Nantz, Johann Rupert and Bob Goalby will be at the Induction Ceremony as presenters for the Class of 2011. The Hall of Fame also welcomes Dan Hicks, who will host the annual Induction Ceremony on May 9.

Nantz, the play-by-play anchor of CBS's golf coverage, will be presenting former President George H.W. Bush. Nantz is a close friend of the Bush family and will be on hand to represent it. Bush is unable to attend the Induction Ceremony and will accept his induction in a pre-recorded video address.

Speechless. Hope it's not a health related absence.

It will be a busy night for Nantz, who will also present 2011 Inductee Frank Chirkinian. Nantz got his start at CBS under the tutelage of Chirkinian, who became a mentor to him.

Ernie Els will be presented by his South African compatriot Johann Rupert. As a long-time supporter and now current chairman of South Africa’s Sunshine Tour, Rupert has been able to watch Els rise from a star junior player to success on the world stage.

Bob Goalby, winner of 11 PGA TOUR events including the 1968 Masters, will be on hand to present fellow Masters champion Doug Ford.

Rounding out the Class of 2011, Jumbo Ozaki will remain in his native Japan for the Ceremony. He and the late Jock Hutchison will be celebrated with video tributes.

Hicks, the lead play-by-play announcer for NBC’s golf coverage, is the Ceremony’s host. It’s an ideal fit, as he’ll stay in the area to broadcast THE PLAYERS Championship later in the week.

“It is a privilege to have presenters and a host of this caliber at the 2011 Induction Ceremony,” said Jack Peter, Sr. Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Hall of Fame. “We are eager to welcome the Class of 2011 to the World Golf Hall of Fame family. The Induction Ceremony is a signature event on golf’s world calendar and we’re very much looking forward to our new date and kicking off a great week of golf and THE PLAYERS Championship.”

The 2011 Induction Ceremony will be May 9 in the St. Johns County Convention Center, located adjacent to the World Golf Hall of Fame at World Golf Village. The post-event Gala will be inside the Hall of Fame. 

"I hope it happened in time, because I don’t have a whole lot of time left."

Sean Martin posts a Q&A with Frank Chirkinian on the CBS producer/director's Hall of Fame induction.

Q: What is your thought on golf on TV today?

A: I’m ambivalent about that. I think that there are too many graphics on the screen today. They miss an awful lot of live golf shots. That was my forte. I showed a lot of golf shots live, and therein lies the difference. My only problem is that it looks like they’re all doing the same thing. They all look alike.

Frank Chirkinian In Hall After "Emergency" Vote

It was a topic raised here not long ago and it seems the folks running the hall made their second unorthodox move in the last year (after Tim Finchem's call to jam his undeserving crony George Bush in the hall). At least in this case the man is considered a pioneer in his field.

Michael Bamberger on the surprise move.