Write-Up provided by Gary D’Amato (garydamatogolf@gmail.com) and Wisconsin.Golf
The Wisconsin Golf Hall of Fame launched in 1964 with an inaugural class of five inductees and has since grown to include 107 golfers and golf contributors — the men and women who have shaped the game in our state.
Dave Spengler spoke for all of them Saturday night when he was inducted into the Hall during a ceremony at TPC Wisconsin.
“This game has always been my soul and my passion,” said the longtime member of the Wisconsin PGA Section. “Failure, success, perseverance, honesty, humility, optimism, dedication — all are among the myriad values we learn from this perfect parallel to life. I know it to be the grandest and greatest game ever created.”
Joining Spengler in the Class of 2024 were Mario Tiziani, Malinda Johnson and the late Bob Muren.
Spengler, 61, is a three-time WPGA Player of the Year, a five-time WPGA Assistant Professional of the Year and twice won the Section championship. He qualified for the Greater Milwaukee Open eight times and played in the 2003 PGA Championship.
Before he turned professional, Spengler played collegiate golf at the University of Wisconsin and won the 1985 Wisconsin State Golf Association Match Play Championship.
He spoke about coming of age in a vibrant golf scene in Madison in the 1970s and ‘80s — a period during which Andy North won the U.S. Open twice and young stars such as Jim Schuman, Sherri Steinhauer, Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker were coming onto the scene.
Spengler was known for his unconventional swing, his prodigious length and his propensity to make birdies in bunches.
“Have you seen my swing?” he joked. “John Daly might be the only person on the planet who would say, ‘Ooh, I like that action.’ I always played with one simple mantra — hit it, find it and hit it again.
“I never, ever once thought of this day ever occurring in my life. I simply just love this game.”
Tiziani, 54, joined his father (Dennis Tiziani), uncle (Larry Tiziani) and brother-in-law (Steve Stricker) in the Hall of Fame.
“(They) set the standard for me and showed me how to conduct myself, both on and off the course,” he said. “Sharing this with them is an honor that goes beyond words. It connects me not only to their legacy, but also to something much larger — the legacy of Wisconsin golf itself.”
Tiziani played for his father at Wisconsin, winning two collegiate events and three Madison City titles. He won the Wisconsin State Open in 2002, then won twice on the Canadian Tour in 2003 and played in 23 events on the PGA Tour in 2005.
He burned out on competitive golf about 15 years ago and became a partner at MGC Sports; Stricker was his first client. After going more than a decade without playing a single competitive round, he rediscovered his passion for the game and in an 11-month span won the state senior open titles in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Arizona.
Since turning 50, he has played in 60 events on the PGA Tour Champions, with a career-best finish of T-3 in the 2023 SAS Championship. He has qualified for the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs in each of the last three years.
“Standing here today as an inductee into the Wisconsin Golf Hall of Fame is a moment of profound humility,” Tiziani said. “It’s a privilege to join the ranks of so many who have shaped not only the history of golf in this state, but also the character of those who, like me, were fortunate enough to learn from them.”
Johnson, 42, an Eau Claire native who lives in Phoenix, was unable to attend the induction ceremony because of a schedule conflict.
Twenty years after leaving UW, the powerful left-hander still ranks among the best woman golfers in program history.
She helped lead the Badgers to their first-ever team berth in the NCAA tournament in 2003 and had three top-four finishes in the Big Ten Conference tournament, including a runner-up in 2002.
“One of the top couple players to play in our program,” current Wisconsin coach Todd Oehrlien said of Johnson in a story on uwbadgers.com. “Just unbelievably talented.”
Johnson was a three-time Wisconsin Women’s Amateur champion and a four time Wisconsin Women’s State Open champion. No other golfer has won both titles three times.
Her claim to fame was making a birdie on the final hole to win the York (Pa.) Newspaper Company Futures Classic in 2004 — the season-ending tournament on the Futures Tour (now Epson Tour) — which allowed her to finish in the fifth spot on the money list and lock up her LPGA card for 2005.
“I got the fifth spot by like $252,” Johnson told Wisconsin.Golf earlier this year. “That was pretty epic. When I won, we didn’t know what the money situation was. It wasn’t until they announced it at the (trophy) ceremony and then I was just kind of like, ‘Holy cow, I just did that.’”
Johnson made eight of 15 cuts on the LPGA Tour in 2005 but injuries took a toll and she missed the 2006 season. She wound up having surgery to repair a torn labrum in her shoulder and earlier this year underwent spinal fusion surgery.
Muren, who died in March 2017, was inducted as a contributor to the game. He was a WSGA Board member from 1997-2017, served as WSGA president in 2005-2006 and donated thousands of hours of legal expertise to numerous golf associations.
“There are two methods, or a combination thereof, to get elected into the Hall of Fame,” said former WSGA president Randy Warobick, who presented Muren. “You can have an outstanding golf record and/or by making substantial contributions to the game of golf. … Bob represents the pinnacle of that latter category.”
Muren was the Marquette University Hy Popuch (Man of the Year) Award winner in 1995, was founder and president of the WSGA Foundation and founded the Wisconsin Country Club Association.
“Thank you to this wonderful (selection) committee and to the illustrious Wisconsin State Golf Association for this award,” said his widow, Charlene Muren. “Bob would be so honored.”