Renowned former LPGA professional and media commentator Jane Crafter has been honoured for her contribution to South Australian golf, as an inaugural inductee to the South Australian Golf Hall of Fame.

Crafter was one of five inductees honoured over the weekend at the SA Golf Industry Awards Dinner held at the Adelaide Oval, alongside her uncle Murray Crafter, and SA golfing luminaries Rhonda Watson, John Crosby and Bob Tuohy.

Jane’s introduction to golf came at the North Adelaide Par 3 course as a 6 year old with brother Neil and father Brian.

While enjoying the occasional round as a child, it wasn't until her teenage years that her game was to flourish – subsequently joining Kooyonga Golf Club as a junior, and announcing her credentials as a representative player of the future by winning the South Australian Girls’ Amateur Championship in 1974.

Crafter won the SA Stroke Play Championship, now know as the Rene Erichsen Salver, four times in 1975, 77, 78 & 79.

At age 21 she won her first SA Amateur title in 1977, an event she was to win again 1980, in addition to winning the Victorian Amateur in 1979.

Crafter also played the Ladies British Amateur in 1978 and 1980.

National representative honours followed – playing for Australia in the 1978 Trans Tasman Cup in New Zealand in addition to winning the NZ Amateur title during the same trip.

Similarly she was to win the 1980 Belgian Amateur title while touring in Europe as an Australian representative.

In total Crafter represented Australia 10 times as an Amateur between 1977 to 1980.

In 1980 Crafter relocated to the United States to pursue a professional career on the lucrative LPGA Tour.

She has one official LPGA tour victory: the 1990 Phar-Mor Classic at Inverrary in Florida, where she triumphed over the legendary Nancy Lopez.

Her other unofficial victory was in the 1987 JC Penney Classic, a mixed team event that she won with US Open Winner Steve Jones.

Crafter's ongoing support of Australian ladies professional golf was also noted in her induction to the SA Golf Hall of Fame.

She was victorious in the 1992 and 1996 Australian Ladies Masters at Royal Pines, while in 1997 she collected the most coveted prize in Australian Women’s golf - winning the Women’s Australian Open at Yarra Yarra Golf Club in Melbourne.

Since 1998 Jane has been a commentator and analyst for NBC, ESPN and the Golf Channel in the USA and for the ABC and Network 10 in Australia.

Jane’s significant sporting Awards include:

A Sports Emmy Award in the US for her work as a commentator for the NBC Golf Tour in 1998

Winning the Advertiser South Australian Sports Star of the Year a number of times.

In 2004 Honored as one of “South Australia’s greatest every sports stars” by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Research Foundation.

And in 2009 was awarded the Mercedes Benz Legends of Women’s Golf Award.

While she was unable to attend the Awards dinner due to work commitments in the US, Crafter delighted the 250 strong audience at the gala event with a video message from her home in Phoenix, Arizona.
In her video message, Crafter paid tribute to the former SA Women's and Australian Golf Unions for the support she had received throughout her playing career.

She also paid tribute to the love and support she had received from her family, and in particular her brother Neil, himself a noted former amateur player and golf course architect.

Reaffirming her support for grassroots golf in South Australia, Crafter has also agreed to become the inaugural ambassador for the Junior Golf SA project, which is being launched throughout the state this November.

Crafter's Hall of Fame induction was accepted on her behalf by her niece Lucy Crafter.

Jane Crafter inducted into SA Golf Hall of Fame

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