DEXTER, Mich. -- Kelly Robbins, Scott Hebert, David Kendall and Greg Davies have been elected to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. They have one thing in common – a bundle of titles and championships – and will be inducted June 7 at the Hall’s new home at Ferris State University in Big Rapids. Their election brings the Hall of Fame membership to 109.
Robbins, a long hitter from Mt. Pleasant like another Hall of Fame member, Dan Pohl, won nine times on the LPGA Tour including the McDonald’s LPGA Championship and was a member of six Solheim Cup teams with a 4-1-1 record in singles. The United States won the cup four of the six she played. She was Assistant Captain of the 2009 Solheim team.
Robbins was a two-time first team All-American at the University of Tulsa and helped the team win the NCAA title in 1988. In 1991, Robbins was honored as NCAA Co-Player of the year along with the University of Arizona’s Annika Sorenstam.
Robbins won the North and South Amateur in 1991 and then turned professional. She had 91 career top ten finishes, won $5,738,599 and is second only to Hall of Fame member Meg Mallon among Michigan golfers in earnings and titles. Robbins’ career was cut short by a back injury and her last Tour appearance was in 2005.
Hebert, an Escanaba native, has six Michigan Open championships tying Al Watrous who was a member of the Hall’s first class. Like Kendall, Hebert is a graduate of Ferris State University.
Hebert turned professional in 1993, won twice on the Hooters Tour and after winning the state championship six times, he won the 2008 PGA Professional National Championship, the top prize for club professionals. That put him on the PGA Cup team which defeated the British and Irish at Loch Lomond, Scotland, with Hebert winning all five of his matches.
Hebert has continued to dominate at home, winning the Michigan PGA championship seven times, three short of Watrous’s mark. As a teacher at Grand Traverse Resort, Hebert worked with Andrew Chapman who won the 2013 Michigan Amateur. Hebert currently is head professional at Traverse City Golf & Country Club.
Kendall was a member of the PGA’s inaugural Professional Golf Management class at Ferris State University and was the first graduate to be appointed head professional. That came at Cadillac Country Club in 1981. Kendall moved south to Ypsilanti where he established the Kendall Academy at Miles of Golf.
He started with one instructor – himself – and now has nine. Academy students, male and female, have won junior, high school, state and club championships with collegians going on to the professional tours. Kendall himself was ranked No. 2 on Golf Digest’s list of Top Teachers in Michigan. He has been named Michigan PGA Teacher of the Year twice, Golf Professional of the Year twice and was inducted into the Michigan PGA Section Hall of Fame in 2013.
Kendall has been on every rung of leadership in the Section up to President in 2008-2009 and then on to Senior President.
As a player Kendall has won the Michigan Senior Open championship twice, the Senior PGA, Senior Match Play, the PGA State Pro-Am, the State Pro-Pro three times and played on six Fuller Cup teams. He turned deadly with the long putter.
Davies, a West Bloomfield resident, owns a record eight Michigan Publinx Player of the Year trophies. His total state titles tie him with Hall of Fame member Bill McDonald including a victory in the Michigan Amateur, the state’s oldest championship.
Davies has clicked on the major titles all the way up with victories in five stroke play championships and the Golf Association of Michigan Mid-Amateur twice.
Davies played college golf at the University of Oklahoma, returned home and became a dominant public links player, making the MPGA’s Honor Roll 18 times, made 17 Atlas Trophy teams for public versus private club members and 12 Fuller Cup teams for public and publinx players against the Michigan PGA.
Davies won four championships Rochester Hills, twice at The Orchards and twice at Orchard Lake Country Club. He served six years on the Michigan Publinx Board of Directors and was active in expanding team play.
For more information about this year’s induction ceremony, contact Loretta Larkin at llarkin@michigan-golf-foundation.com or (248) 719-0650. Learn more about the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame at its website -- www. michigan-golf-foundation.com.
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