The grand dame of golf

The annual Harder Hall Women's Invitational always attracts the top women amateur golfers in the country.

The prestigious tournament also brings Carol Semple Thompson, a three-time winner of the event, to Sebring in her role as tournament chairman.

Thompson, who usually plays in the four-day event, isn't competing this year after breaking her wrist last month while unloading horses.

"I won't be able to play this year because of my wrist," said Semple Thompson. "But it's always great to come to Sebring because this tournament is so much fun and has such a great history. We have a great field of golfers, including defending champion Candace Schepperle and Alexis Thompson, and we're looking forward to a great week of golf."

The 61-year-old Thompson is one of the top women amateur golfers in history with seven USGA championships, a record 12 Curtis Cup selections, plus two more as a non-playing captain, and 32 appearances in the U.S. Women's Open.

With all of her accomplishments, it was only a matter of time before Thompson was recognized for her many contributions to the game.

Golf Hall of Fame

The humble Thompson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, along with left-hander Bob Charles, Denny Shute, Craig Wood, writer Herbert Warren Wind and course designer Pete Dye in 2008 in St. Augustine.

"I was so flattered and thrilled to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame," Semple Thompson said. "I was honored to be inducted with Pete Dye because he and his wife, Alice, have been friends of mine for many years.

"It was a tremendous thrill and something I'll always be proud of."

Thompson, who didn't play high school or collegiate golf, graduated in 1970 from Hollis College, where she played field hockey.

She played amateur golf for a couple of years, but struggled with the mental aspect of the game.

Game changer

She visited a hypnotist, listened daily to positive-thought tapes he made for her and her game quickly improved.

"I won the 1973 U.S Women's Amateur six weeks later, and then I won the British Women's Amateur and made the Curtis Cup team," Semple Thompson said. "It was great."

Thompson, who has been called "the queen of women's amateur golf," went on to win the 1974 British Women's Amateur, the 1976 and 1987 North and South Women's Amateur Championships, two U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Golf Championships and the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship from 1999 to 2002.

Thompson, along with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Joanne Carner and Tiger Woods, is just one of five players to have won three different USGA titles.

"The individual titles mean a lot to me," said Semple Thompson. "The Curtis Cup experiences as a player and a coach also rank high on my list."

Thompson was given the 2003 Bob Jones Award, the highest honor awarded by the United States Golf Association, in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf, and she was named recipient of the PGA "First Lady of Golf Award" in 2005.

"Golf has been a big part of my life for many years," said Semple Thompson. "Both my parents were scratch golfers and played in numerous USGA events. My father was president of the USGA in 1974 and 1975 and my mother was on various USGA committees for many years.

"I've always described myself as being a USGA brat because golf helped to shape my life in so many ways."

Golf was such a family affair that Semple Thompson's first win, at the age of 16, came in the Western Pennsylvania Women's Championship against her mother.

"I won 6 and 5 and I think my mother had mixed feelings playing against me," Semple Thompson said. "I played well and she had a bad round."

With all of her world travels, Semple Thompson still has a special place in her heart for Sebring.

"This is such a friendly, wonderful place," she said. "I've been coming here since 1970 when the Harder Hall Hotel was still open and I always look forward to coming back.

"It means a lot to me to be the chairman of this tournament and it's thrilling to have so many good players competing because it has such a great tradition."

She especially enjoys playing with the many talented golfers that come to Sebring to compete in the Harder Hall Women's Invitational.

"I love seeing and competing with the young girls," the World Golf Hall of Fame member said. "But I feel a little old when they hit it about 50 yards past me. This is an outstanding tournament with a great history, we have a lot of talented girls playing and it should be a great week of golf."