El Niguel Country Club

John and Kemp Richardson inducted to SCGA Hall of Fame I t's only fitting that John and Kemp Richardson were inducted into the Southern California Golf Association Hall of Fame as part of the same class last fall. You simply couldn't talk about one of them in the context of their golf accomplishments without including the other. The late John Richardson was a founding member of El Niguel Coun- try Club and a driving force in the Club's design and construction; his son John honed his game at the Club. But over the years their exploits on the golf course brought them recognition well beyond south Orange County. Most notably, they are the only father and son duo to have both won the same USGA championship, with John capturing the U.S. Senior Ama- teur in 1987 and Kemp following in his footsteps in 2001, then repeating the feat two years later. "My dad taught me the game, so it was very special to be recognized and inducted in the same year," Kemp said, recalling the sense of pride he felt dur- ing the October 28 induction cere- mony at ENCC. "It couldn't have been any better, with a lot of my friends in attendance who I've played golf with for so many years." John is one of just 14 golfers ever to win both the California Amateur Championship and the SCGA Amateur, and his trophy case filled up with even more prestigious titles as he got older. He captured the SCGA Senior Ama- teur in 1979 and 1986, one year be- fore his most notable accomplishment, the U.S. Senior Amateur victory. Kemp forged his reputation as one of the Club's most accomplished players with appearances in 20 USGA tournaments. A two-time All-American at USC, he was the low amateur at the U.S. Senior Open in 1999 and 2000 before winning the U.S. Senior Ama- teur twice in the next three years. His resume also includes two British Sen- ior Amateur titles, the 2006 Canadian Senior Amateur and consecutive SCGA Senior Amateur wins in 2016 and '17. For Kemp, the Hall of Fame induc- tion gave him reason to reflect on his accomplishments and how much the Club has meant to him and his family. "El Niguel is a really special place," he said "I've been here 50-plus years. It has been a great place, and I feel very blessed." John and Kemp Richardson. Family ties THE DIVOT | WINTER 2022 • 5 NEWSMAKERS "My dad taught me the game, so it was very special to be recognized and inducted in the same year." – KEMP RICHARDSON

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