Written By: Greg Johnson
BIG RAPIDS – Allison Duncan (Fouch) of Grand Rapids, a former LPGA player and tour leader, and Gary Robinson of Jackson, a Michigan PGA professional highly regarded as a player and instructor, were inducted to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame (MGHOF) Sunday.
Ceremonies were held at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Club, home of the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center that houses the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame (MGHOF). Their induction brings the number of inductees to 145.
Duncan, 45, was a standout golfer at East Grand Rapids High, then Michigan State University and played professionally for nine years, including six on the LPGA Tour.
At MSU she was a three-time tournament winner, three-time All-Big Ten selection, honorable mention All-American and two-time All-American scholar. In 2002, she was part of a Big Ten title team and was also a member of the victorious Team USA at the Women’s World University Championship where she also placed second individually.
She had 10 top-10 finishes and two wins on the LPGA Symetra Tour in 2007 and then played six seasons on the LPGA Tour where in 2008 she was ranked among the top 50 golfers and recorded her top LPGA finish, a tie for second. The 2009 Michigan Women’s Open winner also served three years on the LPGA Board of Directors, elected by her tour-playing peers.
“It’s a wonderful honor to be inducted and share it with all the people who supported me along the way,” Fouch said. “There is not one stage or phase of my golf career that I did myself.”
Robinson, 76 and a Plymouth native, was a successful player first and continues his work in golf as an award-winning instructor.
He was a top Michigan Publinx golfer and an NAIA All-American at Eastern Michigan University before turning professional. He won the 1986 Michigan PGA Professional Championship, and he played in two U.S. Opens, five Buick Opens and five PGA Professional National Championships. He also won five Michigan team titles, including wins with MGHOF members Ben Davis, Lynn Janson and Ron Buermann, and he won the Poinciana Open and West Orange Open playing in Florida.
He was the head professional at Arbor Hills Country Club for 12 years and in recent years has instructed standout high school and collegiate players while working at the Foundation Golf Center in Coldwater.
He was the Michigan PGA Teacher of the Year in 2002, and his most notable student was PGA Tour player Brian Stuard, who attended Sunday’s ceremonies.
“I’m honored to be part of a hall of fame that has so many people in it that I worked for and learned from,” Robinson said. “I’ve been fortunate to do what I wanted to do and to have a family that has allowed me to do it.”
The MGHOF is a heralded collection of portraits, plaques, and memorabilia that commemorates its 145 members, including Walter Hagen, Chuck Kocsis and Dave Hill, and more current notables Dan Pohl, Meg Mallon and Kelly Robbins.
The MGHOF is administered by the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Committee, which has been funded since 1996 through the non-profit Michigan Golf Foundation (501(c)(3)). For more information and to learn about the current members of the Hall of Fame, visit mghof.org.
