Golf in the Northern California region was celebrated Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Poppy Hills as the NCGA inducted its 15th Hall of Fame Class.
Longtime golf supporters Charles Schwab and Condoleezza Rice, former USGA President J. Stuart Francis and late NorCal amateur great E. Harvie Ward were honored during the private event, which benefits the NCGA Foundation.
Charles R. Schwab
You control your decisions and you control how well you execute them. You don’t control the environment.
That is one of the most popular quotes from renowned investor and financial executive Charles R. Schwab, founder of the Charles Schwab Corporation. In the world of finance, that motto has served Schwab very well for decades.
When it comes to the game of golf, it has also applied to the man known affectionately as Chuck.
A Sacramento native, Chuck Schwab was introduced to the game thanks to his father, who played, and his mother, who also occasionally teed it up at nearby Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland, California. Chuck was intrigued, so his parents signed him up for lessons around the age of 10.
It was quickly discovered that Chuck could also play—and pretty well too. Having learned the game in part by working as a caddie, Chuck became good enough—he carded a career low 66 at the age of 17 - - at the time, he was the captain of his high school team after moving to Santa Barbara. In 1954 the Santa Barbara High School golf team won the California Interscholastic Federation, Southern California championship, where Chuck was a Medalist for the day at the tournament, shooting a 71.
Later, Chuck returned to Northern California, attending Stanford. He competed for the Cardinal his freshman year, but he also realized that to be exceptionally good at golf, it took a lot of time.
So, Chuck changed directions a bit. While his love of the game continued, he focused more on his studies, graduating in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in economics followed by a Master of Business Administration at Stanford in 1961.
Just a bit over a decade later in 1973, Chuck founded Charles Schwab and Company, Incorporated. His career in finances soon took off, but he never forgot about golf.
Decades later, Chuck remains one of the biggest supporters of golf not only in Northern California, but across the globe. Charles Schwab & Company has been the Official Investment Firm of the PGA Tour since 1997 and serves as the �tle sponsor for the PGA Tour Charles Schwab Challenge, held annually at Colonial Country Club, and the season-long Charles Schwab Cup on the PGA Tour Champions. In 2013, the Cup finals were held at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. The company is also the Official Wealth Management Firm of the PGA of America.
In 2004, Chuck helped support the founding of The First Tee of San Francisco with fellow NCGA Hall of Famer Sandy Tatum. Through the years, Chuck has remained a regular contestant at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and has provided over $25 million in First Tee grants.
Chuck has given back to the game of golf in other ways as well. He was principally responsible for the development of the spectacular Stock Farm Golf Club in Hamilton, Montana, a Tom Fazio designed course, and he also led creation of the Nanea Golf Club on the Big Island of Hawaii. The company that bears his name continues to support On Course Foundation, which uses golf as a rehabilitation tool for wounded veterans, and sponsors numerous collegiate events including the Ben Hogan in Texas.
While he elected to forgo pursuit of a competitive golf career, Chuck is clearly recognized as one of golf’s greatest untold champions.
Condoleezza Rice
In the light you will find the road.
For Dr. Condoleezza Rice, there have been numerous bright lights along her journey. Most notably, Condoleezza served as the 66th United States Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009 and as the 19th U.S. National Security Advisor from 2001 to 2005.
There too was her early 1980’s fellowship at Stanford University’s Arms Control and Disarmament Program, which was what brought the Birmingham, Alabama native to Northern California.
But there is so much more to the woman affectionately known as Condi, and that includes the game of golf.
Condi only started playing golf in the summer of 2005 while vacationing at her cousin's house near TPC Sugarloaf in Atlanta. She immediately got hooked, so much so that she began taking lessons at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington D.C.
Today, while still an avid player and fan, Condi, who regularly plays in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, has become a global ambassador for the game. One of the first women to become a member at Augusta National Golf Club in 2012, Condi is annually a prominent supporter and visible figure at both the Augusta National Women's Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt Finals at Augusta.
Condi has also played a similar role at The Farm. Having served as director of Stanford’s Hoover Institution since 2020, Condi, one of the 13 inaugural members of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, has long been a supporter of Cardinal athletics, including most specifically the Stanford women’s and men’s golf teams. Today a special advisor on athletics to the president at Stanford, Condi is the official Faculty Fellow for the Cardinal women’s team. In her role there, she acts as a mentor, attends NCAA Championship events and hosts the annual Stanford Intercollegiate tournament.
But there’s much, much more.
In 2022, Condi was named the recipient of the Ambassador of Golf Award presented by FirstEnergy Foundation. The Ambassador of Golf Award honors a person who has fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concerns for others extend beyond the golf course. Previous award winners include Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
Just last year, meanwhile, Condi, alongside NFL legend Joe Montana, served as an honorary co-chair for the 125th U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club. As co-chair, she engaged with the local community, promoted the amateur game and was on hand to watch the championship match.
In what was a banner 2025, Condi also was the inaugural recipient of "The Dinah" award. Established by The Chevron Corporation and Golf Digest, the award honors current visionary leaders who exemplify generosity and dedication to advancing women in sports.
She too provided voice-over narration for the USGA's coverage of the Walker Cup, detailing the iconic holes at Cypress Point, where she is a member. While attending the Walker Cup, she joined former President George W. Bush among those rooting Team USA on to victory.
In service to our nation, or to golf, Condi has always been a shining light.
Stuart Francis
There’s a saying that great leaders don’t set out to be a leader--they set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role-- it’s always about the goal.
For decades now, J. Stuart Francis has defined that mantra, be it in the business world or in golf.
Known affectionately as Stu, Francis was introduced to golf at the age of 3 by his father, who was the golf team captain at University of Cincinnati. Just two years later at the age of 5, Stu played in his first tournament -the Madison Ohio Country Club Pee Wee 5 Hole Championship.
Golf and Stu, it turned out, were the perfect pairing.
Due to his skills not only on the course but also academically, a young Stu ended up at Princeton University, where he became captain of the golf team. During his Princeton career, the team twice won Ivy League titles and in 1973, Stu was selected to the first team All-Ivy and Division 1 All-American golf teams.
He’d become so proficient on the course, in fact, that he qualified and played in three USGA Amateur Championships (1974, 1975, 1978) and three Canadian National Amateurs along with being an alternate for several USGA Mid-Amateur Championships.
Still though, Stu wanted to keep sharpening his business skills. In the late 1970’s, he headed west to Palo Alto, earning an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
With his feet firmly planted in Northern California, Stu began a successful career in finance and business. He’d go on to become vice-chairman of Lehman Brothers, and in 2014 joined Evercore, where he continues to lead the firm’s Silicon Valley technology practice. During his almost 50-year career, Stu has been an advisor to many of the most visible Silicon Valley companies, including Cisco Systems, Facebook, Google, Qualcomm, Tesla, Workday, Yahoo and Dell Technologies.
Which brings us back to golf. Due to his background in golf and his skills in the boardroom, Stu in 2015 was named to serve on the USGA Executive Committee. He’d chair the USGA Championship Committee—and served on numerous other committees--from 2016 thru 2019. In 2020, he took it a step further, as he was elected the 66th president of the USGA.
The timing would end up being critical. And as usual, Stu was the right person at the right time.
During his presidency, Stu helped the USGA navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic and worked to elevate the USGA’s national championships, especially in regard to women’s events. During his tenure, Stu also helped with the modernization of the Rules of Golf, the eventual transition of Mike Davis to Mike Whan in the role of USGA CEO and the endowments of both the Walker Cup and Curtis Cup. Stu also served as the captain of the 2025 USA World Amateur Team and was the official starter for all of the matches at the 2025 Walker Cup at Cypress Point.
Along the way, Stu also continued to excel on the course himself. He’s played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 40 times, more than any amateur or professional, and has competed in the prestigious Crump Cup at Pine Valley for 25 years. He’s won both the regular and senior club titles at San Francisco Golf Club, where he previously served as president, still competes in the San Francisco City Championship and has won a record five club (championship) titles at Cypress Point, where he is now serving as president.
When it comes to making a difference and achieving goals, Stu has always been a model for others to follow.
Harvie Ward
Find your calling and ignite your passion.
For over six decades, E. Harvie Ward’s life was not only about playing golf but sharing the game.
Ward, who was known simply as Harvie, first came on the scene in 1949 when he won the NCAA Division I Individual title while at the University of North Carolina.
It would be just a glimpse of what was to come. Playing in an era when the top players competed more in amateur events than professional ones, Harvie, who’d relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area, left an incredible legacy.
He remains the only player to win the NCAA title, British Amateur (in 1952), Canadian Amateur (in 1954) U.S. Amateur (both in 1955 and 1956), known in amateur circles as the proverbial ‘Am-Slam.’ At the U.S. Amateur championships, he’d even double-up, earning qualifying medalist honors in both events.
During what was a magical 1955 season, Harvie also won the NCGA Stroke Play Championship, tied for seventh in the U.S. Open, finished eighth in The Masters (low amateur in each) and won the highly-contested San Francisco City Championship.
But that wasn’t it. During the 1950’s span, Harvie also played on three consecutive United States Walker Cup teams—in 1953, 1955 and 1959, the latter with a young Jack Nicklaus as his teammate. His record in those Walker Cups was a perfect 6-0. At the 1956 San Francisco City, he’d take on eventual winner Ken Venturi. The match attracted over 12,000 spectators.
The same year, Harvie and fellow amateur Ken Venturi, both amateurs and employees of San Francisco auto baron Eddie Lowery, competed against professionals Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson in a match at Cypress Point. Ward and Venturi lost by a hole in what was called ‘The Greatest Match Ever Played.’
Hogan suggested that Ward’s overall game had the ability to instill fear into his fellow competitors, Ben himself included.
During his playing heyday, Harvie teed it up in 18 majors. In 10 Masters appearances, he finished in the top 10 twice (4th in 1957 and tied for 8th in 1955). In the U.S. Open, he made the cut in five of eight appearances.
At the time, legendary sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind declared that Harvie was “the most talented amateur of the decade, no question about it.”
While he competed on the Senior PGA Tour from 1980 to 1990, Harvie, who in part learned the game from legendary Stanford instructor Bud Finger, would also give back to the game that gave him so much.
He had served for multiple years on the NCGA Board of Directors during the 1950’s, and later returned to his original home in North Carolina during the mid-1970’s, where he became a renowned instructor until his death in 2004 at the age of 78. Among his pupils was three-time major champion Payne Stewart.
Receiving the award on behalf of Ward was Matt Venturi, the son of NCGA Hall of Famer Ken Venturi.
NCGA Foundation--Golf with a Purpose
The New NCGA Foundation Is Impacting More Than Ever
Since its founding 125 years ago, the NCGA has believed in the power of golf to change lives and connect communities.
Today, the NCGA Foundation is carrying those tenets forward and reaching more than ever through four primary pillars which just happen to spell out: G-O-L-F
- Grow the Game (Junior Development): Supporting youth golfers at every stage of their journey—from first swings, to access through Youth on Course, to competitive play and lifelong engagement.
- Opportunity Through Golf (Scholarships, Careers and Volunteers): Opening doors through education, professional development and support for the people who make the game possible.
- Lives Changed Through Golf (Where Golf Transforms Lives); Supporting programs that use golf to build confidence, connection and opportunity, such as veteran-focused initiatives, PGA HOPE and other life-impact programs.
- Forever Preserve Our History and Traditions (Hall of Fame; Endow Junior Championships): Honoring Northern California’s golf legacy by preserving its history, celebrating greatness and learning from the past to inspire a brighter future.
The NCGA Foundation is the charitable arm of the NCGA and is dedicated to ensuring the game of golf remains vibrant, inclusive and accessible for generations to come.
Like the NCGA itself, the NCGA Foundation is always moving forward with an eye on the future. The result is a Foundation that is touching more lives than ever.
Through philanthropy, partnerships and community investment, the Foundation is using golf as a powerful force for good—supporting people, programs and preservation across Northern California.
“The NCGA Foundation reflects the very best of what golf represents—community, generosity and opportunity,” said NCGA CEO Joe Huston. “We are committed to growing the game while expanding our impact through new opportunities, programs that transform lives and a brighter future for the game.”
To Learn More About the NCGA Hall of Fame, please visit ncga.org/about/hall-of-fame
To Learn More About the NCGA Foundation, please visit ncga.org/about/ncgafoundation