Golf Hall of Fame

 Growing up in a golf family in Pekin, Eric Monti’s talents took him to the PGA Tour and later a reputation in Hollywood as “teacher to the stars.” Monti started as a caddy at the age of 6 and later won the Pekin City Championship seven times. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1940s and played his way onto the PGA Tour in three decades. He won three PGA Tour titles – the 1955 Miami Beach Open, 1959 Hesperia Open Invitational and 1961 Ontario Open. His best finish in a major championship was a tie for sixth at the 1961 U.S. Open. He became club pro at the Los Angeles Country Club and then for 45 years at Hillcrest Country Club in California. Known as the “Sheik,” he was much sought-after as a golf instructor, and his students included celebrities Jack Benny, Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Danny Kaye, Burt Lancaster, Dinah Shore and Danny Thomas. Monti died in 2009, at the age of 91.