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NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. – The New York State Golf Association (NYSGA) welcomed its latest class of trailblazers, community leaders and decorated players at the 2025 NYSGA Hall of Fame Ceremony at Yahnundasis Golf Club on Friday evening. 

The Class of 2025, comprised of Debbie Austin, Moira Dunn-Bohls, Ed Furgol, Craig Harmon, Wayne Levi, Sherrill Sherman and George Zahringer III, represents a group of individuals who’ve made a significant impact on the game of golf and helped shape its landscape across New York State. 

Related: Photo Gallery / 2025 Program / NYSGA HOF Home

Austin, who learned the game at Rome’s Teugega Country Club, won the 1965 NYS Girls’ Junior Amateur and the Florida State High School Championship before starring at Rollins College. Turning professional in 1968, she broke through with five LPGA Tour wins in 1977—earning Golf Magazine’s Player of the Year honors—and added two more victories across her career that spanned almost two decades. She later coached at Rollins and served on the LPGA Player Council. 

Dunn-Bohls, a native of nearby Utica, built one of the most accomplished women’s amateur golf careers in New York history before rising to the LPGA Tour. She captured three straight New York State Women’s Amateur titles from 1992–94, joining an elite group in NYSGA history. A standout at Florida International University, she turned professional in 1994 and went on to play more than 300 LPGA events. 

“It’s about the people on this journey,” said Dunn-Bohls. “I have my golf family, I have my family at this table and I have my New York State family. I’ve been very fortunate to find great people through golf. I just can’t thank my families enough, because they’ve changed my life and they’ve helped the trajectory of my career immeasurably.”

Furgol’s improbable rise from a caddie at Utica’s public courses to U.S. Open champion is one of golf’s great stories of perseverance. After a childhood accident left his left arm severely shortened, Furgol rebuilt his game through determination, grit and creativity. A standout amateur, he won the 1945 North and South Amateur before turning professional. His defining moment came at the 1954 U.S. Open at Baltusrol, where his daring recovery on the final hole sealed a one-stroke victory. Named PGA Player of the Year that season, Furgol’s triumph embodied resilience and enduring inspiration.

“We’re sure Ed would’ve been very proud of being presented this in his hometown area,” the Furgol family said in a statement. “It is truly incredible what he was able to accomplish with so many strikes against him. He had passion and guts, and would not let his injury or any other obstacle stop him.”

Furgol’s great-nieces, Kimberly and Melissa, accepted the award on his behalf. 

For more than 40 years, Harmon was the heart and soul of Oak Hill Country Club, guiding it through eight major championships and cementing its place among golf’s elite venues. Serving as head professional from 1972 to 2013, the New Rochelle native and son of 1948 Masters champion Claude Harmon Sr. carried on his family’s storied golf legacy. A gifted teacher, he coached 1988 PGA Champion Jeff Sluman and earned national acclaim as one of Golf Digest’s Top 25 instructors. His leadership and humility defined generations at Oak Hill.

Levi’s journey from Herkimer High School standout to PGA Tour star is a story of consistency and quiet excellence. After winning the 1970 NYS High School Championship and earning All-American honors at Oswego State, Levi turned professional in 1973 and joined the PGA Tour in 1977. Over the next two decades, he claimed 12 PGA Tour titles, including four in his breakout 1990 season, when he was named PGA Tour Player of the Year and topped the money list. A 1991 Ryder Cup team member, Levi also later added two Champions Tour victories. 

“I didn’t start playing golf until I was 14,” said Levi. “By the time I left high school I was a New York State High School champ, and that was because I loved to practice…This is an incredible honor. I’m very appreciative.”

Sherman was a pioneer, competitor, and builder of the game, helping shape amateur golf in New York during its formative years. As the oldest son of the U.S. Vice President James Schoolcraft Sherman, he carried forward his family’s deep sense of service becoming the essential founding father of the NYSGA. In addition, he was an accomplished player, competing in 18 consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships. 

“When the Empire State amateur game lacked a unified home, it was Sherrill Sherman who stepped forward,” said Howie Schaffer, who nominated Sherman to be inducted. “Tonight we welcome him into the New York State Golf Association Hall of Fame for standardizing, institutionalizing and elevating the game of golf.”

Patrick Sherman, Sherrill’s grandson, accepted the award on his grandfather’s behalf. 

Zahringer III built one of the most decorated amateur careers in the state, capturing 20 Metropolitan Golf Association titles and a record 10 MGA Player of the Year awards. He won the 1984 New York State Amateur and became the first player to win the Met Amateur and Met Open in the same year (1985). In 2002, Zahringer claimed the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at age 49 (becoming the oldest to do so), earning a Masters invitation and a spot on the 2003 Walker Cup Team.

“There are so many people who helped me succeed in the amateur game over the last 50 years that I’ve been a competitor,” said Zahringer III. “My inclusion in the Class of 2025 has been tremendously rewarding as I reflect on some of the success I’ve had in golf and the good fortune I’ve had to play the game successfully.”

The NYSGA Hall of Fame was established in 2012 with the mission to identify, recognize, and enshrine the state's finest amateur and professional golf competitors, as well as those who have made outstanding contributions to the game throughout New York by their careers as golf teachers, coaches, mentors, and volunteers to the game. With the newest class of inductees, there are now 33 members of the NYSGA Hall of Fame.