Abernethy, Byers, Nicolette to be inducted into Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • October 15, 2025
PITTSBURGH — The 2025 Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame class truly embodies the varying ways that an individual can impact the game of golf.
From strong play on the course, lasting leadership off it and creations of the tools necessary for the game, the three inductees into this year’s Hall of Fame have influenced and benefitted the game of golf for generations.
Betty Abernethy, J. Frederick Byers and Mike Nicolette will be formally inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame Thursday night at Fox Chapel Golf Club.
“This is a unique, yet very deserving Hall of Fame class,” said Terry Teasdale, executive director of the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association, which houses and operates the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame. “The three inductees represent excellence in the sport and, throughout their lives, found ways to continue to give back to the game.
“We congratulate Betty Abernethy, J. Frederick Byers and Mike Nicolette and welcome them into a group of the region’s most distinguished individuals in the sport.”
Betty Abernethy
Regarded as one of the most accomplished female golfers that Western Pennsylvania has ever known, Betty Abernethy was a dominant player for three decades.
She was a three-time champion of the Women’s Golf Association of Western Pennsylvania, claiming the titles in 1935, 1937 and 1938. Abernethy was a four-time runner-up for the same honor. She was a five-time champion with Oakmont Country Club in the WGAWP’s Team Championship, was named the WGAWP Player of the Decade for the 1930s and is in the WGAWP Hall of Fame.
Abernethy claimed two Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur Championships and participated in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship twice.
The prestigious Abernethy Cup, contested at Longue Vue Club between women from four local clubs, is named in her honor.
“Betty Abernethy is truly one of the pioneering women of golf in our region,” said Dave Moore, Golf Historian and Curator. “She was one of the finest players Western Pennsylvania produced in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s and her legacy is remembered annually with the playing of the Abernethy Cup.
“A beautiful swing coupled with a remarkable track record, Betty earned her place among the icons of our game in our region and is not rightfully joining them in the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.”
A Sarah Lawrence College graduate, Abernethy went on to chair the WGAWP’s Course Rating Committee for two decades while following another passion, constructing a bird-watching lookout at Powdermill Bird Banding Station in Stahlstown, Pennsylvania.
Abernethy, who played out of Oakmont Country Club during her competitive days, was also a member at both Fox Chapel Golf Club and Rolling Rock Club.
She passed away in 2005, but her impact on the game — particularly in women’s golf — can still be felt and is celebrated today.
J. Frederick Byers
For J. Frederick Byers, the contributions made to the game of golf outside of his playing career far exceeded the days in which he competed.
A preeminent golf administrator, Byers’ meaningfulness to golf was landed in the regional, state and national levels, as he was regarded as an utmost steward of the game during his life.
Byers was the founder of the Pennsylvania State Golf Association and the first Western Pennsylvanian to serve as the President of the USGA.
He was the President of the Pennsylvania State Golf Association in 1914, President of the WPGA in 1919 and spent two years as the USGA’s President from 1922-1923, overseeing the implementation and playing of the inaugural Walker Cup matches in 1922.
“J.F. Byers is truly one of the most influential individuals in golf in our region, more so for what he did off the golf course than on,” said Moore. “He was a founding member of Augusta National and helped them financially during their early years.
“While his brother gets more of the headlines, golf as we know it today, with events like the Masters and the Walker Cup, do not happen without the work and support of J.F. Byers. I am thrilled he is getting his rightful recognition as a member of the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.”
Byers came from one of the region’s leading golf families. His brother, Eben, was champion of the 1906 U.S. Amateur and was one of the founders of Allegheny Country Club. Eben Byers was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.
As an amateur player, J.F. Byers won two Western Pennsylvania Team Championships with Allegheny Country Club in 1908 and 1916, captaining the second victorious team.
A Yale graduate, Byers was also a successful industrialist who served as vice-president of the A.M. Byers Company. He was a noted horse racing enthusiast later in his life, a trustee of the Carnegie Institute of Technology and Carnegie Library.
He died in 1949 at the age of 67 following a short illness.
Mike Nicolette
While Abernethy and Byers gave back to the game through their play and organizational leadership, Nicolette has served the game with his play and his craftsmanship.
A Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania native, Nicolette had a solid career as both an amateur and professional before turning to a career in golf club design.
The winner of the 1973 Pennsylvania State Junior Championship, Nicolette went on to play collegiately at Rollins College in Florida, winning the 1976 Division II NCAA Championships.
Two years later, he turned professional.
As a pro, Nicolette won the 1983 Bay Hill Classic, taking home a title at the course owned by his hometown idol, Arnold Palmer, and doing so in a thrilling playoff against another great in Greg Norman.
“Every Tour player dreams of winning a major championship,” said Nicolette to the WPGA last May. “For me, the next-best event to win would have been Arnold's. To have my first win on the PGA Tour be that event… well, that was most certainly a dream come true.”
That same year, Nicolette finished 13th in the U.S. Open — doing so after playing the first 36 holes with Palmer at Oakmont Country Club.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw the pairings and saw that I was playing with him," Nicolette said. "They usually paired him with other greats, but it was a thrill and honor to play with him."
Nicolette went on to have ten top 10 finishes on the PGA TOUR and was the first-round co-leader at the 1988 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. When his playing career ended, he desired to remain in the game.
"I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do after I was done playing," he said. "I was thinking maybe a sales rep or something. I contacted PING, Foot Joy and Titleist but didn't have a great deal of success. I did get a call back from PING and they told me I would need to work in their factory for two years to learn everything about club making and the culture of the company."
Nicolette agreed and learned under Alan Solheim, son of PING founder Karsten Solheim. As time progressed, so did Nicolette in the industry. Over the years, he has emerged as one of the premier golf club designers in the world, working for PXG. He is named as an inventor on over 175 US Utility Patents and has his name on over 250 US Design Patents.
“Obviously, I have a passion for the game of golf,” he said. “I’ve had a passion for the game since I was about 14 when I started to play tournament golf, and I love the challenge the game brings. I love the challenge of trying to get better each and every day.
“It’s important because I really care. With anything in life, if you don’t care, why the heck are you doing it?”
Dave Moore and Mike Dudurich contributed to this story.
For any media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and nearly 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.