Peter Thomson (golfer)
Peter Thomson | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Full name | Peter William Thomson |
Born |
Brunswick, Victoria, Australia | 23 August 1929
Died |
20 June 2018 88) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | (aged
Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Nationality |
|
Spouse |
Lois Brauer (m. 1952) Mary Kelly (m. 1960) |
Children | Deirdre, Andrew, Peta-Ann, Fiona |
Career | |
Turned professional | 1949[1] |
Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour European Tour Australasian Tour Senior PGA Tour |
Professional wins | 84 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 6 |
European Tour | 1 |
Japan Golf Tour | 1 |
PGA Tour of Australasia | 33 |
PGA Tour Champions | 11 |
Other |
28 (European circuit) 13 (regular) 1 (senior) |
Best results in major championships (wins: 5) | |
Masters Tournament | 5th: 1957 |
U.S. Open | T4: 1956 |
The Open Championship | Won: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965 |
PGA Championship | DNP |
Achievements and awards | |
World Golf Hall of Fame | 1988 (member page) |
Arnold Palmer Award (Champions Tour) | 1986 |
Peter William Thomson AO, CBE (23 August 1929 – 20 June 2018) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the Open Championship five times between 1954 and 1965.[2]
Life
Thomson was born in Brunswick, a northern suburb of Melbourne, Australia. His Open Championship wins came in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, and 1965. He was the only man to win the tournament for three consecutive years in the 20th century.
Thomson was a prolific tournament champion around the world, winning the national championships of ten countries, including the New Zealand Open nine times. He competed on the PGA Tour in 1953 and 1954 with relatively little success (finishing 44th and 25th on the money list), and after that was an infrequent competitor. However, in 1956, playing in just eight events, he won the rich Texas International Open, and achieved his best finish in one of the three majors staged in the United States (fourth at the U.S. Open), to finish ninth on the money list.
In the era that Thomson won his first four Open Championships, few of the leading professionals from the United States travelled to Britain to play in that event. At that time, the prize money in the Open was insufficient for an American to cover their expenses. However, Thomson demonstrated with his win in 1965 that he could beat a field of the world's best players, as that victory came against a field that included Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tony Lema, three of the top four American golfers from the 1964 money list.
Thomson enjoyed a successful senior career. In 1985 he won nine times on the Senior PGA Tour in the United States, and finished top of the money list. His last tournament victory came at the 1988 British PGA Seniors Championship. He was president of the Australian PGA from 1962 to 1994 and a victorious non-playing captain of the international team in the 1998 Presidents Cup.
He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.[3]
Thomson was active as a golf writer, contributing to The Age of Melbourne for some 50 years from the early 1950s. He was an honorary member of Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Thomson designed over a hundred golf courses in Australia and around the world.
Death
Thomson died in Melbourne on 20 June 2018 after a four-year battle with Parkinson's disease at the age of 88. [4][5]
Amateur wins
- 1947 Australasian Foursomes Shield (with Dick Payne)
- 1948 Victoria Amateur Championship
Professional wins (84)
PGA Tour wins (6)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9 Jul 1954 | The Open Championship | −9 (72-71-69-71=283) | 1 stroke | |
2 | 8 Jul 1955 | The Open Championship | −7 (71-68-70-72=281) | 2 strokes | |
3 | 4 Jun 1956 | Texas International Open | −13 (67-68-69-63=267) | Playoff | |
4 | 6 Jul 1956 | The Open Championship | +2 (70-70-72-74=286) | 3 strokes | |
5 | 5 Jul 1958 | The Open Championship | −6 (33-72-67-73=278) | Playoff | |
6 | 9 Jul 1965 | The Open Championship | −3 (74-68-72-71=285) | 2 strokes |
Major championships are shown in bold. The Open Championship was not sanctioned by the PGA Tour in Thomson's era, but pre-1995 Open wins were retrospectively classified as PGA Tour wins in 2002.
PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1956 | Texas International Open | Won with birdie on second extra hole | |
2 | 1958 | The Open Championship | Won 36-hole playoff (Thomson:139, Thomas:143) |
Australasia wins (33)
- 1950 New Zealand Open
- 1951 Australian Open, New Zealand Open
- 1952 Victorian PGA Championship, Mobilco Tournament
- 1953 New Zealand Open, New Zealand PGA Championship, Victorian PGA Championship
- 1954 Ampol Tournament (Nov)
- 1955 New Zealand Open, Pelaco Tournament, Speedo Tournament
- 1956 Pelaco Tournament
- 1958 Victorian Open, Pelaco Tournament
- 1959 New Zealand Open, Pelaco Tournament, Coles Tournament
- 1960 New Zealand Open, Wills Classic
- 1961 New Zealand Open, Adelaide Advertiser Tournament, New South Wales Open
- 1965 New Zealand Open
- 1966 New Zealand Wills Masters (tie with Tim Woolbank)
- 1967 Caltex Tournament (tie with Bob Charles), Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open
- 1968 South Australian Open, Victorian Open
- 1971 New Zealand Open
- 1972 Australian Open
- 1973 Victorian Open
European circuit wins (28)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9 Jul 1954 | The Open Championship | 72-71-69-71=283 | 1 stroke | |
2 | 2 Oct 1954 | News of the World Match Play | 38 holes | ||
3 | 8 Jul 1955 | The Open Championship | 71-68-70-72=281 | 2 strokes | |
4 | 6 Jul 1956 | The Open Championship | 70-70-72-74=286 | 3 strokes | |
5 | 21 Jun 1957 | Yorkshire Evening News Tournament | 65-67-64-68=264 | 15 strokes | |
6 | 9 May 1958 | Dunlop Tournament | 70-69-71-71-67=348 | 3 strokes | |
7 | 14 Jun 1958 | Daks Tournament | 70-67-69-69=275 | Tie | |
8 | 5 Jul 1958 | The Open Championship | 33-72-67-73=278 | Playoff | |
9 | 11 Oct 1959 | Italian Open | 69-67-68-65=269 | 1 stroke | |
10 | 17 Oct 1959 | Spanish Open | 71-73-72-70=286 | 2 strokes | |
11 | 11 Jun 1960 | Daks Tournament | 74-66-67-72=279 | 2 strokes | |
12 | 17 Jun 1960 | Yorkshire Evening News Tournament | 70-66-65-67=268 | 5 strokes | |
13 | 20 Jun 1960 | Bowmaker Tournament | 67-65=132 | 1 stroke | |
14 | 24 Jul 1960 | German Open | 71-67-72-71=281 | 2 strokes | |
15 | 23 Jun 1961 | Yorkshire Evening News Tournament | 70-69-70-73=262 | 1 stroke | |
16 | 26 Aug 1961 | Esso Golden Tournament | 21 points | Tie | |
17 | 9 Sep 1961 | News of the World Match Play | 3 & 1 | ||
18 | 16 Sep 1961 | Dunlop Masters | 70-71-72-71=284 | 8 strokes | |
19 | 5 May 1962 | Martini International | 66-69-72-68=275 | 4 strokes | |
20 | 20 May 1962 | Piccadilly No. 1 Tournament | 72-69-73-69=283 | 3 strokes | |
21 | 5 Jun 1965 | Daks Tournament | 70-71-68-66=275 | 4 strokes | |
22 | 9 Jul 1965 | The Open Championship | 74-68-72-71=285 | 2 strokes | |
23 | 10 Sep 1966 | News of the World Match Play | 2 & 1 | ||
24 | 22 Jul 1967 | Esso Golden Tournament | 20 points | Tie | |
25 | 10 Sep 1967 | News of the World Match Play | 4 & 3 | ||
26 | 8 Oct 1967 | Alcan International | 69-71-73-68=281 | 5 strokes | |
27 | 14 Sep 1968 | Dunlop Masters | 66-69-73-66=274 | 5 strokes | |
28 | 13 Jun 1970 | Martini International | 65-68-68-67=268 | Tie |
European Tour wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 23 Sep 1972 | W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament | 71-69-66-64=270 | 3 strokes |
Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
Other Japan wins (5)
- 1962 Yomiuri International
- 1969 Chunichi Crowns
- 1971 Dunlop Tournament, Wizard Tournament
- 1972 Chunichi Crowns
Other wins (8)
- 1952 Mills Round Robin (South Africa)[6]
- 1960 Hong Kong Open
- 1964 Indian Open, Philippine Open
- 1965 Hong Kong Open
- 1966 Indian Open
- 1967 Hong Kong Open
- 1976 Indian Open
Senior PGA Tour wins (11)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 16 Sep 1984 | World Seniors Invitational | −7 (69-69-69-74=281) | 1 stroke | |
2 | 9 Dec 1984 | General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship | −2 (67-73-74-72=286) | 3 strokes | |
3 | 17 Mar 1985 | The Vintage Invitational | −7 (69-73-69-69=280) | 1 stroke | |
4 | 31 Mar 1985 | American Golf Carta Blanca Johnny Mathis Classic | −11 (70-64-71=205) | 1 stroke | |
5 | 5 May 1985 | MONY Senior Tournament of Champions | −4 (70-70-71-73=284) | 3 strokes | |
6 | 9 Jun 1985 | The Champions Classic | −6 (68-72-70=210) | 2 strokes | |
7 | 16 Jun 1985 | Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am | −14 (68-66-68=202) | 2 strokes | |
8 | 21 Jul 1985 | MONY Syracuse Senior's Classic | −9 (70-64-70=203) | 2 strokes | |
9 | 18 Aug 1985 | du Maurier Champions | −13 (64-70-69=203) | 1 stroke | |
10 | 15 Sep 1985 | United Virginia Bank Seniors | −9 (69-69-69=207) | 4 strokes | |
11 | 20 Oct 1985 | Barnett Suntree Senior Classic | −9 (70-68-69=207) | 1 stroke |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1985 | Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am | Lost to eagle on first extra hole |
Senior major championship is shown in bold.
Other senior wins (1)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26 Jun 1988 | Trusthouse Forte PGA Seniors Championship | +7 (78-67-72-70=287) | 2 strokes |
Major championships
Wins (5)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1954 | The Open Championship | Tied for lead | −9 (72-71-69-71=283) | 1 stroke | |
1955 | The Open Championship (2) | 1 shot lead | −7 (71-68-70-72=281) | 2 strokes | |
1956 | The Open Championship (3) | 3 shot lead | −2 (70-70-72-74=286) | 3 strokes | |
1958 | The Open Championship (4) | 2 shot lead | −6 (66-72-67-73=278) | Playoff 1 | |
1965 | The Open Championship (5) | 1 shot lead | −7 (74-68-72-71=285) | 2 strokes |
1 Defeated Dave Thomas in 36-hole playoff: Thomson (139), Thomas (143)
Results timeline
Tournament | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T36 | T16 | T18 | 5 | T23 | DQ | |||
U.S. Open | T26 | CUT | T4 | T22 | |||||
The Open Championship | T6 | 2 | T2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | T23 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T19 | CUT | ||||||||
U.S. Open | CUT | |||||||||
The Open Championship | T9 | 7 | T6 | 5 | T24 | 1 | T8 | T8 | T24 | T3 |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||||||||||
U.S. Open | ||||||||||
The Open Championship | T9 | T9 | T31 | T31 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T13 | T24 | T26 |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | |||||
U.S. Open | |||||
The Open Championship | CUT |
Note: Thomson never played in the PGA Championship.
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1975 and 1984 Open Championships)
DQ = disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
The Open Championship | 5 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 30 | 26 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 5 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 20 | 30 | 43 | 35 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1954 Open Championship – 1958 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1955 Open Championship – 1957 Masters)
Champions Tour major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984a | General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship | −2 (67-73-74-72=286) | 3 strokes |
a This was the December edition of the tournament.
Team appearances
- World Cup (representing Australia): 1953, 1954 (winners), 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959 (winners), 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1969
- Slazenger Trophy (representing British Commonwealth and Empire): 1956
- Presidents Cup (representing International): 1996 (non-playing captain), 1998 (non-playing captain, winners), 2000 (non-playing captain)
Honours
- 1955 – ABC Sportsman of the Year
- 1 January 1957 – Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)[7]
- 31 December 1979 – Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)[8]
- 10 December 1985 – inaugural member of Sport Australia Hall of Fame[9]
- 1988 – elected to World Golf Hall of Fame [9]
- 1997 – the inaugural Peter Thomson Trophy, an annual contested between the eight Melbourne Sandbelt golf clubs[10]
- 1 January 2001 – Awarded the Centenary Medal[11]
- 2001 – elevated to Legend in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame [9]
- 11 June 2001 – Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)[12]
- 2011 – Victorian Golf Industry Hall of Fame[13]2
- 2016 – inducted as inaugural Immortal of the PGA of Australia[14]
See also
References
- ↑ "Peter Thomson Turns Professional". The Chronicle. 91, (51, 183). South Australia. 21 April 1949. p. 38. Retrieved 22 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "1954 Peter Thomson". The Open. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
- ↑ "Peter Thomson AO CBE". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ↑ Blake, Martin (20 June 2018). "Golf loses a legend in Peter Thomson". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ↑ Mason, Peter (20 June 2018). "Peter Thomson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ↑ "Thomson Beats Locke". The Singapore Free Press. 20 February 1952.
- ↑ Thomson, Peter William MBE, It's an Honour, 1 January 1957.
- ↑ Thomson, Peter William CBE, It's an Honour, 31 December 1979.
- 1 2 3 "Peter Thomson". Sport Austtralia Hall of Fame website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ↑ "Peter Thomson Trophy". Sandbelt website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ↑ Thomson, Peter William, It's an Honour, 1 January 2001.
- ↑ Thomson, Peter William AO, It's an Honour, 11 June 2001.
- ↑ "Victorian Golf Industry Hall of Fame". Golf Victoria website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ↑ "PGA of Australia mourns the loss of inaugural Immortal". PGA of Australia website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
External links
- Peter Thomson at the PGA Tour official site
- Peter Thomson at the European Tour official site
- Peter Thomson at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- World Golf Hall of Fame profile
- Golflegends.org profile
- Statements by Peter Thomson