Horton Smith
Horton Smith | |||||||
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Walter Hagen and Smith (right) in 1929 | |||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Nickname | The Joplin Ghost | ||||||
Born | (1908-05-22)May 22, 1908 Springfield, Missouri | ||||||
Died | October 15, 1963(1963-10-15) (aged 55) Detroit, Michigan | ||||||
Sporting nationality | United States | ||||||
Career | |||||||
College | Southwest Missouri State - Now Missouri State University | ||||||
Turned professional | 1926 | ||||||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour | ||||||
Professional wins | 34 | ||||||
Number of wins by tour | |||||||
PGA Tour | 30 | ||||||
Other | 4 | ||||||
Best results in major championships (wins: 2) | |||||||
Masters Tournament | Won: 1934, 1936 | ||||||
PGA Championship | T3: 1928 | ||||||
U.S. Open | 3rd: 1930, 1940 | ||||||
The Open Championship | T4: 1930 | ||||||
Achievements and awards | |||||||
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Horton Smith (May 22, 1908 – October 15, 1963) was an American professional golfer, best known as the winner of the first and third Masters Tournaments.
Tournament career
Born in Springfield, Missouri, Smith turned professional in 1926 and won his first tournament, the Oklahoma City Open in 1928. In 1929 he won eight titles. This was an era of expansion and reorganization for professional golf. The PGA Tour was founded in 1934, and Smith was one of the leading players of the early years of the tour, topping the money list in 1936. He accumulated 30 PGA Tour titles in total, the last of them in 1941, and his two major championships came at the Masters, at the inaugural tournament in 1934 and again in 1936 (the latter was the first Masters to end on a Monday due to rain).[1][2]
Smith was a member of five Ryder Cup teams: 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935, and 1937. His career Ryder Cup record was 3–0–1, his only blemish a halved singles match against Bill Cox in 1935 at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey. Smith was the only golfer to defeat Bobby Jones during the latter's Grand Slam year of 1930, at the stroke play Savannah Open in February.[1][3] He played in every Masters through 1963, the year of his death.[4]
Post-playing career
Smith served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II[5] in the special services division coordinating athletics[6] and was discharged as a captain.[7]
After the war, he became the club pro at Detroit Golf Club in Michigan in 1946, where he remained until his death.[8] He was president of the PGA of America from 1952 to 1954. During that time black professionals continued to be excluded from PGA events despite Smith stating that he would support reviewing this rule when, in January 1952, Bill Spiller was excluded from the San Diego Open while former boxer Joe Louis was allowed to play as an invited amateur.[9][10] The "Caucasian only" clause in the PGA of America's constitution was not amended until November 1961.[11][12]
When he resigned as head professional of Oak Park Country Club in 1936, his elder brother Renshaw (1906–1971) replaced him at the club in River Grove, Illinois.
Death
Smith died in 1963 at age 55 of Hodgkin's disease in Detroit. He had lost a lung to cancer six years earlier,[4] and is buried in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri. He was the first of the former Masters champions to pass away, followed by Craig Wood in 1968 and Jimmy Demaret in 1983.
Awards and honors
- Smith was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 1984.[13]
- Smith was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1990.
- In 1960, awarded the Ben Hogan Award by the golf writers for overcoming a physical handicap and continued active participation in golf.[14]
- In 1962, he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
- The PGA of America bestowed the Horton Smith Award, presented annually since 1965, to a PGA professional who has made "outstanding and continuing contributions to PGA education."[15] On July 2, 2020, it was renamed the PGA Professional Development Award by the board of directors because Smith had been a supporter of the PGA's "Caucasian-only' membership clause that was part of their by-laws from 1934 to 1961.[15]
- A municipal golf course in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri, is named for him.[16]
- A golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club is named for him.[17]
- He is attributed with being the first professional golfer to study putting as a means to beat his opponents.[18]
- In September 2013, Horton's green jacket, awarded in 1949 for his Masters wins in 1934 and 1936, sold at auction for over $682,000; the highest price ever paid for a piece of golf memorabilia.[19][20] It had been in the possession of his brother Ren's stepsons for decades.[21]
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins (30)
- 1928 (2) Oklahoma City Open, Catalina Island Open
- 1929 (8) Berkeley Open Championship, Pensacola Open Invitational, Florida Open, La Gorce Open, Fort Myers Open, North and South Open, Oregon Open, Pasadena Open (December)
- 1930 (4) Central Florida Open, Savannah Open, Berkeley Open, Bay District Open
- 1931 (1) St. Paul Open
- 1932 (1) National Capital City Open
- 1933 (1) Miami International Four-Ball (with Paul Runyan)
- 1934 (3) Masters Tournament, Grand Slam Open, California Open
- 1935 (3) Palm Springs Invitational, Miami Biltmore Open, Pasadena Open
- 1936 (2) Masters Tournament, Victoria Open
- 1937 (3) North and South Open, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Harry Cooper), Oklahoma Four-Ball (with Harry Cooper)
- 1941 (2) Florida West Coast Open, St. Paul Open
Major championships are shown in bold.
Source:[22]
Other wins
this list is probably incomplete
- 1929 French PGA Championship
- 1940 Massachusetts Open
- 1948 Michigan PGA Championship
- 1954 Michigan Open
Major championships
Wins (2)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1934 | Masters Tournament | 1 shot lead | −4 (70-72-70-72=284) | 1 stroke | Craig Wood |
1936 | Masters Tournament (2) | 3 shot deficit | −3 (74-71-68-72=285) | 1 stroke | Harry Cooper |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
---|---|---|---|
U.S. Open | T44 | T28 | 10 |
The Open Championship | T25 | ||
PGA Championship | SF | R32 |
Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | 1 | T19 | 1 | T19 | T22 | T26 |
U.S. Open | 3 | T27 | T55 | T24 | T17 | T6 | T22 | T36 | T19 | 15 |
The Open Championship | T4 | T12 | T14 | 10 | ||||||
PGA Championship | QF | QF | R32 | R32 | QF | QF | R16 | QF | QF |
Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T47 | T19 | 5 | NT | NT | NT | T21 | T22 | 34 | T23 |
U.S. Open | 3 | T13 | NT | NT | NT | NT | CUT | WD | CUT | T23 |
The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | ||||
PGA Championship | R64 | R16 | NT | R64 | R32 |
Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T12 | T32 | T30 | T45 | T38 | T59 | 76 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | T15 | CUT | ||||||
The Open Championship | ||||||||||
PGA Championship | R64 | R16 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
U.S. Open | ||||
The Open Championship | ||||
PGA Championship |
NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 27 | 20 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 23 | 17 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 17 |
Totals | 2 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 19 | 42 | 72 | 59 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 43 (1927 U.S. Open – 1946 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)
See also
References
- ^ a b "1934: Horton Smith wins first Masters Tournament". Augusta.com. March 21, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Gould, Alan (April 7, 1936). "Horton Smith wins Augusta golf title". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. p. 10. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
- ^ Erwin, Robert A. (February 23, 1930). "Horton Smith beats Bobby Jones by one stroke in tourney". Palm Beach News. United Press. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Ex-Masters king Horton Smith dies". Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. October 16, 1963. p. 15.
- ^ Martin, Whitney (December 28, 1942). "Horton Smith now hears putt-putt instead of putt". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. p. 10.
- ^ "Lt. Horton Smith given army athletic posts". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. November 6, 1944. p. 6, part 2.
- ^ "No Ryder Cup match until '47, says Smith". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. November 13, 1945. p. 2, final.
- ^ "Hall of fame golfer, Horton Smith, dies at 55". Miami News. Associated Press. October 15, 1963. p. 2B.
- ^ "PGA clears way for Joe Louis to compete in San Diego Open meet". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Florida. Associated Press. January 16, 1952. p. 6.
- ^ "Bunker Mentality: On This Day in 1961: PGA lifts ban on non-white players". Yahoo Eurosport UK. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
- ^ "PGA opens its doors to Negroes, world golfers". Florence Times. Alabama. Associated Press. November 10, 1961. p. 4, section 2.
- ^ "PGA group abolishes 'Caucasian'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida. Associated Press. November 10, 1961. p. 22.
- ^ "Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Members". Archived from the original on May 9, 2012.
- ^ "Horton Smith wins Ben Hogan Award". Ludington Daily News. Michigan. Associated Press. December 28, 1960. p. 7.
- ^ a b "PGA of America renames Horton Smith Award". Golf Channel. July 2, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ "Horton Smith Municipal Golf Course". Springfield-Greene County Park Board. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ "Horton Smith". Detroit Golf Club. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Mickelson, Paul (June 7, 1934). "Secret of touch in putting given by Horton Smith". St. Petersburg Independent. Florida. Associated Press. p. 4A.
- ^ Harig, Bob (September 9, 2013). "Green jacket nets $682K at auction". ESPN. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ "1934 & 1936 Masters Champion Horton Smith's Green Jacket". Green Jacket Auctions. Archived from the original on September 13, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Kindred, Dave (August 2013). "The case of the missing green jacket". Golf Digest. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Barkow, Al (1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Copyright PGA Tour. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
External links
- Horton Smith at the World Golf Hall of Fame
- PGA of America Hall of Fame
- Horton Smith at golf.about.com at the Wayback Machine (archived February 19, 2014)
- Horton Smith at Find a Grave
- v
- t
- e
- 1934 Horton Smith
- 1935 Gene Sarazen†
- 1936 Horton Smith
- 1937 Byron Nelson
- 1938 Henry Picard
- 1939 Ralph Guldahl
- 1940 Jimmy Demaret
- 1941‡ Craig Wood
- 1942 Byron Nelson†
- 1946 Herman Keiser
- 1947 Jimmy Demaret
- 1948 Claude Harmon
- 1949 Sam Snead
- 1950 Jimmy Demaret
- 1951 Ben Hogan
- 1952 Sam Snead
- 1953 Ben Hogan
- 1954 Sam Snead†
- 1955 Cary Middlecoff
- 1956 Jack Burke Jr.
- 1957 Doug Ford
- 1958 Arnold Palmer
- 1959 Art Wall Jr.
- 1960‡ Arnold Palmer
- 1961 Gary Player
- 1962 Arnold Palmer†
- 1963 Jack Nicklaus
- 1964 Arnold Palmer
- 1965 Jack Nicklaus
- 1966 Jack Nicklaus†
- 1967 Gay Brewer
- 1968 Bob Goalby
- 1969 George Archer
- 1970 Billy Casper†
- 1971 Charles Coody
- 1972‡ Jack Nicklaus
- 1973 Tommy Aaron
- 1974 Gary Player
- 1975 Jack Nicklaus
- 1976‡ Raymond Floyd
- 1977 Tom Watson
- 1978 Gary Player
- 1979 Fuzzy Zoeller†
- 1980 Seve Ballesteros
- 1981 Tom Watson
- 1982 Craig Stadler†
- 1983 Seve Ballesteros
- 1984 Ben Crenshaw
- 1985 Bernhard Langer
- 1986 Jack Nicklaus
- 1987 Larry Mize†
- 1988 Sandy Lyle
- 1989 Nick Faldo†
- 1990 Nick Faldo†
- 1991 Ian Woosnam
- 1992 Fred Couples
- 1993 Bernhard Langer
- 1994 José María Olazábal
- 1995 Ben Crenshaw
- 1996 Nick Faldo
- 1997 Tiger Woods
- 1998 Mark O'Meara
- 1999 José María Olazábal
- 2000 Vijay Singh
- 2001 Tiger Woods
- 2002 Tiger Woods
- 2003 Mike Weir†
- 2004 Phil Mickelson
- 2005 Tiger Woods†
- 2006 Phil Mickelson
- 2007 Zach Johnson
- 2008 Trevor Immelman
- 2009 Ángel Cabrera†
- 2010 Phil Mickelson
- 2011 Charl Schwartzel
- 2012 Bubba Watson†
- 2013 Adam Scott†
- 2014 Bubba Watson
- 2015‡ Jordan Spieth
- 2016 Danny Willett
- 2017 Sergio García†
- 2018 Patrick Reed
- 2019 Tiger Woods
- 2020 Dustin Johnson
- 2021 Hideki Matsuyama
- 2022 Scottie Scheffler
- 2023 Jon Rahm
- 2024 Scottie Scheffler