Born: August 23, 1929
Age: 94
Peter Thomson
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Biography
Peter William Thomson AO, CBE (born 23 August 1929) is an Australian professional golfer. He is best remembered for his five wins in The Open Championship.
Thomson was born in Brunswick, 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, 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, very 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 even for an American to cover expenses if he won. However, Thomson demonstrated with his win in 1965 that he could beat a field of the world's very 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.
Thomson was a guest at the presentation ceremony of the 135th Open Championship, which was won by Tiger Woods. The event marked the 50th anniversary of Thomson's third Open victory.
Among golf's top players, Thomson has perhaps been the most active as a golf writer, having contributed to the Melbourne Age for some 50 years, since the early 1950s. He is an honorary member of Royal Melbourne Golf Club, one of the world's top courses. Thomson has designed over a hundred golf courses in Australia and around the world.
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Professional wins (89)
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 | Bobby Locke, Dai Rees, Syd Scott |
| 2 | 8 Jul 1955 | The Open Championship | −7 (71-68-70-72=281) | 2 strokes | John Fallon |
| 3 | 4 Jun 1956 | Texas International Open | −13 (67-68-69-63=267) | Playoff | Cary Middlecoff, Gene Littler |
| 4 | 6 Jul 1956 | The Open Championship | +2 (70-70-72-74=286) | 3 strokes | Flory Van Donck |
| 5 | 4 Jul 1958 | The Open Championship | −6 (33-72-67-73=278) | Playoff | Dave Thomas |
| 6 | 9 Jul 1965 | The Open Championship | −3 (74-68-72-71=285) | 2 strokes | Brian Huggett, Christy O'Connor Snr |
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.
Australasia wins (34)
- 1947 Australian Foursomes Shield (with H.R. Payne)
- 1948 Victoria Amateur Championship
- 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
- 1955 New Zealand Open, Pelaco Tournament, Speedo Tournament
- 1956 Pelaco Tournament
- 1958 Victorian Open, Pelaco Tournament
- 1959 New Zealand Open, Pelaco Tournament, Cole 3,000 Tournament
- 1960 New Zealand Open, Wills Classic
- 1961 New Zealand Open, Adelaide Advertiser, New South Wales Open
- 1965 New Zealand Open
- 1967 New Zealand Caltex Tournament, Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open
- 1968 South Australia Open (West End Open), Victorian Open
- 1971 New Zealand Open
- 1972 Australian Open
- 1973 Victorian Open
European wins (29)
- 1954 News of the World Match Play, The Open Championship
- 1955 The Open Championship
- 1956 The Open Championship
- 1957 Yorkshire Evening News Tournament
- 1958 Dunlop Tournament (England), Daks Tournament (tie with Harold Henning), The Open Championship
- 1959 Italian Open, Spanish Open
- 1960 Daks Tournament, Bowmaker Tournament, German Open, Yorkshire Evening News Tournament
- 1961 News of the World Match Play, British Masters, Esso Golden Tournament (tied with Dave Thomas), Yorkshire Evening News Tournament
- 1962 Piccadilly Tournament, Martini International
- 1965 Daks Tournament, The Open Championship
- 1966 News of the World Match Play
- 1967 News of the World Match Play, Alcan International, Esso Golden Tournament (tie with Kel Nagle)
- 1968 British Masters
- 1970 Martini International (tie with Doug Sewell)
- 1972 W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament (United Kingdom)
Note: The Open Championship wins are repeated here. Only the last win was an official European Tour event as the tour formally started in 1972.
Japan wins (4)
- 1969 Chunichi Crowns
- 1971 Dunlop Tournament
- 1972 Chunichi Crowns
- 1976 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament
Note: Only the last win was an official Japan Tour event as the tour formally started in 1973.
Other wins (9)
- 1954 Canada Cup (with Kel Nagle)
- 1959 Canada Cup (with Kel Nagle)
- 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 | Arnold Palmer |
| 2 | 9 Dec 1984 | General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship | −2 (67-73-74-72=286) | 3 strokes | Don January |
| 3 | 17 Mar 1985 | The Vintage Invitational | −7 (69-73-69-69=280) | 1 stroke | Billy Casper, Arnold Palmer |
| 4 | 31 Mar 1985 | American Golf Carta Blanca Johnny Mathis Classic | −11 (70-64-71=205) | 1 stroke | Don January |
| 5 | 5 May 1985 | MONY Senior Tournament of Champions | −4 (70-70-71-73=284) | 3 strokes | Don January, Dan Sikes |
| 6 | 9 Jun 1985 | The Champions Classic | −6 (68-72-70=210) | 2 strokes | Billy Casper, Jim Ferree |
| 7 | 16 Jun 1985 | Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am | −14 (68-66-68=202) | 2 strokes | Lee Elder |
| 8 | 21 Jul 1985 | MONY Syracuse Senior's Classic | −9 (70-64-70=203) | 2 strokes | Miller Barber, Gene Littler |
| 9 | 18 Aug 1985 | du Maurier Champions | −13 (64-70-69=203) | 1 stroke | Ben Smith |
| 10 | 15 Sep 1985 | United Virginia Bank Seniors | −9 (69-69-69=207) | 4 strokes | George Lanning |
| 11 | 20 Oct 1985 | Barnett Suntree Senior Classic | −9 (70-68-69=207) | 1 stroke | Charlie Sifford |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0-1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1985 | Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am | Lee Elder | Lost to eagle on first extra hole |
Senior major championship is shown in bold.
Other senior wins (1)
- 1988 PGA Seniors Championship
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 | Bobby Locke, Dai Rees, Syd Scott |
| 1955 | The Open Championship | 1 shot lead | −7 (71-68-70-72=281) | 2 strokes | John Fallon |
| 1956 | The Open Championship | 3 shot lead | −2 (70-70-72-74=286) | 3 strokes | Flory Van Donck |
| 1958 | The Open Championship | 2 shot lead | −6 (66-72-67-73=278) | Playoff 1 | Dave Thomas |
| 1965 | The Open Championship | 1 shot lead | −7 (74-68-72-71=285) | 2 strokes | Christy O'Connor Snr, Brian Huggett |
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 | DNP | DNP | T36 | T16 | T18 | DNP | 5 | T23 | DQ |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | T26 | CUT | DNP | T4 | T22 | DNP | DNP |
| 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 | DNP | T19 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| U.S. Open | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T9 | T7 | T6 | 5 | T24 | 1 | T8 | T8 | T24 | T3 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T9 | T9 | T31 | T31 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T13 | T24 | T26 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
Note: Thomson never played in the PGA Championship.
DNP = Did not play
DQ = Disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
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 | Don January |
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
Honours
- 1 January 1957 - Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- 31 December 1979 - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
- 1 January 2001 - Awarded the Centenary Medal
- 11 June 2001 - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
[ Source: Wikipedia ]
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