Bobby Locke

Arthur D'Arcy "Bobby" Locke (20 November 1917 – 9 March 1987) was a South African professional golfer. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won The Open Championship four times and 15 PGA Tour events in total. In addition, he was a prolific tournament winner in South Africa, ultimately recording over 50 significant victories in his home country, including the South African Open nine times.

For the baseball player, see Bobby Locke (baseball).

Bobby Locke
Locke in Australia (1938)
Personal information
Full nameArthur D'Arcy Locke
NicknameBobby
Old Baggy Pants
Muffin Face[1]
Lantern Jowls
Moon Face
Born(1917-11-20)20 November 1917
Germiston, South Africa
Died9 March 1987(1987-03-09) (aged 69)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Sporting nationality South Africa
SpouseHester Elizabeth 'Lillian' le Roux (divorced 1952)
Mary Elizabeth Fenton (m. 1958–87, his death)
ChildrenDianne and Carolyn
Career
Turned professional1938
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins94
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour15
Sunshine Tour50 (total South African wins)
Other29
Best results in major championships
(wins: 4)
Masters TournamentT10: 1948
PGA ChampionshipT33: 1947
U.S. Open3rd/T3: 1947, 1951
The Open ChampionshipWon: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1957
British AmateurT33: 1937
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame1977 (member page)
Harry Vardon Trophy1946, 1950, 1954

Early life

Locke was born in Germiston, South Africa the only son of Mr. C.J. and Mrs. O. Locke of 70 Nottingham Road, Kensington, Johannesburg. He obtained his Educational Junior Certificate pass at Benoni High School in 1934.

Amateur career

Locke won the South African Open for the first of nine times in 1935, at the Parkview Golf Club in Johannesburg, with a score of 296, playing as an amateur. He played in his first Open Championship in 1936, when he was eighteen, and finished as low amateur.

Professional career

He turned professional in March 1938 at the age of 20[2] and was engaged by the Maccauvlei Country Club as club professional in December 1939. Problems arose[3] when Locke wanted to give lessons to non-members as well as take leave of absence, without advance request, to take part in outside competitions such as the U.S. Open. Locke resigned from the club, by letter, on 26 July 1940. His golf career was interrupted by service in the South African Air Force during World War II.

PGA Tour

Following the end of World War II, Locke successfully resumed his career in South Africa in 1946. He hosted Sam Snead, one of the top American golfers of the day, for a series of exhibition matches in South Africa in January/February 1947, winning 12 out of the 16 matches, two were halved and Snead won two.[4]: 147  So impressed was Snead that he suggested that Locke come to the United States and give the PGA Tour a try, advice that Locke quickly followed.[5]

Locke arrived in the U.S. for the first time in April 1947, well after the American Tour season had begun. In two-and-a-half years on the PGA Tour, Locke played in 59 events; he won 11, and finished in the top three in 30, just over half. In 1947, despite a late start, Locke dominated the American tour, winning six tournaments (including four in a five-week period), and finishing second to Jimmy Demaret on the money list.

In 1948, he won the Chicago Victory National by 16 strokes, which remains a PGA Tour record for margin of victory (tied for margin of victory with J. Douglas Edgar's win in the 1919 Canadian Open).[6]

The following year, Locke was banned from the tour, ostensibly because of a dispute over playing commitments. Locke had indeed given several advance commitments to appear at tournaments and exhibitions, then had not turned up nor given adequate notice nor explanations for his absences.[5] However, the 1948 Masters champion Claude Harmon stated, unsolicited, to another golf personality during that era: "Locke was simply too good. They had to ban him."[7] The ban was lifted in March 1950.[8] However, Locke chose not to return to play in the United States, except for a few isolated appearances.

Locke explained his point of view and events leading up to the banning.[4]: 57, 58  He stated that he had accepted invitations, organised through the PGA to play in two local tournaments, The Inverness Fourball and Western Open. He explained how he had been helped to iron out a putting problem which led to him winning the 1949 Open Championship. He gives the "Open" win as one of his reasons to breach his contract. The text indicates that he understood the contractual nature of his dealings with the PGA.

Worldwide success

After leaving the PGA Tour, Locke continued his career in Europe and Africa, where he felt more comfortable. He won 23 times in Europe, most notably a quartet of successes in The Open Championship, which came in 1949, 1950, 1952 and 1957. He was the first of many South Africans who subsequently won major championships, including Gary Player, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. His win in the 1957 Open Championship was with some controversy. Locke had failed to properly replace his ball after marking on the 72nd green, and proceeded to putt out. This had been confirmed through newsreel footage provided to the Royal and Ancient after the trophy presentation. The rules at the time made no provision for a two shot penalty, thus Locke's win could have been overturned through disqualification. However, the Championship committee did not enforce the disqualification rule, citing "equity and spirit of the game" as overriding factors in sustaining the posted result.

During this time Locke also played many other parts of the world. In 1955 he won the Australian Open held at Gailes Golf Club in Queensland; he later rated this as one of the best courses he had ever played. In 1959, Locke was involved in a serious car accident. Medical issues related to this incident contributed to the end of his career.

Playing attributes

Locke built his success around his outstanding putting ability, coining the phrase "You drive for show, but putt for dough."[9] Wearing his trademark knickerbockers, white shoes, and stockings, Locke played the game at a slow and deliberate pace, perhaps another reason that American pros were annoyed with him. On the greens, Locke was a bona fide genius, using a very unusual putting style (he would bring the putter back far to the inside on the backstroke, then virtually "trap" the ball with a hooded, closed clubface on the forward stroke, imparting a tremendous amount of overspin), and a great eye for reading breaks, to put on veritable putting clinics every time he played. Locke believed he could put spin on putts[10] (similar to full-swing shots) and make them "hook" and "slice", and used his unorthodox technique to great success.

Locke was not particularly long from the tee, but placed great emphasis on accuracy in hitting fairways and greens; he employed an extreme right-to-left ball flight (one that bordered on a hook) on nearly every full shot.[10]

Australian contemporary pro Jim Ferrier, who played the U.S. Tour during the late 1940s with Locke, described Locke's putting method as being designed to overcome the very heavy grain present on many Bermuda-grass greens of that era, particularly in warm-climate regions such as South Africa and the southern United States. In these regions, greens had to be constructed during that era using Bermuda-grass turf in order to survive the extreme summer heat; turfgrass research eventually developed a wider variety of strains which could be used. Locke's putting method allowed the ball to glide on top of the grass without being affected very much by the grain. Ferrier explained that Locke had apparently learned the technique from an Englishman in Egypt, while he was stationed there during World War II. Locke had in fact learned the technique from Walter Hagen during the "Haigs" tour of South Africa with Joe Kirkwood Sr. in 1938.[4][11]

Military service

Locke served in the South African Air Force during World War II. His Official War Record is held at the South African Department of Defence archives under his Service No: 103940. Those records show that he first trained as a pilot and later a pilot instructor. He was deployed to the Middle East from December 1944 to May 1945, and then to Italy, post VE Day, on transport duties until August 1945. He was honourably discharged in October 1945 having attained the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He received the Italy Star and 1939-45 War Medal/Africa Service Medal.

Alternate descriptions of Locke's war record

Other descriptions of Locke's war record suggest he was more active than the transport duties he undertook, with SAAF Number 31 Squadron in Italy, that are described by the official SANDF archives. The descriptions include: he spent twelve months in a Liberator Squadron in Italy [4]: 40  he was a bomber pilot who bombed Monte Casino,[12] he fought for Britain as a bomber pilot;[13] he flew over 100 missions over Europe with the SAAF;[14] and 'served with distinction as a Royal Airforce Bomber pilot'.[15] Locke also claims that:

  • In a photograph of him and others,[4]: 39  he was playing golf at Gizeh Golf & Country Club, in Cairo, in 1943, and
  • "My stay in the Air Force lasted five years and three months, in which time I completed 1,800 hours on single-, twin- and four-engined aircraft"[4]: 39, 40 

Personal life

Starting in the 1960s, Locke suffered from migraines and eye problems that put an end to his competitive career, although he continued competing occasionally after that, without much success.

He died in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1987.

Honors and Awards

Amateur wins

Professional wins (94)

PGA Tour wins (15)
Legend
Major championships (4)
Other PGA Tour (11)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
1 11 May 1947 Houston Open −11 (71-67-70-69=277) 5 strokes United States Johnny Palmer, United States Ellsworth Vines
2 25 May 1947 Philadelphia Inquirer Open −7 (68-69-70-70=277) 4 strokes United States Matt Kowal, United States Lloyd Mangrum
3 1 Jun 1947 Goodall Round Robin +37 points 4 points United States Vic Ghezzi
4 8 Jul 1947 All American Open −12 (66-68-71-71=276) Playoff United States Ed Oliver
5 19 Jul 1947 Canadian Open −16 (68-66-67-67=268) 2 strokes United States Ed Oliver
6 27 Jul 1947 Columbus Invitational −14 (70-68-67-69=274) 5 strokes United States Jimmy Demaret
7 25 Jan 1948 Phoenix Open −16 (65-69-67-67=268) 1 stroke United States Jimmy Demaret
8 20 Jun 1948 Chicago Victory National Open −18 (65-65-70-66=266) 16 strokes United States Ellsworth Vines
9 18 Apr 1949 Cavalier Specialists Invitational −6 (67-68-66=201) Playoff United States Frank Stranahan (a)
10 15 May 1949 Goodall Round Robin (2) +66 points 33 points United States Herman Barron
11 9 Jul 1949 The Open Championship −5 (69-76-68-70=283) Playoff Republic of Ireland Harry Bradshaw
12 7 Jul 1950 The Open Championship (2) −1 (69-72-70-68=279) 2 strokes Argentina Roberto De Vicenzo
13 9 Aug 1950 All American Open (2) −6 (72-74-69-67=282) Playoff United States Lloyd Mangrum
14 11 Jul 1952 The Open Championship (3) −1 (69-71-74-73=287) 1 stroke Australia Peter Thomson
15 5 Jul 1957 The Open Championship (4) −9 (69-72-68-70=279) 3 strokes Australia Peter Thomson

PGA Tour playoff record (4–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1947 All American Open United States Ed Oliver Won 36-hole playoff;
Locke: −4 (68-72=140),
Oliver: +2 (71-75=146)
2 1949 Cavalier Specialists Invitational United States Frank Stranahan (a) Won 18-hole playoff;
Locke: −1 (68),
Stranahan: +1 (70)
3 1949 The Open Championship Republic of Ireland Harry Bradshaw Won 36-hole playoff;
Locke: −9 (67-68=135),
Bradshaw: +3 (74-73=147)
4 1950 All American Open United States Lloyd Mangrum Won 18-hole playoff;
Locke: −3 (69),
Mangrum: +1 (73)

South Africa wins (50)

Other wins (29)

Major championships

Wins (4)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1949The Open ChampionshipTied for lead−5 (69-76-68-70=283)Playoff 1Republic of Ireland Harry Bradshaw
1950The Open Championship (2)Tied for lead−1 (69-72-70-68=279)2 strokesArgentina Roberto De Vicenzo
1952The Open Championship (3)1 shot deficit−1 (69-71-74-73=287)1 strokeAustralia Peter Thomson
1957The Open Championship (4)3 shot lead−9 (69-72-68-70=279)3 strokesAustralia Peter Thomson

1 Defeated Harry Bradshaw in 36-hole playoff: Locke (135), Bradshaw (147)

Results timeline
Tournament 1936 1937 1938 1939
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship T8 LA T17 LA T10 T9
PGA Championship
The Amateur Championship R256 R64 – –
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
Masters Tournament NT NT NT T14 T10 T13
U.S. Open NT NT NT NT T3 4 T4
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT T2 1
PGA Championship NT T33
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
Masters Tournament T21
U.S. Open 3 WD T14 5
The Open Championship 1 T6 1 8 T2 4 CUT 1 T16 T29
PGA Championship
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT
PGA Championship
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship CUT T49 CUT CUT CUT CUT WD CUT
PGA Championship
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

NT = No tournament
LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Sources: 1936 Amateur Championship,[34] 1937 Amateur Championship[35]

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00001444
U.S. Open00255676
The Open Championship420712142916
PGA Championship00000011
Totals4221218244127
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 19 (1936 Open Championship – 1952 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (1949 U.S. Open – 1951 Open Championship)

Team appearances

See also

References
  1. Kelley, Brent. "Bobby Locke". About.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  2. "Locke may play in "Open"". The Glasgow Herald. 16 March 1938. p. 6.
  3. "Maccauvlei Golf Club - Some of the People". Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  4. Locke, Bobby (1953). Bobby Locke on Golf. Country Life.
  5. Barkow, Al (1974). Golf's Golden Grind: The History of the PGA Tour. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 978-0151908851.
  6. Kelley, Brent. "Largest Margin of Victory on the PGA Tour". About.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  7. South African Open television broadcast, 19 December 2010, Golf Channel
  8. "Fort Worth Star-Telegram 26 Mar 1950, page 21". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  9. DeNunzio, David. "10 Greatest Putters of All Time". golf.com. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  10. Sommers, Robert T. (2004). Golf Anecdotes: From the Links of Scotland to Tiger Woods. Oxford University Press. pp. 205–. ISBN 978-0-19-517265-2.
  11. Barkow, Al (1986). Gettin' To The Dance Floor: An Oral History of American Golf. Atheneum. ISBN 978-0689115172.
  12. Viner, Brian (24 February 2014). "Faulkner's treasure chest of golf jewels". The Independent (published 17 July 2001). Retrieved 22 April 2018. In interview with Max Faulkner: Locke was my idol, you see. Oh Christ, yes. Wonderful chap. Tough. A bomber pilot. Bombed Monte Casino. Never practised.
  13. Dobereiner, Peter (15 March 1987), "Bobby of the Green", The Observer, London, p. 49, retrieved 5 May 2018, All his life he thought of himself as British (both his parents were from Ulster), proudly recounted his achievement of being the first Briton to win the Canadian Open since 1914 and fought for Britain as a bomber pilot in the Middle East during the war.
  14. Cape Times (5 September 1992) "But Locke was no joke as a man or as a golfer. He fought more than 100 combat missions over Europe with the S.A.A.F. during World War II"
  15. "The Memorial Tournament Honorees: 2002: Kathy Whitworth & Bobby Locke". Retrieved 22 April 2018. Locke put his golfing career on hold, however, with the onset of World War II, at which time he served with distinction as a Royal Air Force Bomber pilot.
  16. "Transvaal Open". Maryborough Cronicle. 26 January 1937.
  17. Vigor. Vol. 1–2. National Advisory Council. 1947 – via Google Books.
  18. "Bobby Locke wins". The Courier-Mail. 11 February 1950. p. 6.
  19. Vigor. Vol. 3–4. National Advisory Council. 1949 – via Google Books.
  20. "Bobby Locke in form". Kalgoorlie Miner. 15 March 1950.
  21. "Locke wins". Advocate. 1 January 1951. p. 10.
  22. "Easy Victory for Locke". the Singapore Free Press. 15 January 1951.
  23. "Locke wins £300". The Singapore Free Press. 22 January 1951.
  24. "Bobby Locke's Victory". Daily advertiser. 2 April 1951.
  25. "Thomson goes down to Locke". The Age. 16 January 1952. p. 20. Retrieved 3 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. "4th Win for Bobby Locke". The Singapore Free Press. 21 January 1952.
  27. "Locke wins again". The Sunday Sun. 11 January 1953. p. 10. Retrieved 3 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. "Golf title for Locke". The Sunday Sun. 14 January 1954. p. 10. Retrieved 3 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. "Bobby Locke Breaks Own Record". The Canberra Times. 22 March 1954.
  30. "Bobby Locke...". The Birmingham Mail. 18 March 1957. p. 8. Retrieved 3 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. "Bobby Locke". Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  32. "Bobby Locke ties". Manchester Evening News. 3 February 1958. p. 6. Retrieved 3 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. "£200 for Locke". Sunday Dispatch. 17 January 1960. p. 18. Retrieved 3 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. "Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 27 May 1936. p. 6.
  35. "Scot Wins "Classic" Match". The Glasgow Herald. 27 May 1937. p. 12.
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