Peter Thomson (golfer)
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.[3]
| Peter Thomson AO CBE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Thomson in Tasmania | |||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Full name | Peter William Thomson | ||||
| Nickname | The Melbourne Tiger[1] | ||||
| Born | 23 August 1929 Brunswick, Victoria, Australia | ||||
| Died | 20 June 2018 (aged 88) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||
| Sporting nationality | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia | ||||
| Spouse | Lois Brauer (m. 1952) Mary Kelly (m. 1960) | ||||
| Children | Deirdre, Andrew, Peta-Ann, Fiona | ||||
| Career | |||||
| Turned professional | 1949[2] | ||||
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour European Tour Australasian Tour Senior PGA Tour | ||||
| Professional wins | 98 | ||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||
| PGA Tour | 6 | ||||
| European Tour | 1 | ||||
| Japan Golf Tour | 1 | ||||
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 | ||||
| PGA Tour Champions | 11 | ||||
| Other | 46 (Australia/New Zealand) 28 (Europe) 10 (Asia/Japan) 1 (other regular) 1 (other senior) | ||||
| Best results in major championships (wins: 5) | |||||
| Masters Tournament | 5th: 1957 | ||||
| PGA Championship | DNP | ||||
| U.S. Open | T4: 1956 | ||||
| The Open Championship | Won: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965 | ||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||
| |||||
Professional career
Thomson's 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.
Thomson was active as a golf writer, contributing to The Age of Melbourne for some 50 years from the early 1950s. His local club was Victoria Golf Club. 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]
Awards and honors
- Thomson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988.
- Thomson was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.[6]
Amateur wins
- 1947 Australasian Foursomes Shield (with Dick Payne)
- 1948 Victorian Amateur Championship
Professional wins (98)
PGA Tour wins (6)
| Legend |
| Major championships (5) |
| Other PGA Tour (1) |
| 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 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Bobby Locke, .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Dai Rees, Syd Scott |
| 2 | 8 Jul 1955 | The Open Championship (2) | −7 (71-68-70-72=281) | 2 strokes |  John Fallon |
| 3 | 4 Jun 1956 | Texas International Open | −13 (67-68-69-63=267) | Playoff |  Gene Littler, Cary Middlecoff |
| 4 | 6 Jul 1956 | The Open Championship (3) | +2 (70-70-72-74=286) | 3 strokes | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Flory Van Donck |
| 5 | 5 Jul 1958 | The Open Championship (4) | −6 (66-72-67-73=278) | Playoff | Dave Thomas |
| 6 | 9 Jul 1965 | The Open Championship (5) | −3 (74-68-72-71=285) | 2 strokes |  Brian Huggett,  Christy O'Connor Snr |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1956 | Texas International Open | Gene Littler, Cary Middlecoff |
Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1958 | The Open Championship | Dave Thomas |
Won 36-hole playoff; Thomson: −3 (68-71=139), Thomas: +1 (69-74=143) |
European Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 Sep 1972 | W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament | −14 (71-69-66-64=270) | 3 strokes | Peter Butler |
PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 May 1976 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament | −5 (71-72-68=211)* | Playoff | Brian Jones, Graham Marsh,.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Shozo Miyamoto |
*Note: The 1976 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1976 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament | Brian Jones, Graham Marsh, Shozo Miyamoto |
Won with par on fourteenth extra hole Jones eliminated by par on fourth hole Miyamoto eliminated by par on first hole |
Other Japan wins (5)
- 1969 Chunichi Crowns
- 1971 Dunlop Tournament, Wizard Tournament
- 1972 Chunichi Crowns, Pepsi Tournament
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Feb 1973 | Victorian Open | −4 (71-73-73-67=284) | 2 strokes | Stewart Ginn, Bob Tuohy |
Other Australian wins (24)
- 1949 Victorian Close Championship
- 1951 Australian Open, Victorian Close Championship
- 1952 Victorian PGA Championship, Mobilco Tournament
- 1953 Victorian PGA Championship
- 1954 Ampol Tournament (Nov)
- 1955 Wiseman's Tournament, Pelaco Tournament, Speedo Tournament
- 1956 Pelaco Tournament
- 1958 Victorian Open, Pelaco Tournament
- 1959 Pelaco Tournament, Coles Tournament
- 1960 Wills Classic
- 1961 Adelaide Advertiser Tournament, New South Wales Open
- 1963 Lakes Open
- 1967 Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open
- 1968 South Australian Open, Victorian Open
- 1972 Australian Open
British PGA wins (25)
Other European wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Oct 1959 | Italian Open | 69-67-68-65=269 | 1 stroke |  Alfonso Angelini |
| 2 | 17 Oct 1959 | Spanish Open | 71-73-72-70=286 | 2 strokes |  Jean Garaïalde, Syd Scott |
| 3 | 24 Jul 1960 | German Open | 71-67-72-71=281 | 2 strokes |  Roberto De Vicenzo, Jean Garaïalde |
New Zealand circuit wins (11)
- 1963 Metalcraft Tournament (tie with Ted Ball)
- 1964 Forest Products Tournament
- 1965 New Zealand Open, Metalcraft Tournament, Caltex Tournament, BP Tournament (tie with Kel Nagle)
- 1966 New Zealand Wills Masters (tie with Tim Woolbank), Caltex Tournament (tie with Kel Nagle)
- 1967 Caltex Tournament (tie with Bob Charles)
- 1968 Sax Altman Tournament (tie with Guy Wolstenholme)
- 1971 New Zealand Open
Other New Zealand wins (10)
- 1950 New Zealand Open
- 1951 New Zealand Open
- 1953 New Zealand Open, New Zealand PGA Championship
- 1955 New Zealand Open, Caltex Tournament
- 1959 New Zealand Open, Caltex Tournament
- 1960 New Zealand Open
- 1961 New Zealand Open
Asia Golf Circuit wins (5)
- 1962 Yomiuri International
- 1964 Philippine Open
- 1965 Hong Kong Open
- 1967 Hong Kong Open
- 1976 Indian Open
Other Asian wins (3)
- 1960 Hong Kong Open
- 1964 Indian Open
- 1966 Indian Open
Other wins (1)
- 1952 Mills Round Robin (South Africa)[7]
Senior PGA Tour wins (11)
| Legend |
| Senior major championships (1) |
| Other Senior PGA Tour (10) |
| 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 |
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 | Denis Hutchinson |
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 (2) | 1 shot lead | −7 (71-68-70-72=281) | 2 strokes | John Fallon |
| 1956 | The Open Championship (3) | 3 shot lead | −2 (70-70-72-74=286) | 3 strokes | Flory Van Donck |
| 1958 | The Open Championship (4) | 2 shot lead | −6 (66-72-67-73=278) | Playoff1 | Dave Thomas |
| 1965 | The Open Championship (5) | 1 shot lead | −7 (74-68-72-71=285) | 2 strokes | Christy O'Connor Snr, Brian Huggett |
1Defeated 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.
Win
Top 10
Did not play
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 | Don January |
a This was the December edition of the tournament.
Team appearances
Amateur
- Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing Victoria): 1948 (winners)
Professional
- World Cup (representing Australia): 1953, 1954 (winners), 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959 (winners), 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1969
- Lakes International Cup (representing Australia): 1952
- 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)
- Hopkins Trophy (representing Canada): 1952
- Vicars Shield (representing Victoria): 1951 (winners), 1952 (winners), 1953 (winners)
Honours
- 1955 – ABC Sportsman of the Year
- 1 January 1957 – Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of his services to Australia in the sporting and international sphere.[8][9]
- 31 December 1979 – Appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for service to the sport of golf[10]
- 10 December 1985 – inaugural member of Sport Australia Hall of Fame[6]
- 1988 – elected to World Golf Hall of Fame[6]
- 1997 – the inaugural Peter Thomson Trophy, an annual contested between the eight Melbourne Sandbelt golf clubs[11]
- 1 January 2001 – Awarded the Centenary Medal[12]
- 2001 – elevated to Legend in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame[6]
- 11 June 2001 – Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)[13][14]
- 2011 – Victorian Golf Industry Hall of Fame[15] 2
- 2016 – inducted as inaugural Immortal of the PGA of Australia[16]
See also
References
- Desmith, David. "Golf's Animal Kingdom of Player Nicknames". Links Magazine. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- "Peter Thomson Turns Professional". The Chronicle. Vol. 91, no. 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.
- 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.
- "Peter Thomson". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- "Thomson Beats Locke". Singapore Free Press. 20 February 1952.
- Australia list: "No. 40961". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1956. p. 44.
- Thomson, Peter William MBE, It's an Honour, 1 January 1957.
- Thomson, Peter William CBE, It's an Honour, 31 December 1979.
- "Peter Thomson Trophy". Sandbelt website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- Thomson, Peter William, It's an Honour, 1 January 2001.
- "The Queen's Birthday 2001 Honours". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Special (National : 1977 - 2012). 11 June 2001. p. 1. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- 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
- Peter Thomson at the World Golf Hall of Fame
- Golflegends.org profile
Peter Thomson in the Presidents Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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