Joe Sylvester

Joseph Francis Sylvester (February 2, 1893 – October 28, 1976) was an American professional golfer and club maker who played in the early-to-mid 20th century. His best performances in major golf championships were a T24 finish in the 1923 U.S. Open and a T9 showing in the 1920 PGA Championship.

Joe Sylvester
Personal information
Full nameJoseph Francis Sylvester
Born(1893-02-02)February 2, 1893
New York City, New York
DiedOctober 28, 1976(1976-10-28) (aged 83)
New York
Sporting nationality United States
Career
Turned professionalc. 1910
Professional wins1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipT9: 1920
U.S. OpenT24: 1923
The Open ChampionshipDNP

In September 1910, the 17-year-old former caddie won the Greater New York Championship at the Van Cortlandt Park links, beating William Wallace.

Early life

Sylvester was born February 2, 1893, in New York City, New York, the son of Italian immigrants Alfonso and Philomena Sylvester. His father worked at a factory that made pianos.[1] Not unlike the majority of golfers from his generation, Sylvester first learned to play golf after working as a caddie. He was also a fine maker of golf clubs.[2]

Golf career

At age 17, Sylvester won the Greater New York Championship at the Van Cortlandt Park links, defeating William Wallace.[2] Sylvester played in a number of U.S. Open tournaments. His results were as follows: T45 in 1913; 50th in 1915; T44 in 1921; and T24 in 1923.[3][4] Sylvester was hired as the professional at the Glens Falls Country Club in Queensbury, New York, in 1914 but spent only one season there.[5] He then took a post as club professional at St. Albans Country Club (now defunct) in Queens, New York, from 1915 to 1938. In 1939, Sylvester was the head professional at the Pomonok Country Club on Long Island where that year's PGA Championship was contested. As the home professional, he was exempt from qualifying.[6] For reasons unknown, however, the official records for the tournament do not reflect Sylvester as being in the starting field.[7]

Sylvester's golf career was put on hold when he was called up for duty to serve during World War I. It was reported in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on November 29, 1918, that Sylvester was wounded when he was shot in his calf while fighting in France. The report went on to say that Sylvester did not think the wound would affect his professional career and that he had done more teaching than playing since his 1913 appearance at Brookline.[1]

In 1936 he was paired with Babe Ruth in a pro-am best-ball tournament at the Rockville Country Club on Long Island. Sylvester's game suffered as he was "distracted" by the large crowds that followed Ruth.[1]

1919 PGA Championship

In the 1919 PGA Championship, contested from September 16–20 at the Herbert Strong-designed Engineers Country Club in Roslyn Harbor, New York, Sylvester made it into the round of 32. He then lost his next match to Otto Hackbarth by the margin of 5 and 4. His final placement was a tie for 17th. He won $50 in prize money.[3]

1920 PGA Championship

Sylvester had his best major championship finish in the 1920 PGA Championship which was played from August 17–21 at the Flossmoor Country Club outside Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago. The field of 32 golfers qualified by sectional tournaments. They then competed in 36-hole match play rounds in a single-elimination tournament.[8][9] Sylvester opened up play with a first round victory over Tom Boyd, winning 4 and 3. In the next round, however, he lost convincingly to James Douglas Edgar by the score of 11 and 9. Sylvester's final position in the tournament was a tie for ninth place, winning $60.[3]

1921 PGA Championship

In the 1921 PGA Championship, held September 27 to October 1 at the Inwood Country Club in Inwood, New York, Sylvester again made it into the round of 32. He lost in the first round to Emmett French 8 and 7, finishing in a tie for 17th place. He won $50 in prize money.[3]

Death and legacy

Sylvester died on October 28, 1976, presumably in New York state. Sylvester was a frequent competitor in both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. He was granted a patent for a golf club design in 1937.[10]

Results in major championships
Tournament 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923
U.S. Open T45 ? 50 ? NT NT ? ? T44 ? T24
PGA Championship NYF NYF NYF DNP NT NT R32 R16 R32 DNP DNP

Note: Sylvester never played in the Masters Tournament or The Open Championship.

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
? = Unknown
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10.

References
  1. "What's in a name ... the Club Professional's Mark". NWHickoryPlayers.org.
  2. "Ex-Caddie Golfer Wins Final Match; Sylvester Completes Van Cortlandt Tourney Rounds with an Average of 77 1/2 Strokes". The New York Times. September 4, 1910. p. 6.
  3. Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  4. "Joe Sylvester". GolfMajorChampionships.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  5. "Country Club in Glens Falls golf for more than 100 years". PostStar.com.
  6. "New York Area Tops Golf List". Spokane Daily Chronicle. June 1, 1939. p. 38.
  7. "Tournament Info for: 1939 PGA Championship". PGA of America. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  8. "Tournament Info for: 1920 PGA Championship". PGA Media Guide. PGA of America. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  9. "Pro Golfers Begin Five-Day Struggle" (PDF). The New York Times. August 18, 1920. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  10. "Design for a Golf Club". Google.com/patents. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
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