Tom Williamson (golfer)

Tom Williamson (9 February 1880 – 4 April 1950) was an English professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. Williamson finished in the top 10 in the Open Championship on six occasions and played in it over fifty years. His best performance came in the 1914 Open Championship when he tied for fourth place, six shots behind the winner.[1] With Harry Vardon he won the 1913 Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament by a convincing 7 & 5 margin. He was Captain of England in 1909 and represented England between 1904 and 1913. He won the Midland Professional Championship when it was first held in 1897 and a further six times.[2] He was a renowned club maker and was the first to number clubs in 1906.[3][4] He experimented with score cards placing a course plan on the reverse side in 1930.[5] He designed sixty courses, the majority in the East Midlands. He was a founder member of the PGA and became its Captain in 1928. He had a good reputation as a teacher and taught Enid Wilson who won the English Ladies Championship three times. He was known as a modest man of integrity.

Tom Williamson
Williamson (left) and Harry Vardon (right), c. 1913
Personal information
NicknameThe Striker
Born(1880-02-09)9 February 1880
Grantham, England
Died4 April 1950(1950-04-04) (aged 70)
Nottingham, England
Sporting nationality England
Career
StatusProfessional
Professional wins9
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT4: 1914

Early life

Williamson was born in Grantham, England, to Edmund and Lilian on 9 February 1880.

Golf career

Williamson was professional at Notts Golf Club, now Hollinwell (Notts Golf Club), in Nottinghamshire, England, for 54 years.[6] He was a regular competitor in the Open Championship, playing between 1897 and 1947.[7] He last played in 1947. Williamson designed over sixty courses and by 1919 it was said that he had made recommendations to every course within 50 miles of Nottingham. He designed amongst others Stanton-on-the-Wolds Golf Club, Zurich Golf and Country Club, Coombe Park, Wollaton, Hillsborough, Radcliffe-on -Trent, Worksop and he made substantial alterations to Hollinwell, Kedleston Hall, Sherwood Forest and Burton-on-Trent, and designed other courses in the Midlands as well.[4][8]

1914 Open Championship

The 1914 Open Championship was the 54th Open Championship, held 18–19 June at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Harry Vardon won a record sixth Open Championship title, three strokes ahead of runner-up J.H. Taylor, the defending champion. Due to World War I, it was the last Open for six years, the next Open would not be contested until 1920.

Details of play

Qualification took place on 11 and 12 June, players playing 18 holes each day. 96 players scored 163 or better. The 13 players who scored 164 played a further 18 holes on 13 June to determine the final four places. Vardon led after the first day by one shot from a relatively unknown James Ockenden from West Drayton Golf Club. Taylor was a shot further behind. Vardon and Taylor were drawn together on the final day and, after Ockenden had a disappointing third round 83, they were clear leaders after the third round. Taylor led on 226 with Vardon on 228 and amateur James Jenkins third on 232.

With the two leaders playing together, a large throng of spectators followed their group. Taylor extended his lead to three at the first hole of the final round. At the 3rd hole, however, he was distracted by a photographer and dropped a stroke to Vardon. The Championship was largely decided at the 4th hole where Taylor deposited his ball into a water hazard and took 7 whilst Vardon carded a 4. Williamson played steady golf in the event, finishing tied for fourth place with Abe Mitchell, and won £8 15s. His round-by-round scoring was 75-79-79-79=312.[1]

1921 Open Championship

The 1921 Open Championship was the 56th Open Championship, held 23–25 June at the Old Course at St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland. Former local Jock Hutchison won his only Open Championship, in a 36-hole playoff over amateur Roger Wethered. It was Hutchison's second and final major title.[9] Williamson played fine golf in the event, finishing tied for sixth place. He had rounds of 79-71-74-78=302 and won £6 8s 7d.

1927 Open Championship

The 1927 Open Championship was the 62nd Open Championship, held 13–15 July at the Old Course at St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland. Amateur Bobby Jones successfully defended the title with a dominating six stroke victory, the second of his three victories at the Open Championship.[1] Williamson finished the tournament tied for tenth place.

Death and legacy

Williamson died in Nottingham, England, on 4 April 1950.[6][10] He is best remembered as a frequent competitor in the Open Championship and for winning the 1913 Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament when he was paired with Harry Vardon. He will also be remembered as the first to number golf clubs.[3][4]

Tournament wins
Note: This list may be incomplete.

Results in major championships
Tournament 1897 1898 1899
The Open Championship T37 T21 T9
Tournament 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
The Open Championship CUT CUT T30 T11 CUT T13 T19 T7 T35
Tournament 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
The Open Championship T19 CUT T17 T7 T4 NT NT NT NT NT
Tournament 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
The Open Championship T26 T6 T28 T12 T13 T14 T10 T21 T25

Note: Williamson only played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10

NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances
  • England–Scotland Professional Match (representing England): 1904 (tie), 1905 (tie), 1906 (winners), 1907 (winners), 1909 (winners), 1910 (winners), 1912 (tie), 1913 (winners)
  • Coronation Match (representing the Professionals): 1911 (winners)
  • Seniors vs Juniors (representing the Seniors): 1928 (winners)

References
  1. 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.
  2. "PGA Midland Professional Championship". BlueGolf.com.
  3. Fletcher, Robert F. Tom Williamson the Complete Pro'. BG Printers, Birmingham.
  4. "Tom Williamson Father of Midlands Golf".
  5. "The Dormy Man". Yorkshire Evening Post. 1930.
  6. "Golf – Death of T Williamson". The Times. 5 April 1950. p. 9.
  7. "Golf – The Open Championship". The Times. 1 July 1947. p. 2.
  8. "Welcome to Stanton-on-the-Wolds Golf Club". stantongolfclub.co.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  9. "Jock Hutchison, Chicago professional golfer, wins British Open golf championship". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. 25 June 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  10. "Find a will | GOV.UK".
  11. "£350 foursome tournament – Easy win for Vardon and Williamson". The Glasgow Herald. 23 May 1913. p. 13.
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