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] Thomson is the only golfer in the modern era to win a major three times in succession – The Open in 1954, 1955 and 1956.

Peter Thomson
AO CBE
Thomson in Tasmania
Personal information
Full namePeter William Thomson
NicknameThe Melbourne Tiger[1]
Born(1929-08-23)23 August 1929
Brunswick, Victoria, Australia
Died20 June 2018(2018-06-20) (aged 88)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Sporting nationality Australia
SpouseLois Brauer (m. 1952)
Mary Kelly (m. 1960)
ChildrenDeirdre, Andrew, Peta-Ann, Fiona
Career
Turned professional1949[2]
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
Australasian Tour
Senior PGA Tour
Professional wins98
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour6
European Tour1
Japan Golf Tour1
PGA Tour of Australasia1
PGA Tour Champions11
Other46 (Australia/New Zealand)
28 (Europe)
10 (Asia/Japan)
1 (other regular)
1 (other senior)
Best results in major championships
(wins: 5)
Masters Tournament5th: 1957
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenT4: 1956
The Open ChampionshipWon: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame1988 (member page)
Arnold Palmer Award
(Champions Tour)		1986

Life

Thomson was born in Brunswick, a northern suburb of Melbourne, 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 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.

He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.[4]

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.[5][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.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
19 Jul 1954The Open Championship−9 (72-71-69-71=283)1 stroke Bobby Locke, Dai Rees,
Syd Scott
28 Jul 1955The Open Championship (2)−7 (71-68-70-72=281)2 strokes John Fallon
34 Jun 1956Texas International Open−13 (67-68-69-63=267)Playoff Gene Littler, Cary Middlecoff
46 Jul 1956The Open Championship (3)+2 (70-70-72-74=286)3 strokes Flory Van Donck
55 Jul 1958The Open Championship (4)−6 (66-72-67-73=278)Playoff Dave Thomas
69 Jul 1965The Open Championship (5)−3 (74-68-72-71=285)2 strokes Brian Huggett, Christy O'Connor Snr

PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(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.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
123 Sep 1972W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament−14 (71-69-66-64=270)3 strokes Peter Butler

Japan Golf Tour wins (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1 23 May 1976 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament −5 (71-72-68=211)* Playoff Brian Jones, Graham Marsh,
Shozo Miyamoto

*Note: The 1976 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
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

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runners-up
1 11 Feb 1973 Victorian Open −4 (71-73-73-67=284) 2 strokes Stewart Ginn, Bob Tuohy

Other European wins (28)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
19 Jul 1954The Open Championship72-71-69-71=2831 stroke Bobby Locke, Dai Rees,
Syd Scott
22 Oct 1954News of the World Match Play38 holes John Fallon
38 Jul 1955The Open Championship71-68-70-72=2812 strokes John Fallon
46 Jul 1956The Open Championship70-70-72-74=2863 strokes Flory Van Donck
521 Jun 1957Yorkshire Evening News Tournament65-67-64-68=26415 strokes Harry Bradshaw
69 May 1958Dunlop Tournament70-69-71-71-67=3483 strokes Harold Henning
714 Jun 1958Daks Tournament70-67-69-69=275Tie Harold Henning
85 Jul 1958The Open Championship33-72-67-73=278Playoff Dave Thomas
911 Oct 1959Italian Open69-67-68-65=2691 stroke Alfonso Angelini
1017 Oct 1959Spanish Open71-73-72-70=2862 strokes Jean Garaïalde, Syd Scott
1111 Jun 1960Daks Tournament74-66-67-72=2792 strokes Tom Haliburton, Jimmy Hitchcock
1217 Jun 1960Yorkshire Evening News Tournament70-66-65-67=2685 strokes Bernard Hunt
1320 Jun 1960Bowmaker Tournament67-65=1321 stroke Bernard Hunt
1424 Jul 1960German Open71-67-72-71=2812 strokes Roberto De Vicenzo, Jean Garaïalde
1523 Jun 1961Yorkshire Evening News Tournament70-69-70-73=2621 stroke Dai Rees
1626 Aug 1961Esso Golden Tournament21 pointsTie Dave Thomas
179 Sep 1961News of the World Match Play3 & 1 Ralph Moffitt
1816 Sep 1961Dunlop Masters70-71-72-71=2848 strokes Christy O'Connor Snr
195 May 1962Martini International66-69-72-68=2754 strokes Eric Brown
2020 May 1962Piccadilly No. 1 Tournament72-69-73-69=2833 strokes Christy O'Connor Snr
215 Jun 1965Daks Tournament70-71-68-66=2754 strokes Guy Wolstenholme
229 Jul 1965The Open Championship74-68-72-71=2852 strokes Brian Huggett, Christy O'Connor Snr
2310 Sep 1966News of the World Match Play2 & 1 Neil Coles
2422 Jul 1967Esso Golden Tournament20 pointsTie Kel Nagle
2510 Sep 1967News of the World Match Play4 & 3 Dai Rees
268 Oct 1967Alcan International69-71-73-68=2815 strokes Tony Grubb
2714 Sep 1968Dunlop Masters66-69-73-66=2745 strokes Dave Thomas
2813 Jun 1970Martini International65-68-68-67=268Tie Doug Sewell

Other Australia and New Zealand wins (45)
  • 1949 Victorian Close Championship
  • 1950 New Zealand Open
  • 1951 Australian Open, New Zealand Open, Victorian Close Championship
  • 1952 Victorian PGA Championship, Mobilco Tournament
  • 1953 New Zealand Open, New Zealand PGA Championship, Victorian PGA Championship
  • 1954 Ampol Tournament (Nov)
  • 1955 Wiseman's Tournament, New Zealand Open, Caltex Tournament, Pelaco Tournament, Speedo Tournament
  • 1956 Pelaco Tournament
  • 1958 Victorian Open, Pelaco Tournament
  • 1959 New Zealand Open, Pelaco Tournament, Coles Tournament, Caltex Tournament
  • 1960 New Zealand Open, Wills Classic
  • 1961 New Zealand Open, Adelaide Advertiser Tournament, New South Wales Open
  • 1963 Lakes Open, 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), Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open
  • 1968 South Australian Open, Victorian Open, Sax Altman Tournament (tie with Guy Wolstenholme)
  • 1971 New Zealand Open
  • 1972 Australian Open

Asia Golf Circuit wins (5)
  • 1962 Yomiuri International
  • 1964 Philippine Open
  • 1965 Hong Kong Open
  • 1967 Hong Kong Open
  • 1976 Indian Open

Other Japan wins (5)
  • 1969 Chunichi Crowns
  • 1971 Dunlop Tournament, Wizard Tournament
  • 1972 Chunichi Crowns, Pepsi Tournament

Other wins (4)
  • 1952 Mills Round Robin (South Africa)[7]
  • 1960 Hong Kong Open
  • 1964 Indian Open
  • 1966 Indian Open

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.YearTournamentOpponentResult
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)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
1954The Open ChampionshipTied for lead−9 (72-71-69-71=283)1 stroke Bobby Locke, Dai Rees,
Syd Scott
1955The Open Championship (2)1 shot lead−7 (71-68-70-72=281)2 strokes John Fallon
1956The Open Championship (3)3 shot lead−2 (70-70-72-74=286)3 strokes Flory Van Donck
1958The Open Championship (4)2 shot lead−6 (66-72-67-73=278)Playoff1 Dave Thomas
1965The 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
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00011586
U.S. Open00011253
The Open Championship5311018233026
PGA Championship00000000
Totals5311220304335
  • 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)
YearChampionshipWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1984aGeneral 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[4]
  • 1988 – elected to World Golf Hall of Fame[4]
  • 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[4]
  • 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
  1. Desmith, David. "Golf's Animal Kingdom of Player Nicknames". Links Magazine. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  2. "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.
  3. "1954 Peter Thomson". The Open. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  4. "Peter Thomson". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  5. Blake, Martin (20 June 2018). "Golf loses a legend in Peter Thomson". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  6. Mason, Peter (20 June 2018). "Peter Thomson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  7. "Thomson Beats Locke". Singapore Free Press. 20 February 1952.
  8. Australia list: "No. 40961". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1956. p. 44.
  9. Thomson, Peter William MBE, It's an Honour, 1 January 1957.
  10. Thomson, Peter William CBE, It's an Honour, 31 December 1979.
  11. "Peter Thomson Trophy". Sandbelt website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  12. Thomson, Peter William, It's an Honour, 1 January 2001.
  13. "The Queen's Birthday 2001 Honours". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Special (National : 1977 - 2012). 11 June 2001. p. 1. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  14. Thomson, Peter William AO, It's an Honour, 11 June 2001.
  15. "Victorian Golf Industry Hall of Fame". Golf Victoria website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  16. "PGA of Australia mourns the loss of inaugural Immortal". PGA of Australia website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
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