Robert T. Hamilton (January 10, 1916 – December 6, 1990) was an American professional golfer. He was born, raised, and died in Evansville, Indiana. He attended and graduated from Evansville Reitz High School in 1934.
| Bob Hamilton | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Robert T. Hamilton |
| Born | January 10, 1916 Evansville, Indiana |
| Died | December 6, 1990 (aged 74) Evansville, Indiana |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 10 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 5 |
| Other | 5 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | 3rd: 1946 |
| PGA Championship | Won: 1944 |
| U.S. Open | T29: 1947 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Hamilton won ten professional titles, including one major, the PGA Championship in 1944 at Manito Golf and Country Club in Spokane, Washington. Then a match play event, he defeated heavily favored Byron Nelson in the finals, 1 up. Hamilton was a three-time winner of the Indiana Open, winning in 1938, 1942, and 1966. He won five times on the PGA Tour, including the 1948 New Orleans Open, one stroke ahead of runner-up Roberto De Vicenzo. Hamilton was also a member of the 1949 Ryder Cup team.
Hamilton also served as the golf pro at Fort Lewis, south of Seattle, during the latter stages of World War II; he was also a member of the Warriors, the inter-base (intramural) team. Individually, he placed 3rd in the Pacific Northwest Servicemen's Championship (Seattle) and 3rd in the Tacoma Open, a PGA Tour event.[1]
Hamilton finished second to Sam Snead in the 1967 Senior PGA Championship at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Hamilton set the overall record for youngest golfer to shoot his age when he shot a 59 at Hamilton Golf Club in Evansville in 1975.[2]
Hamilton was inducted into the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame in 1965, as a member of the 2nd class so honored.
Amateur wins (2) edit
This list may be incomplete
Professional wins (10) edit
PGA Tour wins (5) edit
| Legend |
| Major championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (4) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 16, 1944 | North and South Open | −2 (73-72-70-71=286) | 7 strokes |  Bobby Cruickshank
|
| 2 | Aug 15, 1944 | PGA Championship | 1 up |  Byron Nelson
| |
| 3 | Mar 31, 1946 | Charlotte Open | −15 (70-71-67-65=273) | 3 strokes | Pete Cooper, Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead
|
| 4 | Feb 22, 1948 | New Orleans Open | −4 (70-71-70-69=280) | 1 stroke |  Roberto De Vicenzo, Fred Haas, Lawson Little
|
| 5 | Jul 24, 1949 | Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Chick Harbert)
|
+19 points | 14 points | Skip Alexander and Clayton Heafner
|
PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1949 | Miami Open | Fred Haas
|
Lost 18-hole playoff; Haas: −1 (69), Hamilton: +1 (71) |
Other wins (5) edit
This list may be incomplete
- 1938 Indiana Open
- 1942 Indiana Open
- 1943 Indiana PGA Championship
- 1944 Indiana PGA Championship
- 1966 Indiana Open
Major championships edit
Wins (1) edit
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | PGA Championship | 1 up | Byron Nelson
|
Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
Results timeline edit
| Tournament | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NT | NT | NT | 3 | T42 | T18 | T23 | ||
| U.S. Open | T45 | NT | NT | NT | NT | T29 | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | NT | 1 | R32 | R32 | R64 | R64 | R32 |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T32 | T40 | 4 | WD | ||||||
| U.S. Open | T42 | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | R64 | R32 | SF |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | WD | T59 |
Note: Hamilton never played in The Open Championship.
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary edit
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 7 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 10 |
| Totals | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 23 | 20 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1941 U.S. Open – 1949 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1952 PGA – 1953 Masters)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Fort Lewis Golf Course". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
- ^ Kelley, Brent. ""Age-Shooter" Records in Golf". About.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ "State Finals Preview: Prairie View Hosts Boys Golf Championships" (PDF). IHSAA. June 13, 2015.