Bert Hodson (1905–1971) was a Welsh professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. Hodson's best performances in major championships came in the 1927 and 1934 Open Championships when he was tied for seventh place in each event.[2] Hodson played on the Great Britain Ryder Cup team in 1931.

Bert Hodson
Personal information
Born1905
Rogerstone, Newport, Wales
Died1971 (aged 66)[1]
Virginia, U.S.
Sporting nationality Wales
Career
StatusProfessional
Professional wins4
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT7: 1927, 1934

Early life edit

Hodson was born in Rogerstone, Newport, Wales in 1905. He started his career in golf as a caddie at Newport Golf Club and later became the head professional at Chigwell, Essex, England.[3] While at Chigwell he was the mentor and teacher of Michael Bonallack. His younger brother Tim was the professional at Tredegar Park.

Golf career edit

Hodson played in the 1926 Welsh Professional Championship at Harlech where he finished fifth. Bert Weastell won the championship by 12 strokes.[4] In 1927 at Tenby he was a shot behind Ernest Kenyon at the end of the first day but won with a score of 290.[5][6] He won the Welsh Professional Championship a second time in 1929.[3]

1927 Open Championship edit

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. Hodson finished T7 and carded rounds of 72-70-81-74=297 and won £10.[2]

In September 1927 Hodson was one of twelve young professionals invited by Samuel Ryder to play in a tournament at Verulam, St Albans. He finished joint-winner with Jack Smith.[7] Hodson was also involved in a "Seniors" v "Juniors" match organised by Ryder at Verulam in April 1928. He played for the juniors, losing his match against Harry Vardon 4 and 3.[8]

Hodson moved from Newport Golf Club to Chigwell, Essex, starting his new position on 1 August 1929.[9] Hodson remained at Chigwell until 1950 when he was replaced by Eddie Whitcombe.

1934 Open Championship edit

Hodson finished T7 in the 1934 Open Championship held 27–29 June at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. The English linksman Henry Cotton dominated the championship, leading wire-to-wire on his way to a five stroke win and his first of three Open titles. Hodson fired rounds of 71-74-74-76=295 and won £17 10s.[2]

Ryder Cup edit

Hodson was a member of the 1931 Great Britain Ryder Cup team.[3]

Tournament wins edit

Note: This list may be incomplete

Results in major championships edit

Tournament 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947
U.S. Open CUT NT NT NT NT
The Open Championship T7 T41 CUT 12 T26 T17 CUT T7 T34 T57 CUT WD NT NT NT NT NT NT 38

Note: Hodson only played in the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

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

Team appearances edit

References edit

  1. ^ "2012 Ryder Cup Matches Official Program". p. 184.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ a b c 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.
  3. ^ a b c Hodson, Andrew. "Bert Hodson Ryder cup". hodsongolf.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  4. ^ "The Welsh Professional Championship". The Times. 9 July 1926. p. 8.
  5. ^ "The Welsh Championship". The Times. 30 June 1927. p. 6.
  6. ^ "The Welsh Championship". The Times. 1 July 1927. p. 7.
  7. ^ "Young Professionals' Tournament – Good round by J. Smith". The Times. 29 September 1927. p. 6.
  8. ^ "Golf – Seniors professionals' victory". The Times. 5 April 1928. p. 5.
  9. ^ "B Hodson". The Times. 22 July 1929. p. 6.