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Peter Thomson (golfer)

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Peter William Thomson AO, CBE (23 August 1929 – 20 June 2018) was an Australian professional golfer. In the late 1940s, Thomson turned pro and had much success on the Australasian circuits, culminating with a win at the 1951 Australian Open. He then moved onto the PGA Tour, playing on the circuit in 1953 and 1954, but did not have much success, failing to win. He decided to focus on Europe thereafter with extraordinary success, winning dozens of tournaments on the British PGA, including the Open Championship five times. As a senior, Thomson continued with success, winning 11 times on the Senior PGA Tour. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all-time.

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
Spouse
Lois Brauer
​
(m. 1952)​

Mary Kelly
​
(m. 1960)​
Children4, including Andrew
Career
Turned professional1949[2]
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
Asia Golf Circuit
PGA Tour of Australia
New Zealand Golf Circuit
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)
Far East Circuit
Order of Merit winner		1962
New Zealand Golf Circuit
money list winner		1965
Senior PGA Tour
money list winner		1985

Early life

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

Professional career

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Thomson's 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.

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

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Thomson died in Melbourne on 20 June 2018 after a four-year battle with Parkinson's disease, at the age of 88.[3][4]

Awards and honors

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Amateur wins

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Professional wins (98)

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PGA Tour wins (6)

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Legend
Major championships (5)
Other PGA Tour (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 9 Jul 1954 The Open Championship −9 (72-71-69-71=283) 1 stroke   Bobby Locke,   Dai Rees,
  Syd Scott
2 8 Jul 1955 The Open Championship (2) −7 (71-68-70-72=281) 2 strokes   John Fallon
3 4 Jun 1956 Texas International Open −13 (67-68-69-63=267) Playoff   Gene Littler,   Cary Middlecoff
4 6 Jul 1956 The Open Championship (3) +2 (70-70-72-74=286) 3 strokes   Flory Van Donck
5 5 Jul 1958 The Open Championship (4) −6 (66-72-67-73=278) Playoff   Dave Thomas
6 9 Jul 1965 The Open Championship (5) −3 (74-68-72-71=285) 2 strokes   Brian Huggett,   Christy O'Connor Snr

PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(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)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 23 Sep 1972 W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament −14 (71-69-66-64=270) 3 strokes   Peter Butler

PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin 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.

PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (1–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponents Result
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

Other Japan wins (5)

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Asia Golf Circuit wins (5)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 11 Mar 1962 Yomiuri International −10 (72-68-64-74=278) 8 strokes   Al Balding
2 23 Feb 1964 Philippine Open −3 (74-74-69-68=285) Playoff   Doug Sanders
3 28 Mar 1965 Hong Kong Open −2 (75-66-67-70=278) 1 stroke   Ross Newdick
4 26 Mar 1967 Hong Kong Open (2) −7 (68-69-67-69=273) Playoff   Brian Huggett
5 4 Apr 1976 Indian Open −4 (74-75-69-70=288) 1 stroke   Brian Jones

Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (2–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1964 Philippine Open   Doug Sanders Won with bogey on first extra hole
2 1967 Hong Kong Open   Brian Huggett Won with par on second extra hole

Other Asian wins (3)

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PGA Tour of Australia wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 11 Feb 1973 Victorian Open −4 (71-73-73-67=284) 2 strokes   Stewart Ginn,   Bob Tuohy

Other Australian wins (24)

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New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (11)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 3 Sep 1963 Metalcraft Tournament −5 (72-69-74-72=287) Shared title with   Ted Ball
2 1 Dec 1964 Forest Products Tournament −11 (69-68-65=202) 1 stroke   Cobie Legrange,   Kel Nagle
3 21 Nov 1965 New Zealand Open −2 (70-71-68-69=278) 8 strokes   Bob Charles,   Kel Nagle
4 23 Nov 1965 Metalcraft Tournament (2) −8 (71-68-69=208) 3 strokes   Barry Coxon,   Walter Godfrey,
  Alan Murray,   Ross Newdick
5 27 Nov 1965 Caltex Tournament −10 (68-70-69-75=282) 2 strokes   Cedric Amm,   John Sullivan
6 11 Dec 1965 BP Tournament −10 (68-66-73-71=278) Shared title with   Kel Nagle
7 26 Nov 1966 New Zealand Wills Masters −17 (69-69-70-67=275) Shared title with   Tim Woolbank
8 17 Dec 1966 Caltex Tournament (2) −4 (72-67-70-67=276) Shared title with   Kel Nagle
9 26 Nov 1967 Caltex Tournament (3) −14 (72-70-67-69=278) Shared title with   Bob Charles
10 23 Nov 1968 Sax Altman Tournament −3 (72-71-70-72=285) Shared title with   Guy Wolstenholme
11 28 Nov 1971 New Zealand Open (2) −8 (71-66-69-70=276) 2 strokes   Maurice Bembridge

Other New Zealand wins (10)

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British PGA Circuit wins (25)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 9 Jul 1954 The Open Championship 72-71-69-71=283 1 stroke   Bobby Locke,   Dai Rees,
  Syd Scott
2 2 Oct 1954 News of the World Match Play 38 holes   John Fallon
3 8 Jul 1955 The Open Championship 71-68-70-72=281 2 strokes   John Fallon
4 6 Jul 1956 The Open Championship 70-70-72-74=286 3 strokes   Flory Van Donck
5 21 Jun 1957 Yorkshire Evening News Tournament 65-67-64-68=264 15 strokes   Harry Bradshaw
6 9 May 1958 Dunlop Tournament 70-69-71-71-67=348 3 strokes   Harold Henning
7 14 Jun 1958 Daks Tournament 70-67-69-69=275 Tie   Harold Henning
8 5 Jul 1958 The Open Championship 33-72-67-73=278 Playoff   Dave Thomas
9 11 Jun 1960 Daks Tournament 74-66-67-72=279 2 strokes   Tom Haliburton,   Jimmy Hitchcock
10 17 Jun 1960 Yorkshire Evening News Tournament 70-66-65-67=268 5 strokes   Bernard Hunt
11 20 Jun 1960 Bowmaker Tournament 67-65=132 1 stroke   Bernard Hunt
12 23 Jun 1961 Yorkshire Evening News Tournament 70-69-70-73=262 1 stroke   Dai Rees
13 26 Aug 1961 Esso Golden Tournament 21 points Tie   Dave Thomas
14 9 Sep 1961 News of the World Match Play 3 & 1   Ralph Moffitt
15 16 Sep 1961 Dunlop Masters 70-71-72-71=284 8 strokes   Christy O'Connor Snr
16 5 May 1962 Martini International 66-69-72-68=275 4 strokes   Eric Brown
17 20 May 1962 Piccadilly No. 1 Tournament 72-69-73-69=283 3 strokes   Christy O'Connor Snr
18 5 Jun 1965 Daks Tournament 70-71-68-66=275 4 strokes   Guy Wolstenholme
19 9 Jul 1965 The Open Championship 74-68-72-71=285 2 strokes   Brian Huggett,   Christy O'Connor Snr
20 10 Sep 1966 News of the World Match Play 2 & 1   Neil Coles
21 22 Jul 1967 Esso Golden Tournament 20 points Tie   Kel Nagle
22 10 Sep 1967 News of the World Match Play 4 & 3   Dai Rees
23 8 Oct 1967 Alcan International 69-71-73-68=281 5 strokes   Tony Grubb
24 14 Sep 1968 Dunlop Masters 66-69-73-66=274 5 strokes   Dave Thomas
25 13 Jun 1970 Martini International 65-68-68-67=268 Tie   Doug Sewell

Other European wins (3)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 11 Oct 1959 Italian Open 69-67-68-65=269 1 stroke   Alfonso Angelini
2 17 Oct 1959 Spanish Open 71-73-72-70=286 2 strokes   Jean Garaïalde,   Syd Scott
3 24 Jul 1960 German Open 71-67-72-71=281 2 strokes   Roberto De Vicenzo,   Jean Garaïalde

Other wins (1)

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  • 1952 Mills Round Robin (South Africa)[15]

Senior PGA Tour wins (11)

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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 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. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1985 Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am   Lee Elder Lost to eagle on first extra hole

Other senior wins (1)

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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

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Wins (5)

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Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner(s)-up
1954 The Open Championship Tied for lead −9 (72-71-69-71=283) 1 stroke   Bobby Locke,   Dai Rees,
  Syd Scott
1955 The Open Championship (2) 1 shot lead −7 (71-68-70-72=281) 2 strokes   John Fallon
1956 The Open Championship (3) 3 shot lead −2 (70-70-72-74=286) 3 strokes   Flory Van Donck
1958 The Open Championship (4) 2 shot lead −6 (66-72-67-73=278) Playoff1   Dave Thomas
1965 The 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

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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

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 1 1 5 8 6
U.S. Open 0 0 0 1 1 2 5 3
The Open Championship 5 3 1 10 18 23 30 26
PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 5 3 1 12 20 30 43 35
  • 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

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Wins (1)

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Year Championship Winning score Margin Runner-up
1984a General 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

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Amateur

Professional

See also

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References

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  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. ^ Blake, Martin (20 June 2018). "Golf loses a legend in Peter Thomson". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  4. ^ Mason, Peter (20 June 2018). "Peter Thomson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  5. ^ Australia list: "No. 40961". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1956. p. 44.
  6. ^ Thomson, Peter William MBE, It's an Honour, 1 January 1957.
  7. ^ Thomson, Peter William CBE, It's an Honour, 31 December 1979.
  8. ^ "Peter Thomson". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Peter Thomson Trophy". Sandbelt website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  10. ^ Thomson, Peter William, It's an Honour, 1 January 2001.
  11. ^ "The Queen's Birthday 2001 Honours". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Special (National : 1977 - 2012). 11 June 2001. p. 1. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  12. ^ Thomson, Peter William AO, It's an Honour, 11 June 2001.
  13. ^ "Victorian Golf Industry Hall of Fame". Golf Victoria website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  14. ^ "PGA of Australia mourns the loss of inaugural Immortal". PGA of Australia website. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Thomson Beats Locke". Singapore Free Press. 20 February 1952.
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