Bob Hamilton

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 nameRobert T. Hamilton
Born(1916-01-10)January 10, 1916
Evansville, Indiana
DiedDecember 6, 1990(1990-12-06) (aged 74)
Evansville, Indiana
Nationality United States
Career
StatusProfessional
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins10
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour5
Other5
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters Tournament3rd: 1946
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1944
U.S. OpenT29: 1947
The Open ChampionshipDNP

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)

This list may be incomplete

  • 1934 IHSAA Boys State Champion[3]
  • 1936 Indiana Amateur

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (5)

Legend
Major championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (4)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin 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.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1949 Miami Open Fred Haas Lost 18-hole playoff;
Haas: −1 (69),
Hamilton: +1 (71)

Other wins (5)

This list may be incomplete

Major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionshipWinning scoreRunner-up
1944PGA Championship1 up Byron Nelson

Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958

Results timeline

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.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

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

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00122487
U.S. Open00000043
The Open Championship00000000
PGA Championship1012261110
Totals10244102320
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1941 U.S. Open – 1949 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1952 PGA – 1953 Masters)

See also

References

  1. "Fort Lewis Golf Course". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  2. Kelley, Brent. ""Age-Shooter" Records in Golf". About.com. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  3. "State Finals Preview: Prairie View Hosts Boys Golf Championships" (PDF). IHSAA. June 13, 2015.
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