John George Goodman (December 28, 1909 – August 8, 1970) was the last amateur golfer to win the U.S. Open, 91 years ago in 1933,[3][4] and also won the U.S. Amateur in 1937.[5][6][7]
| Johnny Goodman | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | John George Goodman |
| Born | December 28, 1909 South Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 1970 (aged 60) South Gate, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Spouse | Josephine A. Kersigo[1][2] Goodman (1910–2002) (m. 1938–1970) |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1960 |
| Professional wins | 1 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 2) | |
| Masters Tournament | 43rd: 1936 |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | Won: 1933 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Amateur | Won: 1937 |
| British Amateur | T9: 1934 |
Early life
editBorn to Lithuanian immigrants in South Omaha, Nebraska,[8][9] Goodman was orphaned at the age of 14. His mother died when he was 11,[10] after giving birth to her 13th child, and his father later abandoned the family. Goodman became a caddie at the Field Club in Omaha,[9] and while a student at Omaha South High School,[11] he won the Omaha city championship in 1925.
Golf career
editIn 1929, he won the first of three consecutive Nebraska Amateur titles. He won the Trans-Mississippi Amateur three times (1927, 1931, and 1935). He gained national notoriety at age 19 in 1929 when he defeated Bobby Jones in the first round of match play competition at the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach.[12]
Goodman served in the U.S. Army during World War II,[13] and did not turn professional until 1960; he supported himself throughout his career by selling insurance.[14] A municipal golf course in Omaha is named for him.[15][16]
Tournament wins (60)
edit- this list may be incomplete
- 1925 Omaha Caddie Championship, Omaha Metropolitan Golf Championship
- 1927 Trans-Mississippi Amateur
- 1929 Nebraska Amateur
- 1930 Nebraska Amateur
- 1931 Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Nebraska Amateur
- 1933 U.S. Open
- 1935 Trans-Mississippi Amateur
- 1936 Mexican Amateur, Arcola Country Club Invitational
- 1937 U.S. Amateur, Mexican Amateur
- 1939 Arcola Country Club Invitational
Major championships
editWins (1)
edit| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | U.S. Open | 6 shot lead | −1 (75-66-70-76=287) | 1 stroke |  Ralph Guldahl
|
Amateur wins (1)
edit| Year | Championship | Winning score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | U.S. Amateur | 2 up | Ray Billows
|
Results timeline
edit| Tournament | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | T45 | ||
| U.S. Amateur | DNQ | R16 | |
| British Amateur |
| Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | 43 | |||||
| U.S. Open | T11 | T14 LA | 1 LA | T43 | T36 | T22 | 8 LA | CUT | ||
| U.S. Amateur | R32 | R32 | 2 | R32 | R128 | SF | SF | 1 | QF | R32 |
| British Amateur | R16 | R32 |
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | NT | NT | NT | |||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | NT | NT | NT | NT | CUT | |
| U.S. Amateur | DNQ | R64 | NT | NT | NT | NT | DNQ | R32 |
| British Amateur | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
Note: Goodman never played in The Open Championship or the PGA Championship.
LA = low amateur
NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = did not qualify for match play portion
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1934 British Amateur: Reading Eagle, May 24, 1934, pg. 17.
Source for 1936 Masters: www.masters.com
Source for 1938 British Amateur: Time Magazine, June 6, 1938
U.S. national team appearances
editAmateur
- Walker Cup: 1934 (winners), 1936 (winners), 1938
References
edit- ^ "Sports in brief". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. June 29, 1938. p. 1.
- ^ "Amateur golf king weds". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. June 28, 1938. p. 1, sports.
- ^ Sixty, Billy (June 11, 1933). "Goodman wins golf title by one stroke with 287". Milwaukee Journal. p. 1, sports.
- ^ "Johnny Goodman takes Open crown shooting near record golf in field of pro artists". Palm Beach Post. Florida. Associated Press. June 11, 1933. p. 2.
- ^ "Johnny Goodman wins national amateur golf crown". Palm Beach Post. Florida. Associated Press. August 29, 1937. p. 6.
- ^ "Johnny Goodman worthy successor to Jones as leading amateur golfer". Lewiston Daily Sun. Maine. September 29, 1937. p. 8.
- ^ Rice, Grantland (June 10, 1933). "A brave, bold finish and a stout heart explains Goodman's play". Milwaukee Journal. p. 8.
- ^ "Goodman, from poor boy to throne, finds fame as Open champ". The Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. NEA. June 30, 1933. p. 5A.
- ^ a b Smith, Chester L. (September 8, 1938). "Goodman close to being world's no. 1 amateur". Pittsburgh Press. p. 21.
- ^ "He used to caddy, play with borrowed sticks, ride the cattle cars, but now look at Johnny Goodman". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. June 11, 1933. p. 1, sports.
- ^ ""Hobo of Links" rises to fame". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. September 8, 1929. p. 4, sports.
- ^ "Bobby Jones is eliminated by smart play of young Omaha star, John Goodman". Sarasota Herald. Florida. Associated Press. September 5, 1929. p. 6.
- ^ "Golf pays dividends, says John Goodman". Milwaukee Journal. (final). October 15, 1943. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ Sixty, Billy (September 8, 1937). "Golf has been good to Johnny Goodman". Milwaukee Journal. p. 3, part 2.
- ^ "Johnny Goodman Golf Course". Golfing Nebraska. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
- ^ "Golf courses". City of Omaha Parks. Retrieved June 29, 2015.