Tom McNamara (golfer)
| Tom McNamara | |
|---|---|
 McNamara at the 1915 U.S. Open | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Thomas Lawrence McNamara, Sr. |
| Nickname | Tommy Mac |
| Born | November 18, 1882 Brookline, Massachusetts |
| Died | July 21, 1939 (aged 56) Mount Vernon, New York |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Spouse | Mary Ellen Jones |
| Children | 7 |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Professional wins | 7 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Other | 6 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T9: 1919 |
| U.S. Open | 2nd: 1909, 1912, 1915 |
| The Open Championship | 25th: 1913 |
Thomas Lawrence McNamara, Sr. (November 18, 1882 – July 21, 1939)[1] was an American professional golfer.
Early life
[edit]McNamara was born in Brookline, Massachusetts to an immigrant Irish family.[1] His parents were Thomas McNamara (1841–1909) and Mariah McNamara née Curry (1851–1940).[2]
Professional career
[edit]McNamara was the head professional at Wollaston Golf Club. During the 1909 U.S. Open, McNamara became the first man ever to break 70 in a competitive American tournament.[3] McNamara held a three-stroke lead in the 1909 U.S. Open heading to the back nine.[3] Due to the extremely hot temperatures, McNamara suffered a heatstroke on the 14th hole. After doctors treated him, he insisted on finishing the tournament. He succeeded in finishing, but his game collapsed down the stretch and finished second.[3]
The following year, 1910, he served as the head golf professional at the Fall River Country Club in Fall River, Massachusetts. McNamara was considered one of American's best homegrown professionals during the early twentieth century. He was head professional at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York. He proposed the idea of a national tournament to his boss, Rodman Wanamaker. McNamara was the manager of the golf department in Wanamaker's New York City department store.[4][circular reference] Thus came the PGA Championship, first played in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club.[5]
Personal life
[edit]McNamara and his wife Mary had seven children.[2]
McNamara died, from coronary thrombosis,[2] at his home in Mount Vernon, New York on July 21, 1939.[1]
Tournament wins
[edit]this list may be incomplete
PGA Tour wins (1)
[edit]- 1915 Western Open
Source:[6]
Other wins (6)
[edit]- 1912 North and South Open, Metropolitan Open[7]
- 1913 North and South Open, Massachusetts Open[8]
- 1914 Philadelphia Open Championship
- 1915 Philadelphia Open Championship
Results in major championships
[edit]| Tournament | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | 39 | CUT | T20 | 14 | T10 | 2 | T5 | T29 | 2 | T16 | T13 | 2 | T15 | NT | NT | T3 | ||||
| The Open Championship | 25 | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | ||||||||||||||
| PGA Championship | NYF | R32 | NT | NT | R16 | R64 | ||||||||||||||
Note: The Masters Tournament was not founded until 1934.
NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16 = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
[edit]- France–United States Professional Match (representing the United States): 1913
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Stevens, Peter F. (March 28, 2008). Hidden History of the Boston Irish. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. pp. 117–9. ISBN 978-1-59629-450-9. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ a b c "McNamara Ancestry". Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c Frost, Mark (2002). The Greatest Game Ever Played. New York, New York: Hyperion. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-7868-6920-8.
- ^ "Tom Kerrigan Passport". ancestry.com. United States of America. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
- ^ Memorable Moments in the PGA Championship
- ^ "Tom McNamara". PGA Tour. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ "Tom McNamara Wins Metropolitan Championship". Fitchburg Daily Sentinel. July 12, 1912. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ^ "Playoff Won by McNamara". The Boston Globe. May 23, 1913. Retrieved April 27, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
