top 50 amateurs of all time Archives - Silver Club Golfing Society

#36 – H.J. Whigham

Steve Scott — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 11:00:53 +0000

Henry James Whigham (24 December 1869 – 17 March 1954) was born in Tarbolton, Scotland, and was a Scottish writer and amateur golfer. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1896 and 1897. Following his first win in the U.S. Amateur, he wrote a golf instruction book. In 1896 he finished fifth in the U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, New York.

Whigham was one of six brothers and four sisters. His sisters Molly and Sybil Whigham also played golf, and did so very well. In 1893, Whigham traveled to America and demonstrated golf at the Chicago World’s Fair. The demonstration was organized by famed golf course architect Charles B. (C.B.) Macdonald, who was acquainted with Whigham’s father, David Dundas, while they were students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Whigham would go on to become Macdonald’s son-in-law, marrying his daughter Frances. They had a daughter, Sybil. Whigham learned the game under his instructors Willie Campbell and Joe Lloyd.

The post #36 – H.J. Whigham appeared first on Silver Club Golfing Society.

#37 – Ivo Whitton

Steve Scott — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 11:00:25 +0000

Ivo Whitton was an Australian amateur golfer, who , besides Greg Norman, is the only Australian to have won the Australian Open five times (1912, 1913, 1926, 1929 and 1931).

Whitton took up golfing at the age of 14, joining his father in the Caulfield Golf Club (later the Metropolitan Golf Club) the next year, and winning the club championships three times. In 1911, he began working at a wool broking firm which allowed him time off to play golf during the off-season. In 1912, he competed at The Amateur Championship in the United Kingdom, returning to England during World War I to serve with the Royal Garrison Artillery after being rejected by the Australian Imperial Force.

In 1912, Whitton won his first Australian Open championship, and went on to win four more in 1913, 1926, 1929 and 1931. He also won the Australian Amateur twice, the Victorian Amateur five times, the New South Wales Amateur and the Queensland Amateur and Open.

In 1920, Whitton won the Helms Award as the most outstanding Australasian athlete. He returned to the wool industry as a wool appraiser for the Australian government, but ended up as a general manager for the Spalding sporting goods company.

The Victorian Golf Association created the Ivo Whitton Trophy in 1960 for the lowest stroke average in certain tournaments held each year. Whitton himself presented the award to the first champion, Kevin Hartley, who went on to win it a eleven more times. In addition, the Royal Melbourne Golf Club established the Ivo Whitton Cup in Whitton’s memory. One of the streets in Kambah, a suburb of Canberra, is named Ivo Whitton Circuit.

A group of local Melbourne golfers regularly play-off in a 9-hole stroke play event for the Ivo Whitton Trophy to honour his memory.

The post #37 – Ivo Whitton appeared first on Silver Club Golfing Society.

#38 – Nathan Smith

Steve Scott — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 11:00:50 +0000

Pittsburgh native Nathan Smith has had one of the best amateur careers of modern times. Smith has won the U.S. Mid-Amateur four times in a span from 2003 to 2012, the 2011 Sunnehanna Amateur, the 2002 and 2009 Pennsylvania Amateur, the West Penn Amateur four times (2007–10), and the R. Jay Sigel Match Play three times (2011, 2013, 2015). With his partner Todd White, he also won the inaugural U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at the famed Olympic Club in 2015. To cap it off, Smith played in three consecutive Walker Cup matches representing the Unites States in 2009, 2011 and 2013.

Smith, who balances his golf game and his day job of a financial adviser, has played in five major championships, including four Masters Tournaments and one U.S. Open, but unfortunately missed the cut in each of them. He did come within one shot of making the cut at the 2004 Masters Tournament, but if it was any consolation, had the great fortune of being paired for the first two rounds with the legend Arnold Palmer.

The post #38 – Nathan Smith appeared first on Silver Club Golfing Society.

#39 – Robert A. Gardner

Steve Scott — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 11:00:26 +0000

Robert Gardner, a sophomore at Yale won the 1909 USGA Amateur tournament over Chandler Egan at the Chicago Golf Club. He was 19 years, 5 months, at the time of his victory the youngest champion ever. His record stood for an amazing 85 years until Tiger Woods won his first of three Amateurs at age 18 years, 8 months at the TPC at Sawgrass. Gardner made the finals of the U.S. Amateur three more times, winning in 1915 and losing in 1916 & 1921. Unfortunately, he made it to two other important final matches but did not emerge victorious; the 1911 @westernamateur and the 1920 British Amateur.

Golf was not the only sport Gardner excelled at. On June 1, 1912, at an intercollegiate track and field competition in Philadelphia, he set the world pole vault record at 13 feet 1 inch (3.99 m), Gardner also was a racquets national champion. He and Howard Linn won the national doubles racquets championship in 1926 and 1929.

The post #39 – Robert A. Gardner appeared first on Silver Club Golfing Society.

#40 – Scott Verplank

Steve Scott — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 11:00:59 +0000

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Verplank was a leading member of the W.T. White High School golf team and a regular at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas. He graduated from high school in 1982 and attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. At OSU, he was a member of the 1983 NCAA Championship team, finishing T3 alongside teammates Tommy Moore, Willie Wood, Andy Dillard, and Philip Walton. He went on later to win the 1984 U.S. Amateur at the Oak Tree Golf Club, and in 1986, win the NCAA individual title.

Prior to his senior year at Oklahoma State, Veplank won the Western Open outside Chicago in August 1985; it was the first victory by an amateur on the PGA Tour in 29 years (Doug Sanders, 1956 Canadian Open). He defeated Jim Thorpe on the second extra hole of a playoff for the win at Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook, Illinois. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Verplank)

The post #40 – Scott Verplank appeared first on Silver Club Golfing Society.

#41 – Steve Melnyk

Steve Scott — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 12:00:47 +0000

Melnyk attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Buster Bishop’s Florida Gators men’s golf team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1967 to 1969. He was a two-time All-American at Florida, and was the number one golfer on the 1968 team that won their first NCAA Division I Golf Championship. Melnyk graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in industrial management in 1969. Melnyk won the 1969 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont Country Club, shooting a 2-over-par 286 to beat Vinny Giles by five shots at stroke play. He claimed the British Amateur with a 3 & 2 victory over fellow American Jim Simons at Carnoustie Golf Links in 1970. Melnyk also had wins at the Western Amateur and Eastern Amateur and played on the 1969 and 1971 Walker Cup teams. He won the 1965 Georgia Open as an amateur. He was low amateur in the 1970 British Open (tie for 41st) and at the 1971 Masters Tournament (tie for 24th). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Melnyk

The post #41 – Steve Melnyk appeared first on Silver Club Golfing Society.

#42 – Marvin Harvey “Bud” Ward

Steve Scott — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 12:00:35 +0000

Marvin Harvey “Bud” Ward (May 1, 1913 – January 2, 1968) was an American golfer best known for twice winning the U.S. Amateur, in 1939 and 1941.

Ward was born in Elma, Washington. He excelled as an amateur golfer, winning the U.S. Amateur twice, the Western Am three times and his home state Washington Amateur twice. He played on the Walker Cup team in 1938 and 1947. His best performance in a major came in 1939 U.S. Open when he finished one shot out of a playoff with Byron Nelson, Craig Wood, and Denny Shute.

Ward was elected to the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1979, the Pacific Northwest section of the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 1981, and the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame. Ward turned professional in 1949 and worked as a club pro until his death in 1968 from cancer. He died in San Mateo, California. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Ward

The post #42 – Marvin Harvey “Bud” Ward appeared first on Silver Club Golfing Society.

#43 – Ryan Moore

Steve Scott — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 11:00:20 +0000

In 2004, Ryan Moore had one of the best single seasons in amateur golf. We honor this outstanding feat in our Top 50 Amateurs of All Time

In 2004, he won the @USGA Amateur, the @westernamateur , the @USGA Publinx (also won in 2002) and the NCAA individual championship. The following spring in the 2005 Masters, he earned low amateur honors eventually tying for 13th!

A tremendous run for a tremendous player who has gone on to become a 5-time PGA Tour winner following his amateur success.

The post #43 – Ryan Moore appeared first on Silver Club Golfing Society.