Tommy Armour
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Tommy Armour (September 24, 1894 in Edinburgh, Scotland - September 12, 1968) was a British-born professional golfer. He was nicknamed the "Silver Scot"
During his service in the World War I he rose from a private to Staff Major in the Tank Corps. His conduct earned him an audience with George V. However, he lost his sight to a mustard gas explosion and surgeons had to add a metal plate to his head and left arm. During his convalescence, he regained the sight of his right eye and took to golfing.
Armour won the French Amateur tournament in 1920. He moved to USA and met Walter Hagen, who gave him a job as secretary of the Westchester-Biltmore Club. On 1924 Armour became a professional golfer.
Armour won the 1927 US Open, 1930 PGA Championship, and the 1931 British Open. His 1930 campaign was overshadowed by Bobby Jones' Grand Slam, and Armour seems to have been overlooked.
Armour retired from major competitions after 1935 and begun to teach at the Boca Raton Club in Florida, with $50 a lesson. His pupils included Didrikson Zaharias and Lawson Little. He watched the pupil to hit 20 balls, gave a sharp analysis and made him hit 20 more, with more analysis.
During World War II, Armour played in exhibitions for USO and Red Cross.
Armour cowrote a book How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time (1952) with Herb Graffis. It became a best seller and for many years was the biggest-selling book ever authored on golf.
F ollowing his passing in 1968, Tommy Armour was interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. Some modern golf equipment is still marketed in his name.
See also
Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
External links
- Biography of Tommy Armour (http://www.lothianburngc.co.uk/armour.php)