Johnny Golden

Johnny Golden
Personal information
Full name	John Golden
Born	(1896-04-02)April 2, 1896 Tuxedo, New York
Died	January 27, 1936(1936-01-27) (aged 39) Stamford, Connecticut
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
Turned professional	1924
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	10
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	9
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T21: 1934
PGA Championship	T3: 1922, 1926, 1927
U.S. Open	5th: 1930
The Open Championship	T13: 1929

Johnny Golden (April 2, 1896 – January 27, 1936) was an American professional golfer.

Career

Born in Tuxedo, New York, Golden won nine times on the PGA Tour in the 1920s and 1930s. He played on the first two Ryder Cup teams in 1927 and 1929, compiling a perfect 3-0-0 record, with an 8 & 7 rout of Herbert Jolly in singles in 1927 at Worcester Country Club. His two other Ryder Cup match wins came with Walter Hagen as his teammate, winning foursomes in 1927 and in 1929, at Moortown Golf Club near Leeds, England.

Golden turned professional in 1915 and was an assistant pro and later head pro at the Tuxedo Club until 1929 when he took the head job at North Jersey Country Club in Paterson, New Jersey. During his time at the Tuxedo Club, he was a three-time semifinalist in the PGA Championship. In 1922, he lost to Emmet French. In 1926, he dropped a semifinal match to Leo Diegel, and the following year he lost in the semis to Joe Turnesa. Golden remained in Paterson for just a year, leaving for the head professional job at Wee Burn Country Club near Darien, Connecticut. While serving as the pro at Wee Burn, Golden won four consecutive Connecticut Open titles (1932–35), with the 1932, 1933 and 1935 events part of the official PGA schedule. His most lucrative win came in 1931, at the Agua Caliente Open in Mexico. Golden finished regulation tied with George Von Elm at 293. The duo agreed prior to the playoff to split first- and second-prize money, a common practice, with each player pocketing $6,750. Golden went on to win the playoff. Without the agreement, he would have won $10,000.

Legacy

Golden died at age 39 in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1936 from pneumonia after the hospital admitted him on January 24. He was elected to the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame in 2000.

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (9)

• 1927 (1) New Jersey Open
• 1928 (1) New Jersey Open
• 1929 (2) La Jolla Open, New Jersey Open
• 1931 (1) Agua Caliente Open
• 1932 (2) North and South Open, Connecticut Open
• 1933 (1) Connecticut Open
• 1935 (1) Connecticut Open

Other wins

this list may be incomplete

• 1934 Connecticut Open

Results in major championships

Tournament	1920	1921	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929
U.S. Open	T17	T22	T8	DNP	T25	T18	T32	T7	35	T32
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	T13
PGA Championship	DNP	QF	SF	R16	DNP	R16	SF	SF	R32	R32

Tournament	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935
Masters Tournament	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	T21	T35
U.S. Open	5	T27	T35	T21	T17	61
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	R32	R16	R16	QF	DNP	R64

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
DNP = Did not play
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	2
U.S. Open	0	0	0	1	3	9	15	15
The Open Championship	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
PGA Championship	0	0	3	5	9	12	13	13
Totals	0	0	3	6	12	23	31	31

• Most consecutive cuts made – 31 (all)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1921 PGA – 1923 PGA)

See also

• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins