Johnny Golden
| Johnny Golden | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | John Golden |
| Born | April 2, 1896 Tuxedo, New York |
| Died | January 27, 1936 (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.[1] His two other Ryder Cup match wins came with Walter Hagen as his teammate, winning foursomes in 1927[1] and in 1929, at Moortown Golf Club near Leeds, England.[2]
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.[3]
Legacy
Golden died at age 39 in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1936 from pneumonia[4] after the hospital admitted him on January 24. He was elected to the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame in 2000.[5]
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 | T25 | T18 | T32 | T7 | 35 | T32 | |
| The Open Championship | T13 | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | QF | SF | R16 | 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 | ||||||
| PGA Championship | R32 | R16 | R16 | QF | R64 |
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
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
References
- ^ a b "1927 Worcester Country Club, Worcester, Massachusetts". Ryder Cup. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ "1929 Moortown Golf Club, Leeds, England". Ryder Cup. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ "Von Elm is Beatn in Caliente Playoff". Akron Beacon Journal. Associated Press. January 19, 1931. p. 16.
- ^ "Johnny Golden, golf pro, succumbs to pneumonia". St. Joseph Gazette. Associated Press. January 28, 1936. p. 6. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ "Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame - Inductees Prior to 2009". Connecticut State Golf Association. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
Johnny Golden in the Ryder Cup | |||||||||||||||||
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