Harry Hampton (golfer)

Harry Hampton (March 21, 1889 – May 5, 1965) was a Scottish-American professional golfer. His best finish in a major championship was a tie for third place in the 1920 PGA Championship when he met Jock Hutchison (the eventual winner of the tournament) in a semi-final match and lost 4 and 3. He finished T7 in the 1927 U.S. Open and won seven tournaments during his professional playing career. Hampton was a good iron player and made 16 holes-in-one in his lifetime.

Harry Hampton
Hampton, c. 1921
Personal information
Born(1889-03-21)March 21, 1889
Montrose, Scotland
DiedMay 5, 1965(1965-05-05) (aged 76)
Santa Monica, California
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight183 lb (83 kg; 13.1 st)
Sporting nationality Scotland
 United States
Spouse
Victoria Mary Harding
(m. 1911)
Children4
Career
Turned professionalc. 1908
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins7
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour2[1]
Other5
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipT3: 1920
U.S. OpenT7: 1927
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Early life

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Hampton was born on March 21, 1889, in Montrose, Scotland.[2] He emigrated to the United States in 1910.

Golf career

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Hampton was described as a good ball striker, however his putting was adversely affected by poor vision in one eye.[2][3] Hampton served as professional at a number of clubs in Massachusetts and was also posted at clubs in South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Canada.[2]

In May 1921, Hampton's eleven American teammates boarded the RMS Aquitania at New York and sailed to Southampton from where they traveled by train to Gleneagles at Perthshire, Scotland, where the forerunner to the Ryder Cup, the "International Challenge", would be played beginning on June 6, 1921.[4] Hampton, even though he was selected for the team, for reasons unknown decided at the last moment that he would not make the trip. The likely reason was that he was not an American citizen. In order to become a team member it was required that all players be either U.S. born or naturalized American citizens. Hampton wasn't naturalized until 1955.[5][6][7] The American team, captained by Emmett French, was taken to the woodshed for a 10½ to 4½ beating.[8]

Personal

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On November 10, 1911, he married Victoria Mary Harding (1887–1973) in Canada. He became a U.S. citizen in 1955.[7]

Death

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Hampton died in Santa Monica, California, on May 5, 1965.

Tournament wins (7)

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PGA Tour wins (2)

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  • 1922 Pinehurst Amateur-Pro Best-Ball
  • 1926 Southeastern PGA Championship[9][2]

Other wins (5)

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  • 1911 Nova Scotia Open[2]
  • Jacksonville Open
  • 1923 Michigan Open[2]
  • Miami Open
  • 1930 Illinois PGA Senior Championship[10]

Results in major championships

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Tournament 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937
U.S. Open T41 NT NT NT T11 22 T22 T19 T49 WD T20 T27 T7 T25 T38 57 CUT
PGA Championship NYF NT NT R16 SF R32 R16 R32 QF

Note: Hampton never played in the Masters Tournament or The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Sources:[11][12]

References

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  1. ^ Barkow, Al (November 1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Copyright PGA Tour. Doubleday. pp. 236–37, 249. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Clubmakers: Harry Hampton, Detroit/Chicago etc". dmcsoft.com. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  3. ^ Trenham, Peter C. "A Chronicle of the Philadelphia Section PGA and its Members: The Leaders and The Legends – 1922 to 1929" (PDF). Philadelphia PGA. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  4. ^ "6 June 1921: A Famous Date in Gleneagles' Golfing History". Gleneagles.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  5. ^ "Gleneagles is the 'Spiritual Home' of the Ryder Cup". Scotsman.com. September 22, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  6. ^ "Golf Stars Leave for British Links" (PDF). The New York Times. May 25, 1921. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California". May 3, 1955 – via Ancestry.com. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  8. ^ Trenham, Peter C. "A Chronicle of the Philadelphia Section PGA and Golf in the Philadelphia Area: The Southeastern Section of the PGA – 1916 to 1921". Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  9. ^ "Hampton New Southeastern Golf Champ". The Anniston Star. Alabama. June 25, 1926. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Barry, Howard (May 27, 1930). "Harry Hampton Wins Pro Senior Crown With 76". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 23. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  11. ^ "Harry Hampton". GolfMajorChampionships.com. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  12. ^ Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.