Peter William Thomson (23 August 1929 – 20 June 2018) was an Australian professional golfer, often cited as the greatest and most successful golfer in Australian golf history. In the late 1940s, Thomson turned professional and immediately had success on the Australasian circuits, then posted his first international win at the 1950 New Zealand Open followed by the 1951 Australian Open.
From the time he turned professional in 1949, Thomson won at least one tournament every year for the next 20 years, including 27 'National Opens'. Thomson won professional championships in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Philippines, England, Scotland, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Canada, India, Hong Kong and the United States. In the United Kingdom, Thomson had extraordinary success, winning dozens of tournaments on the British PGA circuit, including the Open Championship five times.
As a senior, Thomson continued with success, winning 11 times on the Senior PGA Tour in the United States, including a record nine times in one season, 1985, a record he holds with Hale Irwin.
Contents
Early life
Thomson was born in Brunswick, a northern suburb of Melbourne, Australia.
Professional career
Thomson's Open Championship wins came in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, and 1965. He was the only man to win the tournament for three consecutive years in the 20th century.
Thomson was a prolific tournament champion around the world, winning the national championships of ten countries, including the New Zealand Open nine times.
He competed on the American PGA Tour from 1953 to 1957, playing 74 events and only missing 3 cuts (all in 1954).
With one win, several runner-up finishes and over a dozen top-10 finishes, Thomson decided he preferred the 'tour' (and the golf courses) in the UK/Europe and chose to travel from Australia to play his summer season in the UK, rather than the US from 1958 onward.
His best year in the US was in 1956, playing in just eight events, he won the Texas International Open, and achieved his best finish in one of the three majors staged in the United States (fourth at the U.S. Open), to finish ninth on the money list.
In the era that Thomson won his first four Open Championships, few of the leading professionals from the United States travelled to Britain to play in that event. At that time, the prize money in the Open was insufficient for an American to cover their expenses. However, Thomson demonstrated with his win in 1965 that he could beat a field of the world's best players, as that victory came against a field that included Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tony Lema, three of the top four American golfers from the 1964 money list. Peter Thomson put on a ball-striking clinic at Royal Birkdale in 1965, where, in the final 18 holes he took 71 shots that included 35 putts.
Thomson continued on his winning ways, after his historic fifth British Open victory at Royal Birkdale in 1965, hoisting championship trophies in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand and several more victories in the UK before a wrist injury in 1975, in Bangkok, slowed his performance. Thomson had slept in cold air-conditioned comfort the night previous, sprung out of bed and hastily made his way to his tee time. The first shot he hit was a driver off the first tee and he said "I heard the tendon in my left wrist snap - it went off like a rubber band." He withdrew from that championship on the 1st hole, rested the wrist for 3 weeks and then damaged it further by returning to golf too soon. In his own words "truthfully the left wrist has never been any good since."
Personal life
On June 1, 1960, Thomson was married to Mary Kelly of Melbourne, Australia. The wedding took place in London, England.
Thomson died in Melbourne on 20 June 2018 after a four-year battle with Parkinson's disease, at the age of 88.
Awards and honors
In 1955, he was selected as ABC Sportsman of the Year.
In 1957, he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of his services to Australia in the sporting and international sphere.
In 1979, appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for service to the sport of golf.
Thomson was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985.
Thomson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988.
In 1997, The Peter Thomson Trophy, an annual contested between the eight Melbourne Sandbelt golf clubs, was inaugurated.
In 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal.
In 2001, he was elected an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
In 2011, he was inducted into the Victorian Golf Industry Hall of Fame.
In 2016, he was inducted as inaugural Immortal of the PGA of Australia.
Amateur wins
1947 Australasian Foursomes Shield (with Dick Payne)
1948 Victorian Amateur Championship
Professional wins (105)
PGA Tour wins (6)
PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)
PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)
PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (1–0)
Other Japan wins (5)
1969 Chunichi Crowns
1971 Dunlop Tournament, Wizard Tournament
1972 Chunichi Crowns, Pepsi Tournament
Asia Golf Circuit wins (5)
Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (2–0)
Other Asian wins (3)
1960 Hong Kong Open
1964 Indian Open
1966 Indian Open
Other Australian wins (24)
1949 Victorian Close Championship
1951 Australian Open, Victorian Close Championship
1952 Victorian PGA Championship, Mobilco Tournament
1953 Victorian PGA Championship
1954 Ampol Tournament (Nov)
1955 Wiseman's Tournament, Pelaco Tournament, Speedo Tournament
1956 Pelaco Tournament
1958 Victorian Open, Pelaco Tournament
1959 Pelaco Tournament, Coles Tournament
1960 Wills Classic
1961 Adelaide Advertiser Tournament, New South Wales Open
1963 Lakes Open
1967 Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open
1968 South Australian Open, Victorian Open
1972 Australian Open
Other New Zealand wins (10)
1950 New Zealand Open
1951 New Zealand Open
1953 New Zealand Open, New Zealand PGA Championship
1955 New Zealand Open, Caltex Tournament
1959 New Zealand Open, Caltex Tournament
1960 New Zealand Open
1961 New Zealand Open
Other wins (3)
1952 Mills Round Robin (South Africa)
1954 Canada Cup (with Kel Nagle)
1959 Canada Cup (with Kel Nagle)
Senior PGA Tour wins (11)
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
Major championships
Wins (5)
1Defeated Dave Thomas in 36-hole playoff; Thomson (139), Thomas (143)
Results timeline
Note: Thomson never played in the PGA Championship.
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1975 and 1984 Open Championships)
DQ = disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1954 Open Championship – 1958 Open Championship)
Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1955 Open Championship – 1957 Masters)
Champions Tour major championships
Wins (1)
a This was the December edition of the tournament.
Team appearances
Amateur
Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing Victoria): 1948 (winners)
Professional
World Cup (representing Australia): 1953, 1954 (winners), 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959 (winners), 1960, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1969
Lakes International Cup (representing Australia): 1952
Slazenger Trophy (representing British Commonwealth and Empire): 1956
Presidents Cup (representing International): 1996 (non-playing captain), 1998 (non-playing captain, winners), 2000 (non-playing captain)
Hopkins Trophy (representing Canada): 1952
Vicars Shield (representing Victoria): 1951 (winners), 1952 (winners), 1953 (winners)