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Tommy Bolt

Thomas Henry Bolt (March 31, 1916 – August 30, 2008) was an American professional golfer. He did not join the PGA Tour until he was in his thirties, but he went on to win 15 PGA Tour titles, including the 1958 U.S. Open. He played in the Ryder Cup in 1955 and 1957.

Early life

Bolt was born in Haworth, Oklahoma. He served in the United States Army during World War II and turned professional in 1946. He worked as a caddie and club professional in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Professional career

Bolt was the fifth PGA Tour player to shoot a round of 60 when he did it in the second round of the 1954 Insurance City Open at the par-71 Wethersfield Country Club, outside Hartford, Connecticut.[1] Previously, Al Brosch, Wally Ulrich, Ted Kroll and Bill Nary had also scored 60.[1] Bolt had 11 birdies in his round and had a putt for a 59, but missed a 15-foot putt for birdie on the 18th green.[1] Bolt had scored 71 in his first round and followed with rounds of 69 and 71 over his final 36 holes.[2] Bolt tied with Earl Stewart, but won an 18-hole playoff the following day.[3]

Bolt was a member of the United States Ryder Cup teams in 1955 and 1957. In 1955, at Thunderbird Country Club in California, he won his two matches, including a singles victory over Christy O'Connor Snr. In the 1957 match at Lindrick Golf Club in England he won his foursomes match but lost to Eric Brown in the singles.

Bolt's fiery disposition earned him the nickname "Thunder" and "Terrible Tommy". He was known to break clubs during rounds, and his penchant for throwing clubs led to the adoption of a rule prohibiting such behavior. In his later years, he admitted that a lot of his on-course eruptions were merely showmanship and that he felt they had detracted from his playing.

Bolt was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002. He was also elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 2002.[4]

Death

Bolt died in Cherokee Village, Arkansas at the age of 92.[5] He is interred at Evening Shade Cemetery in Evening Shade, Arkansas.

Professional wins (20)

PGA Tour wins (15)

PGA Tour playoff record (4–2)

Senior wins (5)

Sources:[23]

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

Note: Bolt never played in The Open Championship.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

U.S. national team appearances

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Bolt Scores Record-Tying 60 In Insurance Open". Youngstown Vindicator. June 26, 1954. p. 7.
  2. ^ a b "Tommy Bolt; Stewart Tie". Youngstown Vindicator. June 28, 1954. p. 9.
  3. ^ a b "Bolt Captures Insurance City Open Playoff; Stewart Concedes on Last Hole". Youngstown Vindicator. June 29, 1954. p. 15.
  4. ^ "ASHOF Inductee Profiles" (PDF).
  5. ^ Litsky, Frank; Weber, Bruce (September 4, 2008). "Tommy Bolt, a Top Golfer Who Was Known Better for His Temper, Dies at 92". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "American veteran wins seniors title with 1-over-par round". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. October 16, 1978. p. 18. Retrieved February 11, 2020 – via Trove.
  7. ^ "Tommy Bolt wins North and South golf tournament". Wilmington Morning Star. (North Carolina). Associated Press. November 12, 1951. p. 5.
  8. ^ "Three Gain Golf Playoff". Youngstown Vindicator. January 8, 1952. p. 11.
  9. ^ "Bolt Takes Open In Play-off Duel". The Spokesman-Review. January 9, 1952. p. 13.
  10. ^ "Bolt Captures San Diego Golf Tourney With 274; Tops Ford By Three Strokes". Youngstown Vindicator. January 19, 1953. p. 9.
  11. ^ "Tommy Bolt Clips 15 Strokes Off Par With 265 to Capture Tucson Tourney". Youngstown Vindicator. February 2, 1953. p. 11.
  12. ^ "Mayer Sinks Long Putt to Gain Victory". Youngstown Vindicator. March 22, 1954. p. 12.
  13. ^ Howell, Fritz (September 6, 1954). "Tommy Bolt wins Rubber City Open". Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. p. 12.
  14. ^ "Bolt Takes San Diego Golf Title". Youngstown Vindicator. January 24, 1955. p. 9.
  15. ^ "Tommy Bolt Stages Rally; Wins Tucson Open With 266". Youngstown Vindicator. February 14, 1955. p. 9.
  16. ^ "Bolt Overhauls Barber to Capture St. Paul Open With 19-Under-Par 269". Youngstown Vindicator. July 11, 1955. p. 9.
  17. ^ "Bolt Captures Eastern Open". Youngstown Vindicator. July 29, 1957. p. 10.
  18. ^ "Tommy Bolt Golf Winner". Youngstown Vindicator. May 5, 1958. p. 13.
  19. ^ Drum, Bob (June 15, 1958). "Tom Bolt wraps up Open title with 283". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1, sec. 4.
  20. ^ "Bolt Gets 67; Three in Tie". The Spokesman-Review. June 6, 1960. p. 11.
  21. ^ "Bolt Wins In Playoff". Youngstown Vindicator. June 7, 1960. p. 21.
  22. ^ "Bolt Wins Golf Meet". Youngstown Vindicator. March 13, 1961. p. 15.
  23. ^ [7][8][9][10][11][12][2][3][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

External links