# Peter Thomson (golfer)

Peter William Thomson AO, CBE (23 August 1929 – 20 June 2018) was an Australian professional golfer. In the late 1940s, Thomson turned pro and had much success on the Australasian circuits, culminating with a win at the 1951 Australian Open. He then moved onto the PGA Tour, playing on the circuit in 1953 and 1954, but did not have much success, failing to win. He decided to focus on Europe thereafter with extraordinary success, winning dozens of tournaments on the British PGA, including the Open Championship five times. As a senior, Thomson continued with success, winning 11 times on the Senior PGA Tour. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all-time.

## 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 PGA Tour in 1953 and 1954 with relatively little success (finishing 44th and 25th on the money list), and after that was an infrequent competitor. However, in 1956, playing in just eight events, he won the rich 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.
Thomson enjoyed a successful senior career. In 1985 he won nine times on the Senior PGA Tour in the United States, and finished top of the money list. His last tournament victory came at the 1988 British PGA Seniors Championship. He was president of the Australian PGA from 1962 to 1994 and a victorious non-playing captain of the international team in the 1998 Presidents Cup.
Thomson was active as a golf writer, contributing to The Age of Melbourne for some 50 years from the early 1950s. His local club was Victoria Golf Club. He was an honorary member of Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Thomson designed over a hundred golf courses in Australia and around the world.

## 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 (99)
### PGA Tour wins (6)

* Legend
* Major championships (5)
* Other PGA Tour (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 9 Jul 1954 | The Open Championship | −9 (72-71-69-71=283) | 1 stroke | Bobby Locke, Dai Rees, Syd Scott |
| 2 | 8 Jul 1955 | The Open Championship (2) | −7 (71-68-70-72=281) | 2 strokes | John Fallon |
| 3 | 4 Jun 1956 | Texas International Open | −13 (67-68-69-63=267) | Playoff | Gene Littler, Cary Middlecoff |
| 4 | 6 Jul 1956 | The Open Championship (3) | +2 (70-70-72-74=286) | 3 strokes | Flory Van Donck |
| 5 | 5 Jul 1958 | The Open Championship (4) | −6 (66-72-67-73=278) | Playoff | Dave Thomas |
| 6 | 9 Jul 1965 | The Open Championship (5) | −3 (74-68-72-71=285) | 2 strokes | Brian Huggett, Christy O'Connor Snr |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1956 | Texas International Open | Gene Littler, Cary Middlecoff | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1958 | The Open Championship | Dave Thomas | Won 36-hole playoff; Thomson: −3 (68-71=139), Thomas: +1 (69-74=143) |

### European Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 23 Sep 1972 | W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament | −14 (71-69-66-64=270) | 3 strokes | Peter Butler |

### PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | 23 May 1976 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament | −5 (71-72-68=211)* | Playoff | Brian Jones, Graham Marsh, Shozo Miyamoto |
*Note: The 1976 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
| 1 | 1976 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament | Brian Jones, Graham Marsh, Shozo Miyamoto | Won with par on fourteenth extra hole Jones eliminated by par on fourth hole Miyamoto eliminated by par on first hole |

### Other Japan wins (5)

* 1969 Chunichi Crowns
* 1971 Dunlop Tournament, Wizard Tournament
* 1972 Chunichi Crowns, Pepsi Tournament

### Asia Golf Circuit wins (5)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 11 Mar 1962 | Yomiuri International | −10 (72-68-64-74=278) | 8 strokes | Al Balding |
| 2 | 23 Feb 1964 | Philippine Open | −3 (74-74-69-68=285) | Playoff | Doug Sanders |
| 3 | 28 Mar 1965 | Hong Kong Open | −2 (75-66-67-70=278) | 1 stroke | Ross Newdick |
| 4 | 26 Mar 1967 | Hong Kong Open (2) | −7 (68-69-67-69=273) | Playoff | Brian Huggett |
| 5 | 4 Apr 1976 | Indian Open | −4 (74-75-69-70=288) | 1 stroke | Brian Jones |
Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1964 | Philippine Open | Doug Sanders | Won with bogey on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1967 | Hong Kong Open | Brian Huggett | Won with par on second extra hole |

### Other Asian wins (3)

* 1960 Hong Kong Open
* 1964 Indian Open
* 1966 Indian Open

### PGA Tour of Australia wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runners-up |
| 1 | 11 Feb 1973 | Victorian Open | −4 (71-73-73-67=284) | 2 strokes | Stewart Ginn, Bob Tuohy |

### 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

### New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (11)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 3 Sep 1963 | Metalcraft Tournament | −5 (72-69-74-72=287) | Shared title with Ted Ball | Shared title with Ted Ball |
| 2 | 1 Dec 1964 | Forest Products Tournament | −11 (69-68-65=202) | 1 stroke | Cobie Legrange, Kel Nagle |
| 3 | 21 Nov 1965 | New Zealand Open | −2 (70-71-68-69=278) | 8 strokes | Bob Charles, Kel Nagle |
| 4 | 23 Nov 1965 | Metalcraft Tournament (2) | −8 (71-68-69=208) | 3 strokes | Barry Coxon, Walter Godfrey, Alan Murray, Ross Newdick |
| 5 | 27 Nov 1965 | Caltex Tournament | −10 (68-70-69-75=282) | 2 strokes | Cedric Amm, John Sullivan |
| 6 | 11 Dec 1965 | BP Tournament | −10 (68-66-73-71=278) | Shared title with Kel Nagle | Shared title with Kel Nagle |
| 7 | 26 Nov 1966 | New Zealand Wills Masters | −17 (69-69-70-67=275) | Shared title with Tim Woolbank | Shared title with Tim Woolbank |
| 8 | 17 Dec 1966 | Caltex Tournament (2) | −4 (72-67-70-67=276) | Shared title with Kel Nagle | Shared title with Kel Nagle |
| 9 | 26 Nov 1967 | Caltex Tournament (3) | −14 (72-70-67-69=278) | Shared title with Bob Charles | Shared title with Bob Charles |
| 10 | 23 Nov 1968 | Sax Altman Tournament | −3 (72-71-70-72=285) | Shared title with Guy Wolstenholme | Shared title with Guy Wolstenholme |
| 11 | 28 Nov 1971 | New Zealand Open (2) | −8 (71-66-69-70=276) | 2 strokes | Maurice Bembridge |

### 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

### British PGA Circuit wins (25)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 9 Jul 1954 | The Open Championship | 72-71-69-71=283 | 1 stroke | Bobby Locke, Dai Rees, Syd Scott |
| 2 | 2 Oct 1954 | News of the World Match Play | 38 holes | 38 holes | John Fallon |
| 3 | 8 Jul 1955 | The Open Championship | 71-68-70-72=281 | 2 strokes | John Fallon |
| 4 | 6 Jul 1956 | The Open Championship | 70-70-72-74=286 | 3 strokes | Flory Van Donck |
| 5 | 21 Jun 1957 | Yorkshire Evening News Tournament | 65-67-64-68=264 | 15 strokes | Harry Bradshaw |
| 6 | 9 May 1958 | Dunlop Tournament | 70-69-71-71-67=348 | 3 strokes | Harold Henning |
| 7 | 14 Jun 1958 | Daks Tournament | 70-67-69-69=275 | Tie | Harold Henning |
| 8 | 5 Jul 1958 | The Open Championship | 33-72-67-73=278 | Playoff | Dave Thomas |
| 9 | 11 Jun 1960 | Daks Tournament | 74-66-67-72=279 | 2 strokes | Tom Haliburton, Jimmy Hitchcock |
| 10 | 17 Jun 1960 | Yorkshire Evening News Tournament | 70-66-65-67=268 | 5 strokes | Bernard Hunt |
| 11 | 20 Jun 1960 | Bowmaker Tournament | 67-65=132 | 1 stroke | Bernard Hunt |
| 12 | 23 Jun 1961 | Yorkshire Evening News Tournament | 70-69-70-73=262 | 1 stroke | Dai Rees |
| 13 | 26 Aug 1961 | Esso Golden Tournament | 21 points | Tie | Dave Thomas |
| 14 | 9 Sep 1961 | News of the World Match Play | 3 & 1 | 3 & 1 | Ralph Moffitt |
| 15 | 16 Sep 1961 | Dunlop Masters | 70-71-72-71=284 | 8 strokes | Christy O'Connor Snr |
| 16 | 5 May 1962 | Martini International | 66-69-72-68=275 | 4 strokes | Eric Brown |
| 17 | 20 May 1962 | Piccadilly No. 1 Tournament | 72-69-73-69=283 | 3 strokes | Christy O'Connor Snr |
| 18 | 5 Jun 1965 | Daks Tournament | 70-71-68-66=275 | 4 strokes | Guy Wolstenholme |
| 19 | 9 Jul 1965 | The Open Championship | 74-68-72-71=285 | 2 strokes | Brian Huggett, Christy O'Connor Snr |
| 20 | 10 Sep 1966 | News of the World Match Play | 2 & 1 | 2 & 1 | Neil Coles |
| 21 | 22 Jul 1967 | Esso Golden Tournament | 20 points | Tie | Kel Nagle |
| 22 | 10 Sep 1967 | News of the World Match Play | 4 & 3 | 4 & 3 | Dai Rees |
| 23 | 8 Oct 1967 | Alcan International | 69-71-73-68=281 | 5 strokes | Tony Grubb |
| 24 | 14 Sep 1968 | Dunlop Masters | 66-69-73-66=274 | 5 strokes | Dave Thomas |
| 25 | 13 Jun 1970 | Martini International | 65-68-68-67=268 | Tie | Doug Sewell |

### Other European wins (3)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 11 Oct 1959 | Italian Open | 69-67-68-65=269 | 1 stroke | Alfonso Angelini |
| 2 | 17 Oct 1959 | Spanish Open | 71-73-72-70=286 | 2 strokes | Jean Garaïalde, Syd Scott |
| 3 | 24 Jul 1960 | German Open | 71-67-72-71=281 | 2 strokes | Roberto De Vicenzo, Jean Garaïalde |

### Other wins (2)

* 1952 Mills Round Robin (South Africa)
* 1954 Canada Cup (with Kel Nagle)

### Senior PGA Tour wins (11)

* Legend
* Senior major championships (1)
* Other Senior PGA Tour (10)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 16 Sep 1984 | World Seniors Invitational | −7 (69-69-69-74=281) | 1 stroke | Arnold Palmer |
| 2 | 9 Dec 1984 | General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship | −2 (67-73-74-72=286) | 3 strokes | Don January |
| 3 | 17 Mar 1985 | Vintage Invitational | −7 (69-73-69-69=280) | 1 stroke | Billy Casper, Arnold Palmer |
| 4 | 31 Mar 1985 | American Golf Carta Blanca Johnny Mathis Classic | −11 (70-64-71=205) | 1 stroke | Don January |
| 5 | 5 May 1985 | MONY Senior Tournament of Champions | −4 (70-70-71-73=284) | 3 strokes | Don January, Dan Sikes |
| 6 | 9 Jun 1985 | The Champions Classic | −6 (68-72-70=210) | 2 strokes | Billy Casper, Jim Ferree |
| 7 | 16 Jun 1985 | Senior Players Reunion Pro-Am | −14 (68-66-68=202) | 2 strokes | Lee Elder |
| 8 | 21 Jul 1985 | MONY Syracuse Senior's Classic | −9 (70-64-70=203) | 2 strokes | Miller Barber, Gene Littler |
| 9 | 18 Aug 1985 | du Maurier Champions | −13 (64-70-69=203) | 1 stroke | Ben Smith |
| 10 | 15 Sep 1985 | United Virginia Bank Seniors | −9 (69-69-69=207) | 4 strokes | George Lanning |
| 11 | 20 Oct 1985 | Barnett Suntree Senior Classic | −9 (70-68-69=207) | 1 stroke | Charlie Sifford |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1985 | Merrill Lynch/Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am | Lee Elder | Lost to eagle on first extra hole |

### Other senior wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 26 Jun 1988 | Trusthouse Forte PGA Seniors Championship | +7 (78-67-72-70=287) | 2 strokes | Denis Hutchinson |

## Major championships
### Wins (5)

| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
| 1954 | The Open Championship | Tied for lead | −9 (72-71-69-71=283) | 1 stroke | Bobby Locke, Dai Rees, Syd Scott |
| 1955 | The Open Championship (2) | 1 shot lead | −7 (71-68-70-72=281) | 2 strokes | John Fallon |
| 1956 | The Open Championship (3) | 3 shot lead | −2 (70-70-72-74=286) | 3 strokes | Flory Van Donck |
| 1958 | The Open Championship (4) | 2 shot lead | −6 (66-72-67-73=278) | Playoff$^1$ | Dave Thomas |
| 1965 | The Open Championship (5) | 1 shot lead | −7 (74-68-72-71=285) | 2 strokes | Christy O'Connor Snr, Brian Huggett |
$^1$Defeated Dave Thomas in 36-hole playoff; Thomson (139), Thomas (143)

### Results timeline

| Tournament | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
| Masters Tournament | | | T36 | T16 | T18 | | 5 | T23 | DQ |
| U.S. Open | | | T26 | CUT | | T4 | T22 | | |
| The Open Championship | T6 | 2 | T2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | T23 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| Masters Tournament | | T19 | | | | | | | | CUT |
| U.S. Open | | CUT | | | | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | T9 | 7 | T6 | 5 | T24 | 1 | T8 | T8 | T24 | T3 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | | | | | | |
| U.S. Open | | | | | | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | T9 | T9 | T31 | T31 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T13 | T24 | T26 |
| Tournament | 1984 |
| Masters Tournament | |
| U.S. Open | |
| The Open Championship | CUT |
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

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| The Open Championship | 5 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 30 | 26 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 5 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 20 | 30 | 43 | 35 |
* 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)

| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1984$^a$ | General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship | −2 (67-73-74-72=286) | 3 strokes | Don January |
$^a$ 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)