The Champion Golfer: remembering Peter Thomson

During a period of true dominance in the 1950s it looked as though Peter Thomson, CBE, may never relinquish his firm grip on The Open Championship.

The Australian was a constant presence at the top of the leaderboard throughout the decade, but it was between 1952 and 1958 where he truly excelled, winning the competition four times and finishing as a runner-up on three other occasions.

Regarded as one of the greatest links golfers of all time, Thomson was a master of the windy, sand-duned courses which have become synonymous with golf’s oldest Major Championship.

Following a first triumph at Royal Birkdale in 1954, Thomson went on to not only defend his title at St Andrews the following year, but he made it three victories in a row by lifting the Claret Jug once again at Royal Liverpool in 1956.

Thomson is the only player in the 20^thcentury to win three successive Open titles, and following further victories at Royal Lytham and St Annes in 1958, and Royal Birkdale in 1965, the five-time Champion Golfer’s record is only bettered by the great Harry Vardon – who won The Open on six occasions.

The last of his Open triumphs is commonly considered to be his greatest.

Although in the 1950s he regularly went toe-to-toe with South African Bobby Locke, himself a four-time Open Champion, by 1965 The Open had a higher calibre field – which included the “big three” of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

Thomson beat the field by a clear two shots that year.

While Thomson excelled in The Open, his old-fashioned links skills were not as suited to playing in the United States – and he failed to win any of golf’s other three Majors.

Thomson never played in the US PGA Championship, appeared in the U.S. Open three times (with a best finish of fourth) and competed in the Masters Tournament just six times – where his best performance was a fifth-place finish.

With golf a far cry then from the global game it is today, Thomson can be seen as one of the sport’s first truly international players. Thomson won 89 titles across the world, 26 in Europe, 19 in Australia and New Zealand, and 11 in Asia, and despite only triumphing once in the United States after his final Open appearance in 1984 he briefly joined the US Over-50s circuit – where he won nine times in one season.

What Thomson, who passed away last month at the age of 88 following a battle with Parkinson’s Disease, will always be remembered for, though, is his sensational record in golf’s oldest Major.

Five wins. Three runner-up finishes. A run of 18 top-ten results in 21 starts (1951-71). Outstanding statistics from one of the game’s outstanding players.