Fagan’s Fabulous Personalities – Golf’s Last Renaissance Man – Peter Thomson

 

 

Sports typically have very few “Renaissance Men” who not only excel in their craft, but carry the education, broad awareness and appreciation, and accomplishment in other areas of their life. Perhaps this may be attributed to the intense focus needed to excel at the highest levels of popular professional sport nowadays. The late Australian Peter Thomson may be one of the most overlooked, yet impressive golf champions of the 20th Century who also exemplified a true Renaissance Man. Yes, there are golfers who are businessmen and sportsmen, but they don’t come close to Thomson in the more liberal arts.

In a sport of few Renaissance men, Thomson sits upon a pedestal perhaps alongside only Bobby Jones. No, he did not frequent the American PGA TOUR, but when he did so as a senior, he absolutely blitzed the competition winning an incredible record nine times in 1985 setting a single season money record (an annual win total shared only with Hale Irwin) and he is the only golfer since the 1800’s to win a Major Championship three consecutive years in a row. – the Open Championship in 1954-55-56. Only Harry Vardon surpassed Thomon’s five Open Championships with his last victory coming in 1965 against Nicklaus, Palmer, and defending champion, Tony Lema. Thomson also had three runner-up finishes in that event. Incidentally, after the 1956 Open at Royal Liverpool, he had to borrow a friend’s jacket for the winner’s presentation. Only when his acquaintance took it to be dry-cleaned later did he discover Thomson’s £1,000 winner’s check still in the pocket, completely forgotten about.

Thomson was a prolific tournament champion around the world, winning the national championships of ten countries, including the New Zealand Open nine times. That win total also included 26 wins in Europe and 19 times in Australia. 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 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.

Trained as an industrial chemist, Thomson was an accomplished golf writer for more than fifty years, apt to be banging the typewriter for a story after completing a round. He was also an equally accomplished golf course designer of more than one hundred courses, the long time President of the Australian PGA from 1962 to 1994, and the three-time non-playing Captain of the International Team of the President’s Cup. Apart from the sport, Thomson once ran for Parliament in his native Australia and was narrowly defeated. He is credited with founding the Far Eastern tournament circuit, ranging from India to Japan.

Thomson held to the belief that there was more to life than acquiring money and golfing fame. He was just as intrigued with classical concerts and the theater and in addition to his foray into politics, he was attuned to economic, social, and culture life. His golfing fame around the world attracted stimulating non-golf company with whom he felt as just as home as he would with Snead, Hogan, Nicklaus or Palmer.

Thomson died in 2018 after a four-year battle with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 88 leaving four children in addition to a host of many other diverse and wonderful legacies. As a golfer, television only carried his final Open win or no doubt he would have been much more famous. His accomplishments outside the game of golf approach those within the sport – a true Renaissance Man!

 

 

 

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