Robert T. Hamilton (January 10, 1916 – December 6, 1990) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

. He was born, raised, and died in Evansville, Indiana. He attended and graduated from Evansville Reitz High School in 1934. Hamilton won ten professional titles, including one

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, the PGA Championship in

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

at Manito Golf and Country Club in Spokane, Washington. Then a match play event, he defeated heavily favored Byron Nelson in the finals, 1 up. Hamilton was a three-time winner of the

Indiana Open The Indiana Open is the Indiana state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Indiana section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1915 at a variety of courses around the state. ...

, winning in 1938, 1942, and 1966. He won five times on the PGA Tour, including the 1948 New Orleans Open, one stroke ahead of runner-up Roberto De Vicenzo. Hamilton was also a member of the 1949

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

team. Hamilton also served as the golf pro at Fort Lewis, south of Seattle, during the latter stages of World War II; he was also a member of the Warriors, the inter-base (intramural) team. Individually, he placed 3rd in the Pacific Northwest Servicemen's Championship (Seattle) and 3rd in the Tacoma Open, a PGA Tour event. Hamilton finished second to Sam Snead in the 1967

Senior PGA Championship The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA ...

at PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Hamilton set the overall record for youngest golfer to shoot his age when he shot a 59 at Hamilton Golf Club in Evansville in 1975. Hamilton was inducted into the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame in 1965, as a member of the 2nd class so honored.

Amateur wins (2)

''This list may be incomplete'' *1934 IHSAA Boys State Champion *1936 Indiana Amateur

Professional wins (10)

PGA Tour wins (5)

PGA Tour playoff record (0–1)

Other wins (5)

''This list may be incomplete'' *1938

*1942

*1943 Indiana PGA Championship *1944 Indiana PGA Championship *1966

Major championships

Wins (1)

''Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958''

Results timeline

''Note: Hamilton never played in The Open Championship.''
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 11 (1941 U.S. Open – 1949 Masters) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1952 PGA – 1953 Masters)

References

External links

Indiana Golf Hall of FameFuneral home card from Browning Genealogy database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Bob American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Winners of men's major golf championships Golfers from Indiana Sportspeople from Evansville, Indiana 1916 births 1990 deaths