Robert Allan Cruickshank (16 November 1894 – 27 August 1975) was a prominent professional golfer from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. He competed in the

PGA of America The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America) is an American organization of golf professionals that was founded in 1916. Consisting of nearly 29,000 men and women members, the PGA of America's undertaking is to establish ...

circuit in the 1920s and 1930s, the forerunner of the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

Early life

Born in

Grantown-on-Spey Grantown-on-Spey ( gd, Baile nan Granndach) is a town in the Highland Council Area, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about ...

in rural northern

, Cruickshank learned his golf as a boy playing over the town's course. As a teenager he also worked there as a caddie. In that era, country houses around

were often rented to rich

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

families for the summer. A wealthy widow named Mrs. Isabella Usher made an offer to Cruickshank's parents to provide an education for their two sons in

. In the autumn of 1909, Cruickshank and his younger brother John moved south. Mrs. Usher became their legal guardian and they lived at her house in the city's

Murrayfield Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often con ...

district. They were educated at the nearby Daniel Stewart's College. Although Cruickshank was not tall (5 ft 5in), he was a fine athlete, and in 1912 the year that he left school, he ran the 100 yards in a time of 10.4 seconds. This time wasn't beaten until 1960 by the future Scotland international rugby player

Sandy Hinshelwood Alexander James Watt Hinshelwood (born ) is a former international rugby union player. He was capped twenty-one times for Scotland as a wing between 1966 and 1970.Griffiths, page 2:38-2:40 He scored five tries for Scotland. Hinshelwood was sel ...

. He was also becoming an outstanding golfer and met and became friends with another rising local golfer,

Tommy Armour Thomas Dickson Armour (24 September 1896 – 11 September 1968) was a Scottish-American professional golfer. He was nicknamed The Silver Scot. He was the winner of three of golf's major championships: 1927 U.S. Open, 1930 PGA, and 1931 Open C ...

. Armour and Cruikshank played together regularly over the

Braid Hills The Braid Hills form an area towards the south-western edge of Edinburgh, Scotland. The hills themselves are largely open space. Housing in the area is mostly confined to detached villas, and some large terraced houses. The ''Braid Hills Hotel ...

course. Bobby also became a member of

Turnhouse Golf Club Turnhouse Golf Club is a golf club situated in the West of Edinburgh on Lennie Hill at Turnhouse, Scotland. History The course dates back to 1897 when there were only 9-holes. By 1900, the layout was expanded to 18 holes and James Braid made a ...

on the west of the city. Cruickshank served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Captured in action by the

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, he was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

and later successfully escaped. On returning from the war, Cruickshank won what was then Edinburgh's top amateur competition (the Edinburgh Coronation Cup) in both 1919 and 1920. The tournament was played at

course which is still the city's premier municipal course. Representing his old school's former pupils (Stewart's FP Golf Club) Cruickshank was part of a team which won the Evening Dispatch Trophy. He also reached the final rounds of the

British Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 19 ...

played at

Muirfield Muirfield is a privately owned golf links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Muirfield is one of the golf courses used in rotation for The ...

in the summer of 1920. These successes encouraged Cruickshank to consider turning professional and moved to the United States with his wife Helen.

Professional career

Cruickshank turned professional in 1921 and moved to the United States, as suggested by his mentor and friend,

. He rose to prominence in the U.S. after reaching the last four of the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

in both 1922 and 1923. He lost both times to eventual champion Gene Sarazen. Cruickshank was also twice runner-up in the U.S. Open. In 1923, he finished second to Bobby Jones down by two shots after an 18 hole playoff at Inwood Country Club, New York. In 1932, he was beaten by Gene Sarazen at Fresh Meadow Country Club, New York. Cruickshank came home to Scotland to play at

in the 1929 Open Championship. Despite only bringing two clubs with him and borrowing the rest from the Gullane professional, he finished sixth. In a nod to his old school, Cruickshank wore his Stewart's College tie while playing in the second round of the championship. He won £10 for sixth place while that years "Champion Golfer",

Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tig ...

, won £75. Cruickshank won 17 tour events in his career and his greatest year was 1927, when he won the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

Texas Open The Texas Open, known as the Valero Texas Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played near San Antonio, Texas. It dates back years to 1922, when it was first called the Texas Open; San Antonio-based Val ...

s and finished as the leading money winner for the year. His last victory on tour was in 1936 and he had 16 top-10 finishes in major championships. Cruickshank was a club pro in

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, in 1930s and 1940s, and later in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania. He was also a winter pro in Florida.

Personal life

Cruickshank died after a brief illness at age 80 in

Delray Beach Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...

, Florida. His wife Nellie (1895–1965) died ten years earlier in Pittsburgh.

Professional wins (29)

PGA Tour wins (17)

* 1921 (2) St. Joseph Open (as an amateur),

New York State Open The New York State Open is the New York state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Metropolitan chapter of the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It has been played annually since ...

* 1924 (1) Colorado Open * 1926 (2)

North and South Open The North and South Open was one of the most prestigious professional golf tournaments in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. It was played at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, long the largest golf resort in the world, ...

, Mid-South Pro-Am Bestball * 1927 (5)

Los Angeles Open The Genesis Invitational is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in southern California, first played in 1926 as the Los Angeles Open. Other previous names include Genesis Open, Northern Trust Open and Nissan Open. Played annually i ...

, South Central Open, North and South Open,

Westchester Open The Westchester Open is golf tournament organized by the Westchester Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1920 at member clubs in New York or Connecticut. It was considered a PGA Tour event in the 1920s and 1930s. History In 1971, ...

* 1928 (1)

Maryland Open The Maryland Open is the Maryland state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Maryland State Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1921 at a variety of courses around the state. I ...

* 1929 (1) Westchester Open * 1934 (3)

National Capital Open The National Celebrities Open and the National Capital Open were the names of golf tournaments on the PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the Uni ...

, British Colonial Open, Pinehurst Fall Pro-Pro (with

) * 1935 (1) Orlando Open * 1936 (1)

Virginia Open The Virginia Open is the Virginia state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Virginia State Golf Association and the Middle Atlantic section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually ...

Other wins (12)

''this list may be incomplete'' * 1925

Miami International Four-Ball The Miami International Four-Ball was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1924 to 1954. It was played primarily at what is now the Miami Springs Golf and Country Club in Miami, Florida. It was also played at the Miami Biltmore Golf Course in Co ...

(with Johnny Farrell) * 1927

(with

) * 1933 Virginia Open * 1934 Virginia Open * 1935 Virginia Open * 1937 Virginia Open * 1938 Mid South Pro/Pro (with

; tie with

Henry Picard Henry Gilford Picard (November 28, 1906 – April 30, 1997) was an American professional golfer. Born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Picard learned to play golf while caddying at the Plymouth Country Club. Already a talented player by his early 20s ...

and

Jack Grout John Frederick Grout (March 24, 1910 – May 13, 1989) was an American professional golfer who competed on the PGA Tour from 1931 to 1953. Though he taught many Hall of Fame players, he is best known as the 'first and only' golf teacher of Ja ...

) * 1939 Virginia Open * 1943

* 1945

Middle Atlantic PGA Championship The Middle Atlantic PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Middle Atlantic section of the PGA of America. The tournament has been played annually since 1932 in Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, DC. Fred Funk, eight- ...

* 1949

Tri-State PGA Championship The Tri-State PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Tri-State section of the PGA of America. The Tri-State area includes all of West Virginia, the northwest corner of Maryland, and western Pennsylvania. It has bee ...

* 1950

Results in major championships

NYF = tournament not yet founded
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 Source: British Amateur

References

External links

PGA Museum of Golf: Hall of Fame
– member profiles {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruickshank, Bobby Scottish male golfers American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Golfers from Florida British Army personnel of World War I British World War I prisoners of war World War I prisoners of war held by Germany Scottish escapees Escapees from German detention Scottish emigrants to the United States People educated at Stewart's Melville College People from Badenoch and Strathspey Sportspeople from Highland (council area) Sportspeople from Delray Beach, Florida 1894 births 1975 deaths