James Eli West (20 July 1885 – September 1968) was an English professional golfer. He emigrated to the United States in 1916 and spent the rest of his life there. His best year in major championships was 1919 where he tied for 18th place in the U.S. Open and reached the quarter-finals 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 ...

Professional career

Beginning as an apprentice club maker at an early age, West later became a greenkeeper at Mid-Surrey Golf Club under head greenkeeper Peter Lees and learnt his golf from the professional there, J. H. Taylor. He was the professional at Hamburg Golf Club for some time before being appointed to succeed Sam Whiting at Criccieth Golf Club in north Wales in late 1910. This appointment was very short-lived since

Bertie Snowball Bertie Snowball (7 May 1887 – 9 May 1915) was an English professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. He was at his peak as a player from 1904 to 1908 but was still competitive as late as 1914. He was killed in 1915 during World Wa ...

became the professional there in early 1911. West returned to Germany and from Bremen won the 1911 German Professional Championship at Leipzig. In 1912 West became the professional at the newly opened Harrow Golf Club where he stayed until 1916. Recruited by Spalding to represent sales of their clubs on Long Island, West emigrated to the United States in early 1916 and soon became the professional at

Rockaway Hunting Club The Rockaway Hunting Club is a country club and sporting venue established in 1878 in Cedarhurst, New York (now Lawrence). In 1893 the original clubhouse was lost in a fire. In 1917 the golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the ...

on Long Island. He had had little success in the tournaments he had played in before

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 ...

but, playing in the

Metropolitan Open The Metropolitan Open is a golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. In the early 20th century it was one of the top events in the country and was retroactively given PGA Tour-level status. History The tournament has been ...

in July, he had a top-10 finish. West was an early member of 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 ...

and played in the Metropolitan section qualifying for the

1916 PGA Championship The 1916 PGA Championship was the first PGA Championship, which is now considered one of golf's major championships. It was held October 10–14 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York, just north of New York City in Jim Barnes defeate ...

. He scored 153, tying for the lead with Willie Macfarlane. In the final stage he lost in the first round to Mike Brady. West's best year in major championships was 1919. He tied for 18th place in the U.S. Open and reached the quarter-finals of the

before losing 9 & 7 to George McLean. West won the Long Island Professional Championship in 1921 by 7 strokes, the only time it was held. The following year saw the start of the

Long Island Open The Long Island Open is a professional golf tournament played on Long Island, New York. It is sponsored by the Long Island Golf Association and was first held in 1922 at the Cherry Valley Club in Garden City, New York. History The Long Island O ...

. West led after the first day but faded and the event was won by

Willie Klein William L. Klein (1901 – January 3, 1957) was an American professional golfer. He won nine PGA Tour events during his career. He played in the 1923 PGA Championship, winning a first round match, and also played in the 1935 Masters Tournament. ...

. His ability as an instructor won accolades. West's pupils included the

Duke of Windsor Duke of Windsor was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 8 March 1937 for the former monarch Edward VIII, following his abdication on 11 December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, ...

, Gene Sarazen and

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 ...

. The Hunt Club limited West's time at tournaments although in off-season he was lead instructor at a rooftop facility at the University Club in Manhattan and later as the professional at a private resort founded by Hunt Club members on Cat Cay island in the Bahamas.

Results in major championships

''Note: West never played in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...

.'' NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, James English male golfers Golfers from London 1885 births 1968 deaths