Lloyd F. Gullickson (March 23, 1899 – May 7, 1982) 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 ...
who played in the early-to-mid 20th century. As an amateur he won the 1917 and 1918 Chicago Amateur Championships, on both occasions using borrowed clubs. He turned professional in 1919 and later posted good finishes in the
U.S. Open and
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 ...
.
His best U.S. Open finish was T28 in
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
and his best PGA Championship effort came in
1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
when he finished T17. Gullickson won the 1934
Ohio Open
The Ohio Open is the Ohio state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Northern Ohio section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1924 and has been played annually (with minor disruptio ...
as well as six other professional tournaments.
Early life
Gullickson, who was born in 1899 in Illinois,
[ learned golf by first starting out as a ]caddie
In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives the player advice and moral support.
Description
A good caddie is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the ...
at the Jackson Park Golf Course in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up under difficult circumstances when he became orphan
An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died.
In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...
ed at age 11 when his mother, a poor upholsterer, died. Among others, he carried the bag of Chick Evans
Charles E. "Chick" Evans Jr. (July 18, 1890 – November 6, 1979) was an American amateur golfer of the 1910s and 1920s. Evans, who won the 1910 Western Open, became the first amateur to win both the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in one year, a f ...
at Jackson Park who would later help Gullickson obtain his first pro posting at Lake Shore Golf Club in Braeside, Illinois.[
]
Golf career
Amateur golf career
He won the 1917 Chicago Amateur Championship and while serving in the U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
at Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only recruit training, boot camp, located near North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois. Important tenant commands include the Recruit ...
during 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 ...
, he took a leave of absence to play in and win the tournament again in 1918. He was unable to afford his own clubs at the time and won both tournaments using borrowed clubs. Known as a long hitter of the ball,[ he turned professional in 1919.]
Pro golf career
Gullickson had a number of starts in the U.S. Open and 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 the U.S. Open, his finest performance was T28 in 1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
and his best PGA Championship effort came in 1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
when he finished T17.
By 1926 he was serving as the head professional at The Elks Country Club in McDermott, Ohio
McDermott is a census-designated place in western Rush Township, Scioto County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 434. It has a post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides m ...
. He later served at Westwood Country Club in Rocky River, Ohio
Rocky River is a city in western Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. A suburb of Cleveland, it is located along the shore of Lake Erie approximately west of downtown Cleveland. The city is named for the Rocky River that forms its eastern bo ...
, for the 1927 season. He won the Ohio Open
The Ohio Open is the Ohio state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Northern Ohio section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1924 and has been played annually (with minor disruptio ...
in 1934 – as well as six other professional tournaments – and was hired as the head professional at the Inverness Club
Inverness Club is a private golf club in Toledo, Ohio.
Opened in 1903, the club has hosted four U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, two NCAA Men's Championships, and the Solheim Cup. Inverness is the only club to have hosted the U.S. Open, U.S. ...
in 1945, succeeding Byron Nelson
John Byron Nelson Jr. (February 4, 1912 – September 26, 2006) was an American professional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time.
Nelson and two other legendary champions of the time, Ben Hog ...
. He remained at Inverness as the summer professional until his retirement in 1965. During the winters, Gullickson served at the Pasadena Golf Club in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
.
Memorable match
In 1934, Gullickson partnered with fellow pro Babe Didrikson
Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (; Didrikson; June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer O ...
in a match against amateurs Glenna Collett-Vare
Glenna Collett Vare (June 20, 1903 – February 3, 1989) was an American Hall of Fame golfing champion whom the Hall calls the greatest female golfer of her day, and who dominated American women's golf in the 1920s.
Biography
Born in New Haven, ...
and Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
which they won quite easily. The match raised $600 for a crippled children's hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. A number of gallery members were betting which of the "Babes" would hit the longest drive on each hole. Didrikson jokingly said that she could outdrive Ruth standing on one leg.
Death and legacy
Gullickson died in May 1982 in Pinellas County, Florida
Pinellas County (, ) is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107. The county is part of the Tampa– St. Petersburg– Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistic ...
. He is best remembered as an American touring golf professional with a number of good finishes in golf major championships and as the longtime head professional at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
, where he worked for 20 years.
Professional wins (7)
*1934 Ohio Open
The Ohio Open is the Ohio state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Northern Ohio section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1924 and has been played annually (with minor disruptio ...
*1938 Erie Open
*1945 Toledo Open
*Cleveland Open (three times)
*Cambridge Springs Open
Source:[
]
Results in major championships
''Note: Gullickson never played in the Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...
or 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 th ...
.''
DNP = Did not play
CUT = Missed the half-way cut
T = Tied for a place
? = Unknown
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
Yellow background for top-10
Sources:
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gullickson, Lloyd
American male golfers
PGA Tour golfers
Golfers from Illinois
Golfers from Ohio
Golfers from Florida
1899 births
1982 deaths