Lewis Elmer Worsham, Jr. (October 5, 1917 – October 19, 1990) was an American professional golfer, the U.S. Open champion

Life and career

Worsham was born on October 5, 1917, in

Pittsylvania County, Virginia Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 60,501. Chatham is the county seat. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical A ...

. He grew up in Long Island, Virginia. Worsham attended Hampton High School and was a member of the golf team from 1933 to 1935. He served in the

United States 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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Worsham won the U.S. Open in 1947 by defeating

Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (pronounced English_phonology">sni:d.html" ;"title="English_phonology.html" ;"title="nowiki/>English phonology">sni:d">English_phonology.html" ;"title="nowiki/>English phonology">sni:d May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an ...

by a stroke in an 18-hole playoff at the St. Louis Country Club in Clayton, Missouri. This was the first U.S. Open to be televised locally and the winner's share was $2,000. In July 1947, Worsham appeared on the cover of ''Golfing'' magazine. In 1953, he led 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 ...

money list with $34,002 in earnings. That same year he won the first golf tournament to be broadcast nationally in the United States and golf's first $100,000 tournament, the Tam O'Shanter

World Championship of Golf The World Championship of Golf was a championship played on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s that, in its latter years, boasted a purse that dwarfed every other event on the tour, including even the U.S. Open. It was played in August of each ye ...

, in spectacular fashion. He holed out a wedge from 104 yards for an eagle-2 to win over

Chandler Harper John Chandler Harper (March 10, 1914 – November 8, 2004) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the PGA Championship in 1950. He won seven times on the PGA Tour and played in the Ryder Cup in 1955. Harper was born, raised a ...

by Worsham made his only Ryder Cup appearance in 1947 and won both of his matches. Like most tour players of his generation, he earned his living primarily as a club professional, and was the longtime pro at Oakmont Country Club, northeast of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, Worsham was honored as the "Sportsperson of the Year" for 1953 by Pittsburgh's

Dapper Dan Charities The Dapper Dan Charities were founded by ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' editor Al Abrams in 1936. It is one of the oldest nonprofit and fundraising community sports clubs in the world and the oldest in Western Pennsylvania. The foundation fundraises ...

. He was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2017.

Personal life

Worsham married Virginia. He had one daughter and two sons: Lynda, Richard L and Thomas E. Grave of Lewis E

Worsham died on October 19, 1990, at age, 73 in

Poquoson, Virginia Poquoson (), informally known as Bull Island, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,460. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Poquoson with surrounding York County ...

. He is buried at

Columbia Gardens Cemetery The Columbia Gardens Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Ashton Heights Historic District of Arlington, Virginia Cemetery The Columbia Gardens Cemetery is located at the southern boundary of the Ashton Heights Historic District and is one o ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...

Professional wins (13)

PGA Tour wins (6)

*1946 Atlanta Invitational *1947 U.S. Open, Denver Open *1951

Phoenix Open The Phoenix Open (branded as the WM Phoenix Open for sponsorship reasons) is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held in late January/early February at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. The tournament was originally the Arizona ...

*1953

Jacksonville Open The Greater Jacksonville Open was a PGA Tour event that was played from 1945 until 1976. Shortly after World War II, the Jacksonville Open began play as a PGA Tour event in Jacksonville, Florida at the Hyde Park Golf Club until it was discontinue ...

Major championship is shown in bold.

Other wins (7)

*1942

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- ...

*1945

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 ...

*1946

*1947

*1948 Cavalier Specialists Invitational *1952 Miami Beach International Four-Ball (with

Ted Kroll Ted J. Kroll (August 4, 1919 – April 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer. Kroll was born in New Hartford, New York. Kroll served in the United States Army during World War II and earned three Purple Hearts after being wounded four ti ...

) *1961

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 ...

Major championships

Wins (1)

¹ Defeated Snead in an 18-hole playoff - Worsham 69 (−2), Snead 70 (−1).

Results timeline

''Note: Worsham 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
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = Withdrew
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1946 U.S. Open – 1950 Masters) *Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1948 U.S. Open – 1949 Masters)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worsham, Lew American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Golfers from Virginia Golfers from Pittsburgh American military personnel of World War II People from Pittsylvania County, Virginia 1917 births 1990 deaths