Thomas Elliott Odams (7 April 1907 – 4 March 1989) was an English

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 ...

. Odams is remembered for being runner-up in the 1939

Open de France The Open de France is a European Tour golf tournament. Inaugurated in 1906 it is the oldest national open in Continental Europe and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since the tour's inception in 1972. The 100th edition of the event ...

and a semi-finalist in the 1945

News of the World Matchplay The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the ''News of the World'', and was commonly known b ...

Early life

Odams was born in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

in 1907, the son of Stanley George Odams.

Golf career

Odams played for England boys against Scotland in 1923. The 1939

was played at Le Touquet on 24 and 25 May. Odams had rounds of 71 and 70 and led by 2 strokes after the first day. A third round 69 on the second morning gave Odams a six shot lead but he scored 76 in the afternoon and was beaten by a stroke by the Argentine golfer

Martin Pose Martin Pose (13 February 1911 – 1997) was an Argentine professional golfer. Pose was born in Mar del Plata. He turned professional in 1930, and competed in Europe in 1939 and 1956; and on the PGA Tour in 1940 and 1948. His best finish on ...

who had a last round of 68. His best finish 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 th ...

was finishing 31st in the

1947 Open Championship The 1947 Open Championship was the 76th Open Championship, held 2–4 July at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. Fred Daly became the first Irish winner of the Open Championship, one stroke ahead of runners-up Reg Horne and amateu ...

. He missed the cut in 1938 and 1949, his only other appearances. In 1945 he reached the semi-final of the

losing at the final hole. He won the Southern Professional Championship in 1953. Before

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 opposin ...

, Odams was assistant to Henry Cotton in Belgium and, later, professional at Royal Ghent. While there, he won the Belgian Professional Championship on two occasions, in 1932 and 1934. After the war he was professional at Grim's Dyke Golf Club.

Death

Odams died in Seaton,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

on 4 March 1989 aged 81.

Tournament wins

*1932 Belgian Professional Championship *1934 Belgian Professional Championship *1953 Southern Professional championship

Results in major championships

''Note: Odams only played in The Open Championship.'' NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odams, Tom English male golfers People from Wimbledon, London Sportspeople from the London Borough of Merton 1907 births 1989 deaths