Henry Gilford Picard (November 28, 1906 – April 30, 1997) was an American professional

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

er. Born in

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...

, Picard learned to play golf while

caddying 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 Plymouth Country Club. Already a talented player by his early 20s, he came to prominence after coaching from the leading instructor Alex Morrison. A leading player 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 United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

in the 1930s and early 1940s, he won two major championships: the Masters in

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

and 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 ...

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

, where he defeated

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 ...

on the 37th hole of the final. Picard ("Pick" to friends) played on both the

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

and

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

teams, winning both singles matches and one of two pairs matches. Picard helped a struggling

Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory and ...

with his game in the late 1930s, advising him to weaken his grip, and Hogan combined this advice with his own hard work to become one of golf's all-time great players. When he left the sought-after pro's position at

Hershey Country Club Hershey Country Club is a country club located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which was founded in 1930 by Milton S. Hershey. The golf course in the club hosted the PGA Championship in 1940, which Byron Nelson defeated Sam Snead on the par 3 12th ho ...

in early 1941, Picard recommended Hogan as his replacement, and he got the job. Hogan dedicated his first book, "Ben Hogan's Power Golf," to Picard in 1953. Picard was pro at the

Country Club of Charleston A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while t ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, 1925–34;

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey. The community is lo ...

, 1934–41; then moving to Twin Hills G & CC,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, for two years, then returned to his South Carolina farm in early 1943. Other professional positions include CC of Harrisburg,

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

;

Canterbury Golf Club Canterbury Golf Club is a private golf and country club located in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood, Ohio, US. The club was formerly the home of the DAP Championship, part of the Web.com Tour Finals. A member club of the USGA, Canterbury has ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

; and

Seminole Golf Club Seminole Golf Club is a private golf club in the southeastern United States, located in North Palm Beach, Florida. Designed by Donald Ross in 1929, it is consistently ranked as one of the top 100 courses in the nation. History Investment banker ...

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

. Among his students was

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 ...

, who later taught

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...

. Picard retired from Seminole in 1973 and returned to Charleston and was named to the South Carolina athletic hall of fame in 1977. He was a fixture in the local golf community in his later years, and helped future

LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...

hall of famer

Beth Daniel Beth Daniel (born October 14, 1956) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1979 and won 33 LPGA Tour events, including one major championship, during her career. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fa ...

in her teens. Picard played regularly into his 80s and died at age 90 in 1997. He was elected to the

World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...

in April 2006 and inducted in that October.

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (26)

*1932 (1) Mid-South Open (tie with

Al Watrous Albert Andrew Watrous (February 1, 1899 – December 3, 1983) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1920s and 1930s. Early life Born in Yonkers, New York, of Polish descent, Watrous moved to Michigan at an ear ...

and Al Houghton) *1934 (1)

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, ...

*1935 (5)

Agua Caliente Open The Agua Caliente Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour first played in 1930 in Tijuana, Mexico Tijuana ( ,

, Tournament of the Gardens Open, Atlanta Open,

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 ...

Inverness Invitational Four-Ball The Inverness Invitational Four-Ball was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1935 to 1953. It was played at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Format The tournament featured an unusual team round robin format. From 1935 to 1951, the field co ...

(with

Johnny Revolta John F. Revolta (April 5, 1911 – March 3, 1991) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s. He won a major title, the 1935 PGA Championship, and had 18 career wins on tour. Born in St. Lo ...

) *1936 (3) Tournament of the Gardens Open,

Hershey Open The Hershey Open was a golf tournament in Pennsylvania on the PGA Tour from 1933 to 1941. It was played at the Hershey Country Club in Hershey on what is now called the West Course. It was played as a 72-hole stroke play event every year except 1 ...

*1937 (4) Tournament of the Gardens Open,

, St. Augustine Pro-Amateur,

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

) *1938 (2) Pasadena Open,

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 ...

*1939 (6) New Orleans Open,

Thomasville Open The Thomasville Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour, played only in 1952. It was played in Thomasville, Georgia. Betsy Rawls Elizabeth Earle "Betsy" Rawls (born May 4, 1928) is an American former LPGA Tour professional golfer. She won ei ...

, Anthracite Open,

(with

) *1941 (2) New Orleans Open, Harlingen Open-Texas *1945 (1) Miami Open ''Missing one win.'' Major championships are shown in bold.

Other wins (9)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1925

Carolinas Open The Carolinas Open is a golf tournament played in the Carolinas, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is run by the Carolinas section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1923 at a variety of courses around both sta ...

*1926

*1932

*1933

*1935

(with

), Riverside Pro/Am *1936

(with

) *1937

Argentine Open The Argentine Open or Abierto de la República or Abierto de Argentina is one of the oldest national golf open championships. First played in 1905, when it was called the Open Championship of the River Plate, it has featured numerous notable winn ...

*1938 Mid South Pro/Pro (with

; tie with

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 ...

and

Bobby Cruickshank Robert Allan Cruickshank (16 November 1894 – 27 August 1975) was a prominent professional golfer from Scotland. He competed in the PGA of America circuit in the 1920s and 1930s, the forerunner of the PGA Tour. Early life Born in Grantown-on- ...

) Source:

Major championships

Wins (2)

Results timeline

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

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 30 (1932 PGA – 1947 Masters) *Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (1937 PGA – 1939 Masters)

References

External links

*
PGA of America Hall of Fame
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Picard, Henry American people of French descent American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Winners of men's major golf championships World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Golfers from Massachusetts Golfers from South Carolina People from Plymouth, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Charleston, South Carolina 1906 births 1997 deaths

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (26)

Other wins (9)

Major championships

Wins (2)

Results timeline

Summary

See also

References

Further reading

External links