Peter Joseph O'Hara (21 August 1885 – 11 April 1977) was an Irish-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. His best major championship finishes were a fifth place tie in the 1920 PGA Championship, a T7 finish in the 1924 U.S. Open, and a T8 result in the 1929 U.S. Open. He won the 1921

New Jersey Open The New Jersey State Open Championship is the New Jersey state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the New Jersey State Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1921 at a variety of co ...

and was a joint winner (with George Bowden) of the 1922 Houston Professional Golf tournament. O'Hara won the 1931 Western Pennsylvania Open Championship as well as the 1934 Bedford Open.

Early life

O'Hara was born in

Greenore Greenore () is a village, townland and deep water port on Carlingford Lough in County Louth, Ireland. History A lighthouse was built on Greenore Point in 1830. Several decades later, the Dundalk and Greenore Railway Act 1863 authorised the ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, in 1886. He emigrated to the United States on 7 April 1915 at age 27, sailing aboard the SS ''Cymric'' from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. He was the eldest of three brothers. His brothers Patrick and Jimmy were also golf professionals. Fellow Irish professional Pat Doyle was O'Hara's traveling companion aboard the ''Cymric'' which would find a watery grave just 13 months later on 8 May 1916 when it was sunk by a German

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Golf career

Early career

In Ireland he was first engaged at the Greenore Golf Club at age 17 in 1903, a position he held until 1907. His next job was at Monkstown in Cork Harbour where he laid out a 9-hole course.

Emigration to the U.S.

After arrival in the U.S. in 1915, he first worked at Pittsburgh Field Golf Club from 1915–18. In late 1919, he took up a post at Haworth Country Club in

Haworth, New Jersey Haworth ( ) is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,343, a decrease of 39 (−1.2%) from the 2010 census count of 3,382, which in turn reflected a decl ...

, and in 1920 was employed by Shackamaxon Country Club in

Scotch Plains, New Jersey Scotch Plains is a Township (New Jersey), township in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is located on a ridge in North Jersey, northern-central Jersey, central New Jersey, within the Raritan R ...

, where he joined forces with his brother Patrick. He remained at Shackamaxon until 1922. The two brothers were a tough pair to beat in four-ball matches on their home course as evidenced by a surprising 6 and 5 victory they had in 1920 over the highly favored duo of

Harry Vardon Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the ...

and Ted Ray. O'Hara wasted no time getting his golf career going when he made a start in the 1915 U.S. Open at

Baltusrol Golf Club The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club in the eastern United States, located in Springfield, New Jersey, about west of New York City. It was founded in 1895 by Louis Keller. In 1985, Baltusrol became the first club to have ...

. He didn't play his best golf, shooting 85 and 79, and failed to make the cut. His results were better in the 1917

Western Open The Western Open was a professional golf tournament in the United States, for most of its history an event on the PGA Tour. The tournament's founding in 1899 actually pre-dated the start of the Tour, which is generally dated from 1916, the ye ...

where he finished tied for fifth behind

Jim Barnes James Martin Barnes (April 8, 1886 – May 24, 1966) was an English professional golfer and a leading figure in the early years of professional golf in the United States. He is one of three native Britons (with Tommy Armour and Rory McIlroy) t ...

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 Men's major golf championships, majors is third behin ...

. In the 1930 U.S. Open he finished tied for 11th place and at the time was professional at the Westmoreland Country Club in

Verona, Pennsylvania Verona is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is northeast of downtown Pittsburgh, along the left bank of the Allegheny River. As of the 2020 census, the borough had a population of 2,492. History Verona was named ...

. O'Hara was known for not taking any backswing whatsoever on short putts. He would simply place his putter head about 3-4 inches behind the ball and hit the ball from that position.

1920 PGA Championship

In the 1920 PGA Championship held at the Flossmore County Club, located south of Chicago, O'Hara got off to a good start with a 1 up victory over Pat Doyle in the first round. He rode that momentum into the second round and defeated Alex Cunningham by a convincing 5 and 4 margin. His upset bid in the third round was spoiled when he lost to George McLean in a closely contested match that wasn't decided until the 38th hole. His final position in the tournament was a tie for fifth place.

1924 U.S. Open

The 1924 U.S. Open was held 5–6 June at Oakland Hills Country Club in

Birmingham, Michigan Birmingham is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Detroit located along the Woodward Corridor (M-1 (Michigan highway), M-1). As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 censu ...

, a suburb northwest of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Cyril Walker, a relatively unknown Englishman, defeated defending champion Bobby Jones by three strokes at the South Course. O'Hara shot rounds of 76-79-74-76=305 (+18) and won $85, tying with Abe Espinosa for seventh place.

1929 U.S. Open

The 1929 U.S. Open was held 27–30 June at

Winged Foot Golf Club Winged Foot Golf Club is a private golf club in the Northeastern United States, located in Mamaroneck, New York, a suburb northeast of New York City. The club was founded in 1921, by a group largely made up of members of The New York Athleti ...

Mamaroneck, New York Mamaroneck ( ), is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2 ...

, a suburb northeast of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Bobby Jones won his third U.S. Open title in a 36-hole playoff, trouncing

Al Espinosa Abel Ruben "Al" Espinosa (March 24, 1891 – January 4, 1957) was an American professional golfer. He left his mark on golf in Ohio by serving as the Head Professional at Akron’s Portage Country Club from 1931 through 1944. During his tenure ...

(brother of Abe Espinosa) by 23 strokes on the West Course. O'Hara played steady golf, carding rounds of 74-76-73-78=301 (+13), and won $300 in prize money. He finished tied for eighth place.

Death

O'Hara retired from Green Oaks Golf and Country Club (formerly Westmoreland Golf and Country Club) in 1948. He died on 11 April 1977, aged 91. Both he and his wife Hanora are interred in St. Joseph's Cemetery in

Hackensack, New Jersey Hackensack is the most populous municipality in and the county seat of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Tournament wins (4)

*1921

*1922 Houston Professional Golf (tie with George Bowden) *1931 Western Pennsylvania Open Championship *1934 Bedford Open

Results in major championships

''Note: O'Hara never played in the

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...

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 ...

.'' NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
T = tied for a place Sources:

Note

Peter O'Hara is sometimes also known as Peter O'Hare.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OHara, Peter Irish male golfers American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Irish emigrants to the United States Sportspeople from County Louth 19th-century Irish people 20th-century Irish people 1885 births 1977 deaths