Samuel McLaughlin Parks Jr. (June 23, 1909 – April 7, 1997) was an American professional

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

er, the winner of the U.S. Open in

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

, his only

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

title. Born in

Bellevue, Pennsylvania Bellevue is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 8,311 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Pittsburgh, it is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The borough was incorporated in ...

, near

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, Parks used his knowledge of the nearby

Oakmont Country Club Oakmont Country Club is a golf course country club which, despite its name, is mostly located within the borough of Plum, Pennsylvania with only a small portion of the property actually in the small town of Oakmont. Established in 1903, the club ...

to win in June 1935 at age 25. Although a comparatively recent convert from college and amateur ranks and little-known nationally, Parks, the professional at the nearby South Hills Country Club, was the only player to negotiate Oakmont's furrowed bunkers and shaved greens in less than 300 strokes. After winning the U.S. Open, Parks played for the U.S.

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...

team, matched against

Alf Perry Alfred Perry (8 October 1904 – 4 December 1974) was a professional golfer from England, the winner of The Open Championship in 1935. Born in Coulsdon, Surrey, Perry worked as a club professional at Leatherhead Golf Club in addition to playin ...

(the reigning

British Open 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 ...

champion), the first time the U.S. Open champion would play the British Open Champion of the same year in the Ryder Cup Match. During that event, at the 36th hole, Parks made a birdie putt to win the hole and tie the match, so that both he and the British champ remained undefeated in Ryder Cup play. Parks, a

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

alumnus who helped found the school's golf team in the 1920s, died in 1997 at age 87 in

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city and the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, United States, west of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and north of St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies T ...

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Other wins (4)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1937 Tri-State PGA Championship *1940

Pennsylvania Open Championship The Pennsylvania Open Championship is the Pennsylvania state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pennsylvania Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1912 (except for war years) at ...

*1943 Tri-State PGA Championship *1945 Tri-State PGA Championship

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

''Note: Parks 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 th ...

.''
NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
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 – 7 (twice) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1935 U.S. Open – 1935 PGA)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parks, Sam Jr. American male golfers Pittsburgh Panthers men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Winners of men's major golf championships Golfers from Pennsylvania People from Bellevue, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania 1909 births 1997 deaths