Horton Smith

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American professional golfer (1908–1963)

title: "Horton Smith" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["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-missouri", "golfers-from-detroit", "sportspeople-from-springfield,-missouri", "deaths-from-lymphoma-in-the-united-states", "deaths-from-cancer-in-michigan", "deaths-from-hodgkin-lymphoma", "burials-at-springfield-national-cemetery", "1908-births", "1963-deaths", "20th-century-american-sportsmen"] description: "American professional golfer (1908–1963)" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Smith" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American professional golfer (1908–1963) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox golfer"]

FieldValue
nameHorton Smith
imageHorton Smith(cropped).jpg
captionSmith in 1929
nicknameThe Joplin Ghost
birth_date
birth_placeSpringfield, Missouri, U.S.
death_date
death_placeDetroit, Michigan, U.S.
height
weight
nationality
collegeSouthwest Missouri State - Now Missouri State University
yearpro1926
retired
extourPGA Tour
prowins34
pgawins30
otherwins4
majorwins2
mastersWon: 1934, 1936
usopen3rd: 1930, 1940
openT4: 1930
pgaT3: 1928
wghofidhorton-smith
wghofyear1990
award1[PGA Tour
leading money winner](pga-tour-money-winners-and-most-wins-leaders)
year11936
award2Bob Jones Award
year21962
awardssection
::

| name = Horton Smith | image = Horton Smith(cropped).jpg | caption = Smith in 1929 | fullname = | nickname = The Joplin Ghost | birth_date = | birth_place = Springfield, Missouri, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | height = | weight = | nationality = | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = Southwest Missouri State - Now Missouri State University | yearpro = 1926 | retired = | extour = PGA Tour | prowins = 34 | pgawins = 30 | otherwins = 4 | majorwins = 2 | masters = Won: 1934, 1936 | usopen = 3rd: 1930, 1940 | open = T4: 1930 | pga = T3: 1928 | wghofid = horton-smith | wghofyear = 1990 | award1 = PGA Tour leading money winner | year1 = 1936 | award2 = Bob Jones Award | year2 = 1962 | awardssection = Horton Smith (May 22, 1908 – October 15, 1963) was an American professional golfer, best known as the winner of the first and third Masters Tournaments.

Career

Born in Springfield, Missouri, Smith turned professional in 1926 and won his first tournament, the Oklahoma City Open in 1928. In 1929 he won eight titles. This was an era of expansion and reorganization for professional golf. The PGA Tour was founded in 1934, and Smith was one of the leading players of the early years of the tour, topping the money list in 1936. He accumulated 30 PGA Tour titles in total, the last of them in 1941, and his two major championships came at the Masters, at the inaugural tournament in 1934 and again in 1936 (the latter was the first Masters to end on a Monday due to rain).

Smith was a member of five Ryder Cup teams: 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935, and 1937. His career Ryder Cup record was 3–0–1, his only blemish a halved singles match against Bill Cox in 1935 at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey. Smith was the only golfer to defeat Bobby Jones during the latter's Grand Slam year of 1930, at the stroke play Savannah Open in February. He played in every Masters through 1963, the year of his death.

Smith served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II in the special services division coordinating athletics and was discharged as a captain.

After the war, he became the club pro at Detroit Golf Club in Michigan in 1946, where he remained until his death. He was president of the PGA of America from 1952 to 1954. During that time black professionals continued to be excluded from PGA events despite Smith stating that he would support reviewing this rule when, in January 1952, Bill Spiller was excluded from the San Diego Open while former boxer Joe Louis was allowed to play as an invited amateur. The "Caucasian only" clause in the PGA of America's constitution was not amended until November 1961.

When he resigned as head professional of Oak Park Country Club in 1936, his elder brother Renshaw (1906–1971) replaced him at the club in River Grove, Illinois.

Death

In 1963, Smith died at the age of 55 from Hodgkin's disease in Detroit. He had lost a lung to cancer six years earlier, and is buried in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri. He was the first of the former Masters champions to die, followed by Craig Wood in 1968 and Jimmy Demaret in 1983.

Awards and honors

  • Smith was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 1984.
  • Smith was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1990.
  • In 1960, awarded the Ben Hogan Award by the golf writers for overcoming a physical handicap and continued active participation in golf.
  • In 1962, he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
  • The PGA of America bestowed the Horton Smith Award, presented annually since 1965, to a PGA professional who has made "outstanding and continuing contributions to PGA education." On July 2, 2020, it was renamed the PGA Professional Development Award by the board of directors because Smith had been a supporter of the PGA's "Caucasian-only' membership clause that was part of their by-laws from 1934 to 1961.
  • A municipal golf course in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri, is named for him.
  • A golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club is named for him.
  • He is attributed with being the first professional golfer to study putting as a means to beat his opponents.
  • In September 2013, Horton's green jacket, awarded in 1949 for his Masters wins in 1934 and 1936, sold at auction for over $682,000; the highest price ever paid for a piece of golf memorabilia. It had been in the possession of his brother Ren's stepsons for decades.

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (30)

Major championships are shown in bold.

Source:

Other wins

this list is probably incomplete

Major championships

Wins (2)

::data[format=table]

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1934Masters Tournament1 shot lead−4 (70-72-70-72=284)1 strokeUSA Craig Wood
1936Masters Tournament (2)3 shot deficit−3 (74-71-68-72=285)1 strokeUSA Harry Cooper
::

Results timeline

::data[format=table]

Tournament192719281929
U.S. OpenT44T2810
The Open ChampionshipT25
PGA ChampionshipSFR32
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament1930193119321933193419351936193719381939
Masters TournamentNYFNYFNYFNYF1T191T19T22T26
U.S. Open3T27T55T24T17T6T22T36T1915
The Open ChampionshipT4T12T1410
PGA ChampionshipQFQFR32R32QFQFR16QFQF
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
Masters TournamentT47T195NTNTNTT21T2234T23
U.S. Open3T13NTNTNTNTCUTWDCUTT23
The Open ChampionshipNTNTNTNTNTNT
PGA ChampionshipR64R16NTR64R32
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
Masters TournamentT12T32T30T45T38T5976CUTCUTCUT
U.S. OpenCUTCUTT15CUT
The Open Championship
PGA ChampionshipR64R16
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament1960196119621963
Masters TournamentCUTCUTCUTCUT
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship
::

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

::data[format=table]

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts madeTotals2031319427259
Masters Tournament20033112720
U.S. Open00224122317
The Open Championship00012555
PGA Championship001710141717
::
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 43 (1927 U.S. Open – 1946 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)

References

References

  1. (March 21, 2012). "1934: Horton Smith wins first Masters Tournament". Augusta.com.
  2. Gould, Alan. (April 7, 1936). "Horton Smith wins Augusta golf title". Milwaukee Sentinel.
  3. Erwin, Robert A.. (February 23, 1930). "Horton Smith beats Bobby Jones by one stroke in tourney". Palm Beach News.
  4. (October 16, 1963). "Ex-Masters king Horton Smith dies". Palm Beach Post.
  5. Martin, Whitney. (December 28, 1942). "Horton Smith now hears putt-putt instead of putt". St. Petersburg Times.
  6. (November 6, 1944). "Lt. Horton Smith given army athletic posts". Milwaukee Journal.
  7. (November 13, 1945). "No Ryder Cup match until '47, says Smith". Milwaukee Journal.
  8. (October 15, 1963). "Hall of fame golfer, Horton Smith, dies at 55". Miami News.
  9. (January 16, 1952). "PGA clears way for Joe Louis to compete in San Diego Open meet". Daytona Beach Morning Journal.
  10. "Bunker Mentality: On This Day in 1961: PGA lifts ban on non-white players". Yahoo Eurosport UK.
  11. (November 10, 1961). "PGA opens its doors to Negroes, world golfers". Florence Times.
  12. (November 10, 1961). "PGA group abolishes 'Caucasian'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  13. "Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Members".
  14. (December 28, 1960). "Horton Smith wins Ben Hogan Award". Ludington Daily News.
  15. (July 2, 2020). "PGA of America renames Horton Smith Award". Golf Channel.
  16. "Horton Smith Municipal Golf Course". Springfield-Greene County Park Board.
  17. "Horton Smith". Detroit Golf Club.
  18. Mickelson, Paul. (June 7, 1934). "Secret of touch in putting given by Horton Smith". St. Petersburg Independent.
  19. Harig, Bob. (September 9, 2013). "Green jacket nets $682K at auction". ESPN.
  20. "1934 & 1936 Masters Champion Horton Smith's Green Jacket". Green Jacket Auctions.
  21. Kindred, Dave. (August 2013). "The case of the missing green jacket".
  22. Barkow, Al. (1989). "The History of the PGA TOUR". [[Doubleday (publisher).
  23. "Horton Smith PGA TOUR Player Profile, Stats, Bio, Career".

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american-male-golferspga-tour-golfersryder-cup-competitors-for-the-united-stateswinners-of-men's-major-golf-championshipsworld-golf-hall-of-fame-inducteesgolfers-from-missourigolfers-from-detroitsportspeople-from-springfield,-missourideaths-from-lymphoma-in-the-united-statesdeaths-from-cancer-in-michigandeaths-from-hodgkin-lymphomaburials-at-springfield-national-cemetery1908-births1963-deaths20th-century-american-sportsmen