Tommy Bolt
American professional golfer
title: "Tommy Bolt" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-male-golfers", "pga-tour-golfers", "pga-tour-champions-golfers", "winners-of-men's-major-golf-championships", "ryder-cup-competitors-for-the-united-states", "world-golf-hall-of-fame-inductees", "golfers-from-oklahoma", "united-states-army-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "people-from-mccurtain-county,-oklahoma", "1916-births", "2008-deaths", "20th-century-american-sportsmen"] description: "American professional golfer" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Bolt" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American professional golfer ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox golfer"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Tommy Bolt |
| image | Sport and Leisure during the Second World War CNA3615.jpg |
| caption | Bolt and Bobby Locke |
| fullname | Thomas Henry Bolt |
| nickname | Thunder, Terrible Tommy |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Haworth, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Cherokee Village, Arkansas, U.S. |
| height | |
| weight | 180 lb |
| nationality | |
| yearpro | 1946 |
| retired | |
| extour | PGA Tour |
| prowins | 20 |
| pgawins | 15 |
| otherwins | 5 |
| majorwins | 1 |
| masters | T3: 1952 |
| usopen | Won: 1958 |
| open | DNP |
| pga | 3rd/T3: 1954, 1955, 1971 |
| wghofid | tommy-bolt |
| wghofyear | 2002 |
| awardssection | |
| module | {{Infobox person |
| signature | Tommy_Bolt_signature.jpg |
| :: |
| name = Tommy Bolt | image = Sport and Leisure during the Second World War CNA3615.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Bolt and Bobby Locke | fullname = Thomas Henry Bolt | nickname = Thunder, Terrible Tommy | birth_date = | birth_place = Haworth, Oklahoma, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Cherokee Village, Arkansas, U.S. | height = | weight = 180 lb | nationality = | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = | yearpro = 1946 | retired = | extour = PGA Tour | prowins = 20 | pgawins = 15 | otherwins = 5 | majorwins = 1 | masters = T3: 1952 | usopen = Won: 1958 | open = DNP | pga = 3rd/T3: 1954, 1955, 1971 | wghofid = tommy-bolt | wghofyear = 2002 | award1 = | year1 = | award2 = | year2 = | awardssection = | module = {{Infobox person|embed=yes | signature = Tommy_Bolt_signature.jpg Thomas Henry Bolt (March 31, 1916 – August 30, 2008) was an American professional golfer. He did not join the PGA Tour until he was in his thirties, but he went on to win 15 PGA Tour titles, including the 1958 U.S. Open. He played in the Ryder Cup in 1955 and 1957.
Early life
Bolt was born in Haworth, Oklahoma. He served in the United States Army during World War II and turned professional in 1946. He worked as a caddie and club professional in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Professional career
Bolt was the fifth PGA Tour player to shoot a round of 60 when he did it in the second round of the 1954 Insurance City Open at the par-71 Wethersfield Country Club, outside Hartford, Connecticut. Previously, Al Brosch, Wally Ulrich, Ted Kroll and Bill Nary had also scored 60. Bolt had 11 birdies in his round and had a putt for a 59, but missed a 15-foot putt for birdie on the 18th green. Bolt had scored 71 in his first round and followed with rounds of 69 and 71 over his final 36 holes. Bolt tied with Earl Stewart, but won an 18-hole playoff the following day.
Bolt was a member of the United States Ryder Cup teams in 1955 and 1957. In 1955, at Thunderbird Country Club in California, he won his two matches, including a singles victory over Christy O'Connor Snr. In the 1957 match at Lindrick Golf Club in England he won his foursomes match but lost to Eric Brown in the singles.
Bolt's fiery disposition earned him the nicknames "Thunder" and "Terrible Tommy". He was known to break clubs during rounds, and his penchant for throwing clubs led to the adoption of a rule prohibiting such behavior. In his later years, he admitted that a lot of his on-course eruptions were merely showmanship and that he felt they had detracted from his playing.
Death
Bolt died in Cherokee Village, Arkansas at the age of 92. He is interred at Evening Shade Cemetery in Evening Shade, Arkansas.
Awards and honors
- In 2002, Bolt was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
- The same year, Bolt was also elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame
Professional wins (20)
PGA Tour wins (15)
::data[format=table]
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (14) |
| :: |
::data[format=table] | No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Nov 11, 1951 | North and South Open | −5 (71-72-71-69=283) | 3 strokes | USA John Barnum | | 2 | Jan 8, 1952 | Los Angeles Open | +5 (73-74-70-72=289) | Playoff | USA Jack Burke Jr., USA Dutch Harrison | | 3 | Jan 18, 1953 | San Diego Open | −14 (66-68-70-70=274) | 3 strokes | USA Doug Ford | | 4 | Feb 1, 1953 | Tucson Open | −15 (65-68-66-66=265) | 1 stroke | USA Chandler Harper | | 5 | Mar 21, 1954 | Miami Beach International Four-Ball (with USA Dick Mayer) | −30 (67-61-65-65=258) | Playoff | USA Julius Boros and USA Dutch Harrison | | 6 | Jun 28, 1954 | Insurance City Open | −13 (71-60-69-71=271) | Playoff | USA Earl Stewart | | 7 | Sep 5, 1954 | Rubber City Open | −23 (69-69-63-64=265) | 5 strokes | USA Fred Hawkins | | 8 | Jan 23, 1955 | Convair-San Diego Open (2) | −14 (64-67-72-71=274) | 2 strokes | USA Johnny Palmer | | 9 | Feb 13, 1955 | Tucson Open (2) | −14 (69-67-65-65=266) | 3 strokes | USA Bud Holscher, USA Art Wall Jr. | | 10 | Jul 10, 1955 | St. Paul Open | −19 (65-68-68-68=269) | 2 strokes | USA Jerry Barber | | 11 | Jul 28, 1957 | Eastern Open Invitational | −12 (64-72-69-71=276) | 4 strokes | USA Billy Casper, USA Fred Hawkins | | 12 | May 4, 1958 | Colonial National Invitation | +2 (68-70-70-74=282) | 1 stroke | USA Ken Venturi | | 13 | Jun 14, 1958 | U.S. Open | +3 (71-71-69-72=283) | 4 strokes | ZAF Gary Player | | 14 | Jun 6, 1960 | Memphis Open Invitational | −7 (72-69-65-67=273) | Playoff | USA Ben Hogan, USA Gene Littler | | 15 | Mar 12, 1961 | Pensacola Open Invitational | −13 (72-68-68-67=275) | 2 strokes | ZAF Gary Player | ::
PGA Tour playoff record (4–2) ::data[format=table]
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1952 | Los Angeles Open | USA Jack Burke Jr., USA Dutch Harrison | Won 18-hole playoff; |
| Bolt: −2 (69), | ||||
| Burke: E (71), | ||||
| Harrison: +3 (74) | ||||
| 2 | 1954 | Miami Beach International Four-Ball | ||
| (with USA Dick Mayer) | USA Julius Boros and USA Dutch Harrison | Won with birdie on first extra hole | ||
| 3 | 1954 | Insurance City Open | USA Earl Stewart | Won 18-hole playoff; |
| Stewart conceded on final hole | ||||
| 4 | 1955 | Miami Open | USA Sam Snead | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 5 | 1960 | Memphis Open Invitational | USA Ben Hogan, USA Gene Littler | Won 18-hole playoff; |
| Bolt: −2 (68), | ||||
| Hogan: −1 (69), | ||||
| Littler: +1 (71) | ||||
| 6 | 1961 | Home of the Sun Open | USA Dave Hill, USA Bud Sullivan | Hill won with birdie on third extra hole |
| :: |
Senior wins (5)
- 1969 PGA Seniors' Championship, World Senior Championship
- 1978 Australian Seniors Championship
- 1980 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Art Wall Jr.)
- 1995 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jack Fleck)
Sources:
Major championships
Wins (1)
::data[format=table]
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | U.S. Open | 3 shot lead | +3 (71-71-69-72=283) | 4 strokes | ZAF Gary Player |
| :: |
Results timeline
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T3 | T5 | T12 | T22 | T8 | CUT | T32 | T30 | ||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T29 | T7 | CUT | T6 | T3 | T22 | WD | 1 | T38 |
| PGA Championship | R32 | SF | SF | R128 | R16 | T5 | T17 | |||
| :: |
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T20 | T4 | CUT | T37 | CUT | T8 | T17 | T26 | ||
| U.S. Open | WD | T22 | CUT | CUT | CUT | |||||
| PGA Championship | T57 | WD | T30 | WD | CUT | |||||
| :: |
::data[format=table]
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | ||||||
| PGA Championship | 3 | WD | ||||||
| :: |
Note: Bolt never played in The Open Championship.
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, 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]
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made | Totals | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 22 | 48 | 29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 13 | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 17 | 8 | |||||||||
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 8 | |||||||||
| :: |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1953 PGA – 1956 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)
U.S. national team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1955 (winners), 1957
- Hopkins Trophy: 1953 (winners), 1956 (winners)
- Lakes International Cup: 1954 (winners)
References
References
- (June 26, 1954). "Bolt Scores Record-Tying 60 In Insurance Open". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (September 4, 2008). "Tommy Bolt, a Top Golfer Who Was Known Better for His Temper, Dies at 92". The New York Times.
- "ASHOF Inductee Profiles".
- (16 October 1978). "American veteran wins seniors title with 1-over-par round". [[The Canberra Times]].
- (November 12, 1951). "Tommy Bolt wins North and South golf tournament". Wilmington Morning Star.
- (January 8, 1952). "Three Gain Golf Playoff". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (January 9, 1952). "Bolt Takes Open In Play-off Duel". The Spokesman-Review.
- (January 19, 1953). "Bolt Captures San Diego Golf Tourney With 274; Tops Ford By Three Strokes". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (February 2, 1953). "Tommy Bolt Clips 15 Strokes Off Par With 265 to Capture Tucson Tourney". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (March 22, 1954). "Mayer Sinks Long Putt to Gain Victory". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (June 28, 1954). "Tommy Bolt; Stewart Tie". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (June 29, 1954). "Bolt Captures Insurance City Open Playoff; Stewart Concedes on Last Hole". Youngstown Vindicator.
- Howell, Fritz. (September 6, 1954). "Tommy Bolt wins Rubber City Open". Tuscaloosa News.
- (January 24, 1955). "Bolt Takes San Diego Golf Title". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (February 14, 1955). "Tommy Bolt Stages Rally; Wins Tucson Open With 266". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (July 11, 1955). "Bolt Overhauls Barber to Capture St. Paul Open With 19-Under-Par 269". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (July 29, 1957). "Bolt Captures Eastern Open". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (May 5, 1958). "Tommy Bolt Golf Winner". Youngstown Vindicator.
- Drum, Bob. (June 15, 1958). "Tom Bolt wraps up Open title with 283". Pittsburgh Press.
- (June 6, 1960). "Bolt Gets 67; Three in Tie". The Spokesman-Review.
- (June 7, 1960). "Bolt Wins In Playoff". Youngstown Vindicator.
- (March 13, 1961). "Bolt Wins Golf Meet". Youngstown Vindicator.
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