Jerome Travers
Encyclopedia
Jerome Dunstan "Jerry" Travers (May 19, 1887 – March 29, 1951) was one of the leading amateur golf
ers of the early 20th century. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1907, 1908, 1912 and 1913, the New Jersey Amateur three times, and the Metropolitan Amateur
(New York) five times. He was regarded as one of the finest match play
golfers of his time and had a famous rivalry with Walter Travis
. Despite his great success as an amateur, Travers found it notoriously difficult to compete strongly in stroke play
events. In several of the amateur championships in which he played, he only made it through the stroke play qualifying rounds on the cut line, before going on to succeed in the match play
format.
In 1915 Travers won the U.S. Open
at Baltusrol Golf Club
, making him the second of the five amateurs to win the event. It was his only top ten finish in four appearances at the U.S. Open - he never entered the tournament again once he had won it.
Although all of Travers' notable victories came as an amateur, he later became a teaching professional and gave exhibitions. His motives for turning professional are questionable: after living in great comfort all his life his family suffered heavily after the Wall Street Crash of 1929
, forcing him to seek a living in the professional game. He had actually retired from competitive golf previously to this, and he never had any great success as a professional. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
in 1976.
, U.S. Amateur, and the British Amateur.
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1909 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1909, pg. 9.
Source for 1914 British Amateur: Golf Illustrated, July, 1914, pg. 25.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
ers of the early 20th century. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1907, 1908, 1912 and 1913, the New Jersey Amateur three times, and the Metropolitan Amateur
Metropolitan Amateur
The Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. Amateur and the Western Amateur...
(New York) five times. He was regarded as one of the finest match play
Match play
Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...
golfers of his time and had a famous rivalry with Walter Travis
Walter Travis
Walter J. Travis was the most successful amateur golfer in the U.S. during the early 1900s, a noted golf journalist and publisher, an innovator in all aspects of golf, a teacher, and a respected golf course architect...
. Despite his great success as an amateur, Travers found it notoriously difficult to compete strongly in stroke play
Stroke play
Stroke play, also known as medal play, is a scoring system in the sport of golf. It involves counting the total number of strokes taken on each hole during a given round, or series of rounds...
events. In several of the amateur championships in which he played, he only made it through the stroke play qualifying rounds on the cut line, before going on to succeed in the match play
Match play
Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...
format.
In 1915 Travers won the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
at Baltusrol Golf Club
Baltusrol Golf Club
The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club located in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey. Among the many prestigious tournaments it has hosted, Baltusrol was most recently the site of the 2005 PGA Championship. The course architect is A. W...
, making him the second of the five amateurs to win the event. It was his only top ten finish in four appearances at the U.S. Open - he never entered the tournament again once he had won it.
Although all of Travers' notable victories came as an amateur, he later became a teaching professional and gave exhibitions. His motives for turning professional are questionable: after living in great comfort all his life his family suffered heavily after the Wall Street Crash of 1929
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , also known as the Great Crash, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout...
, forcing him to seek a living in the professional game. He had actually retired from competitive golf previously to this, and he never had any great success as a professional. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame
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 serves both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world.The Hall of...
in 1976.
Tournament wins
- 1904 Nassau Invitational
- 1906 Metropolitan AmateurMetropolitan AmateurThe Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. Amateur and the Western Amateur...
, Eastern Scholastic - 1907 U.S. Amateur, Metropolitan AmateurMetropolitan AmateurThe Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. Amateur and the Western Amateur...
, New Jersey Amateur - 1908 U.S. Amateur, New Jersey Amateur, Morris County Invitation Tournament
- 1910 Montclair G.C. Invitational
- 1911 Metropolitan AmateurMetropolitan AmateurThe Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. Amateur and the Western Amateur...
, New Jersey Amateur - 1912 U.S. Amateur, Metropolitan AmateurMetropolitan AmateurThe Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. Amateur and the Western Amateur...
- 1913 U.S. Amateur, Metropolitan AmateurMetropolitan AmateurThe Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. Amateur and the Western Amateur...
, New Jersey Amateur - 1914 Prince of Wales Medal
- 1915 U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
Professional wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
1 shot lead | +1 (76-72-73-76=297) | 1 stroke |  Tom McNamaraTom McNamara (golfer) Tom McNamara was an American professional golfer. McNamara was born in Brookline, Massachusetts to an immigrant Irish family.... |
Amateur wins (4)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | U.S. Amateur | 6 & 5 | Archibald Graham |
| 1908 | U.S. Amateur | 8 & 7 | Max H. Behr |
| 1912 | U.S. Amateur | 7 & 6 | Chick Evans Chick Evans Charles E. "Chick" Evans, Jr. was a leading amateur golfer of the 1910s and 1920s. Evans was the first amateur to win the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in one year, a feat he achieved in 1916. Evans went on to win the U.S. Amateur in 1920, while finishing runner-up three times... |
| 1913 | U.S. Amateur | 5 & 4 | John G. Anderson |
Results timeline
Note: Travers played in only the U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, U.S. Amateur, and the British Amateur.
| Tournament | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T25 | DNP | CUT |
| U.S. Amateur | R64 | R32 | R32 | QF | 1 | 1 | DNP |
| British Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | R256 |
| Tournament | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | T27 | DNP | 1 | DNP | NT | NT | DNP |
| U.S. Amateur | DNP | QF | 1 | 1 | 2 | R16 | DNP | NT | NT | R32 |
| British Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | R256 | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1909 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1909, pg. 9.
Source for 1914 British Amateur: Golf Illustrated, July, 1914, pg. 25.