Johnny Goodman
Encyclopedia
Johnny G. Goodman was the last amateur golf
er to win the U.S. Open
, doing so in 1933; he also won the U.S. Amateur in 1937.
Goodman was born in South Omaha
, Nebraska
in 1909, to Lithuania
n immigrants. He was orphaned at the age of 14 when his mother died after giving birth to her 13th child and his father abandoned the family. He won the Omaha
city championship in 1925; four years later, he won the first of three consecutive Nebraska Amateur titles. He won the Trans-Mississippi Amateur
three times (1927, 1931, and 1935).
Goodman did not turn professional until 1960; he supported himself throughout his career by selling insurance. There is a golf course in Omaha named after him.
Note: Goodman never played in the British Open
or the PGA Championship
.
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1934 British Amateur: Reading Eagle, May 24, 1934, pg. 17.
Source for 1936 Masters: www.masters.com
Source for 1938 British Amateur: TIME Magazine, June 6, 1938
LA = Low Amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
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....
er to win 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...
, doing so in 1933; he also won the U.S. Amateur in 1937.
Goodman was born in South Omaha
South Omaha, Nebraska
South Omaha, Nebraska is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska. During its initial development phase the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth due to the rapid development of the Union Stockyards. Annexed by the City of Omaha in 1915, the...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
in 1909, to Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n immigrants. He was orphaned at the age of 14 when his mother died after giving birth to her 13th child and his father abandoned the family. He won the Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
city championship in 1925; four years later, he won the first of three consecutive Nebraska Amateur titles. He won the Trans-Mississippi Amateur
Trans-Mississippi Amateur
The Trans-Mississippi Amateur or Trans-Miss Amateur is an annual golf tournament. It is organized by the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association and was first played in 1901. It is played at a different course each year that are located near or west of the Mississippi River. From 1987 to 2009, the field...
three times (1927, 1931, and 1935).
Goodman did not turn professional until 1960; he supported himself throughout his career by selling insurance. There is a golf course in Omaha named after him.
Tournament wins (60)
- this list may be incomplete
- 1925 Omaha Caddie Championship, Omaha Metropolitan Golf Championship
- 1927 Trans-Mississippi AmateurTrans-Mississippi AmateurThe Trans-Mississippi Amateur or Trans-Miss Amateur is an annual golf tournament. It is organized by the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association and was first played in 1901. It is played at a different course each year that are located near or west of the Mississippi River. From 1987 to 2009, the field...
- 1929 Nebraska Amateur
- 1930 Nebraska Amateur
- 1931 Trans-Mississippi AmateurTrans-Mississippi AmateurThe Trans-Mississippi Amateur or Trans-Miss Amateur is an annual golf tournament. It is organized by the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association and was first played in 1901. It is played at a different course each year that are located near or west of the Mississippi River. From 1987 to 2009, the field...
, Nebraska Amateur - 1933 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...
- 1935 Trans-Mississippi AmateurTrans-Mississippi AmateurThe Trans-Mississippi Amateur or Trans-Miss Amateur is an annual golf tournament. It is organized by the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association and was first played in 1901. It is played at a different course each year that are located near or west of the Mississippi River. From 1987 to 2009, the field...
- 1936 Mexican Amateur
- 1937 U.S. Amateur, Mexican Amateur
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1933 | 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... |
6 shot lead | -1 (75-66-70-76=287) | 1 stroke | Ralph Guldahl Ralph Guldahl Ralph J. Guldahl was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the sport for three years in the late 1930s.-Early life until 1939:Guldahl was born in Dallas, Texas... |
Amateur wins (1)
Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|
1937 | U.S. Amateur | 2 up | Raymond E. Billows |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | NYF | NYF | NYF |
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 | T45 |
U.S. Amateur | DNQ | DNP | R16 |
British Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | DNP | DNP | 43 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
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... |
T11 | DNP | T14 LA | 1 LA | T43 | T36 | T22 | 8 LA | DNP | CUT |
U.S. Amateur | R32 | R32 | 2 | R32 | R128 | SF | SF | 1 | QF | R32 |
British Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | R16 | DNP | DNP | DNP | R32 | DNP |
Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | NT | NT | NT | DNP | DNP |
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... |
CUT | CUT | NT | NT | NT | NT | CUT | DNP |
U.S. Amateur | DNQ | R64 | NT | NT | NT | NT | DNQ | R32 |
British Amateur | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | DNP | DNP |
Note: Goodman never played in the British Open
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
or the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
.
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1934 British Amateur: Reading Eagle, May 24, 1934, pg. 17.
Source for 1936 Masters: www.masters.com
Source for 1938 British Amateur: TIME Magazine, June 6, 1938
LA = Low Amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10