Jim Ferrier
Jim Ferrier | |||
---|---|---|---|
Sydney, Australia | |||
Died | 13 June 1986 Burbank, California[2] | (aged 71)||
Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13.7 st) | ||
Sporting nationality | |||
Spouse | |||
Career | |||
Turned professional | 1941[3] | ||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour | ||
Professional wins | 36 | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
PGA Tour | 18 | ||
PGA Tour of Australasia | 13 | ||
Other | 5 | ||
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |||
Masters Tournament | 2nd: 1950 | ||
PGA Championship | Won: 1947 | ||
U.S. Open | T5: 1950 | ||
The Open Championship | T44: 1936 | ||
British Amateur | 2nd: 1936 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
|
James Bennett Elliott Ferrier (24 February 1915 – 13 June 1986)[2] was an Australian professional golfer from Manly, New South Wales. After compiling a fine record as an amateur golfer in Australia during the 1930s, he moved to the United States in 1940, turned professional in 1941, and joined the U.S. PGA Tour. He won the PGA Championship in 1947, among his 18 Tour titles, and was the first Australian and first golfer from the southern hemisphere to win a professional golf major title. Ferrier became an American citizen in 1944.
Early life, family, early golf, education, marriage
Ferrier was born in Sydney, son of John Bennett Ferrier, who had worked as both an insurance clerk and an employee of
Championship success
Ferrier was playing to a handicap of scratch (zero) by his mid-teens, when he left school to be able to play more golf; he was club champion for the first time at Manly at age 15.[3] His first significant win at the state level came in the 1931 New South Wales Amateur Championship, and he repeated there in 1934, 1937, and 1938.[8] From age 16, Ferrier represented New South Wales seven times in Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches, in 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1939 and he compiled an overall head-to-head record of 7 wins and 3 losses in those events.[9] He also played for New South Wales in the 1932 Kirk-Windeyer Cup, winning all his matches.[10][11]
He was runner-up in the 1931 Australian Open at the age of 16, taking a six on the 72nd hole to lose by one stroke to five-time champion Ivo Whitton.[3] He also finished runner-up in that championship in 1933 and 1935. He broke through to win in both 1938 (by 14 strokes) and 1939, still as an amateur. He won the Australian Amateur title in 1935, 1936, 1938 and 1939; his four titles in that event is tied for most with Michael Scott. Ferrier was also victorious in eight further significant Australian professional Open events during the 1930s (see below).
He had the opportunity to play exhibitions at Manly Golf Club with world-class players such as
Ferrier was runner-up in 1936 to Hector Thompson by 2-up, in The Amateur Championship at St Andrews; this was the best result by an Australian to that juncture, in the world's oldest amateur championship. On that same trip to the British Isles, Ferrier became the first Australian to win the Golf Illustrated Gold Vase, at the Ashridge Golf Club; this was one of the most prestigious amateur events in England. He traveled by ship from Australia to Britain, then on to the USA by ship after his British golf events, flew across the North American continent, then returned to Australia by ship across the Pacific, making a global circuit. He met Sarazen and woman pro Helen Hicks on ship, and played with them in Australia.[3] Sarazen won the 1936 Australian Open.
Ferrier worked as a golf reporter and writer for several Australian publications.[3]
Ferrier married Norma Kathleen Jennings on 12 January 1938 at All Saints Church of England, Woolhara, Sydney.[2] He taught Norma to play golf, and she eventually reached a three handicap, being proficient enough to help her husband with his game.[3] The couple had no children.
Moves to USA, turns pro, joins PGA Tour
In 1940, Ferrier went to the United States as a golf journalist, writing for
As an amateur, Ferrier played several Tour events in 1940, including the Masters Tournament, to which he had been invited based on his amateur record in Australia.[3] However, he was allowed to enter several other amateur events in the U.S., despite the USGA's ruling. He scored his first win in the USA in the 1940 Chicago District Amateur Championship, at the Riverside Golf Club.[16] In January 1941, Ferrier lost to George Dawson in the 36-hole final of the Miami Biltmore Hotel Amateur Championship.[17]
He turned professional in March 1941
With the United States declaring war on Japan, Nazi Germany, and Italy, in December 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Ferrier and his wife Norma worked in defense industry jobs in the Chicago area during World War II; this was part of conditions to become American citizens.[3] He served in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1945, rising to the rank of staff sergeant.[2] While stationed in the artillery at Camp Roberts, California,[19] he gained his first tour victory at the Oakland Open in December 1944, a week after a runner-up finish to Byron Nelson in San Francisco.[20][21]
In 1946, following discharge from the Army, Ferrier embarked on full-time PGA Tour play. That year, he made golf history by becoming the first player to score a
Ferrier's most significant career win came at the PGA Championship in 1947, one of golf's four major championships. He was the first Australian to win a major, and at the time this gave him a lifetime exemption to PGA Tour events. The previous year, he was the medalist in the stroke play qualifier and set the scoring record.[23]
Ferrier returned to Australia on a trip in 1948, and lost an 18-hole playoff in the Australian Open to Ossie Pickworth, who won his third straight title. Pickworth, three years younger, had also grown up at the Manly Golf Club, had caddied for Ferrier there, and had worked at the club as an assistant professional.
At the 1950 Masters, Ferrier led Jimmy Demaret by three shots with six holes to play, but finished two strokes back as the runner-up to Demaret. He scored 16 of his 18 PGA titles between 1947 and 1952, with a peak of five wins in 1951; that was second on Tour to Cary Middlecoff (6). He was second leading money winner on the Tour that year, behind only Lloyd Mangrum. Ferrier's other significant victories included consecutive Canadian Open titles in 1950 and 1951.
Ferrier was renowned as an outstanding putter.
Later years, death
Ferrier greatly scaled back his PGA Tour competition from 1954, and took a financially lucrative club professional's job with the Lakeside Country Club in suburban Los Angeles, for eight years.[2] He did return to playing more Tour events in the early to mid 1960s, with some success. He was runner-up in the 1960 PGA Championship at age 45. His final Tour win in 1961 snapped a nine-year winless stretch, and he also won a California regional pro event in 1963 in his 48th year.
But his game fell off after that, although he continued to play some Tour events into the late 1970s, using his lifetime exemption.
Ferrier became a member at the same city's Wilshire Country Club.[3]
On 6 January 1955 (Season 5 Episode 17),[25] Ferrier appeared on the television game show You Bet Your Life hosted by Groucho Marx, of Marx Brothers fame. He was paired with Marilyn Pierce, a dog trainer and former model.
Ferrier died in Burbank, California, in 1986 at the age of 71.[2]
Legacy, honors
Ferrier's record in important Australian events was as good as anyone's in the 1930s, although he competed as an amateur; he won a total of ten Open events, where professionals were in the field; he also won a total of eight significant amateur events in Australia. His total of four titles, achieved over a span of five years, in the Australian Amateur Championship is tied for the most ever, with Hon.
Ferrier did not begin playing the American PGA Tour full-time until 1946, the year he turned 31 years old. But over the next eight seasons, he compiled a very impressive record for outstanding, consistent play. From 1946 to 1953 inclusive, Ferrier finished in the top-25 of Tour events a total of 202 times. Over eight-year periods across the Tour's history, this total has been topped only by
Ferrier's five wins on the regular PGA Tour in the 1951 season was the most by an Australian until it was matched by Jason Day in 2015.
Ferrier was ranked #22, through the 1988 season, by the Tour's wide-ranging statistical project, which tabulated in detail the performance statistics for the Tour's top 500 players, through the 1988 season.
Ferrier was the first Australian to win one of the four men's professional championships. He was also the first player from the Southern Hemisphere to win a major.
Ferrier's example set the stage for the international success of stars such as
Until the arrival of South African Gary Player on the U.S. Tour in the late 1950s, Ferrier was the most successful non-American in that Tour's history, or at least since Tommy Armour played in the 1920s and 1930s. Ferrier was certainly the most successful non-American of his era. Until the arrival of fellow Australian Greg Norman on the U.S. Tour in the 1980s, Ferrier was the most successful Australian on that Tour. Travel between golf tournaments became notably easier after Ferrier and his cohorts wound down their careers; players of his era mostly drove their cars. As airline service improved in the U.S. and around the world, and as tournament prizes rose greatly, later generations were able to save time and energy by flying between tournaments.[3][1]
As his success mounted, Ferrier helped to design a signature set of Wilson golf clubs; Wilson also issued a replica of Ferrier's putter – the Grandmaster – from his 1947 PGA Championship win; this putter is now a collector's item. He was made a member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame with its inaugural class in 1985.[26] He received an entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. His portrait is in the Australian National Portrait Gallery.[27]
Writings
- Jim Ferrier's Golf Shots, 1940, Australia.
- The Golf Clinic, 1949 (contributor)[2]
Amateur wins
(This list may be incomplete)
- 1931 New South Wales Amateur
- 1934 Queensland Amateur, New South Wales Amateur
- 1935 Queensland Amateur, Australian Amateur
- 1936 Australian Amateur, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase
- 1937 New South Wales Amateur
- 1938 Queensland Amateur, New South Wales Amateur
- 1939 Queensland Amateur, Australian Amateur
- 1940 Chicago District Amateur
Professional wins (36)
PGA Tour wins (18)
Legend |
Major championships (1) |
Other PGA Tour (17) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 December 1944 | Oakland Open | −3 (73-68-68-68=277) | 1 stroke | Ky Laffoon |
2 | 24 June 1947 | PGA Championship | 2 and 1 | Chick Harbert | |
3 | 3 August 1947 | St. Paul Open
|
−16 (69-67-70-66=272) | Playoff | Fred Haas |
4 | 9 March 1948 | Miami International Four-Ball (with Cary Middlecoff) |
1 up | Ed Furgol and Ellsworth Vines | |
5 | 13 March 1949 | Miami International Four-Ball (2) (with Cary Middlecoff) |
9 and 8 | Skip Alexander and Harry Cooper | |
6 | 21 August 1949 | Grand Rapids Open | −25 (66-67-65-65=263) | 4 strokes | Dutch Harrison |
7 | 11 September 1949 | Kansas City Open
|
−11 (69-69-69-70=277) | 4 strokes | Dick Metz |
8 | 16 July 1950 | Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Sam Snead) |
+18 points | 13 points | Fred Haas and Fred Hawkins |
9 | 23 July 1950 | St. Paul Open (2)
|
−12 (65-71-69-71=276) | Playoff | Sam Snead |
10 | 27 August 1950 | Canadian Open | −17 (68-67-66-70=271) | 3 strokes | Ted Kroll |
11 | 4 March 1951 | St. Petersburg Open
|
−16 (64-69-66-69=268) | 6 strokes | Al Brosch |
12 | 11 March 1951 | Miami Beach Open | −15 (69-65-70-69=273) | 1 stroke | Chuck Klein, Sam Snead |
13 | 19 March 1951 | Jacksonville Open
|
−16 (68-68-68-68=272) | 11 strokes | Lloyd Mangrum, Jack Shields |
14 | 7 July 1951 | Canadian Open (2) | −7 (65-72-69-67=273) | 2 strokes | Fred Hawkins, Ed Oliver |
15 | 26 August 1951 | Fort Wayne Open | −19 (66-66-66-71=269) | 1 stroke | Cary Middlecoff |
16 | 29 June 1952 | Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (2) (with Sam Snead) |
+13 points | 12 points | Doug Ford and Ed Oliver |
17 | 7 September 1952 | Empire State Open | −18 (63-67-62-70=262) | 6 strokes | Sam Snead |
18 | 5 Nov 1961 | Almaden Open Invitational
|
−9 (69-72-66-72=279) | 1 stroke | Bob Rosburg |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1947 | St. Paul Open
|
Fred Haas | Won 18-hole playoff; Ferrier: −4 (68), Haas: −1 (71) |
2 | 1950 | St. Paul Open
|
Sam Snead | Won with par on third extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Ferrier: −3 (69), Snead: −3 (69) |
3 | 1953 | Houston Open | Shelley Mayfield, Cary Middlecoff, Bill Nary, Earl Stewart |
Middlecoff won 18-hole playoff; Middlecoff: −3 (69), Ferrier: −1 (71), Mayfield: −1 (71), Stewart: E (72), Nary: +3 (75) |
Australasian wins (13)
Note: wins before 1941 as an amateur
- 1933 New South Wales Close
- 1934 Queensland Open
- 1935 New South Wales Close
- 1936 New South Wales Close, Lakes Open
- 1937 New South Wales Close, Lakes Open
- 1938 Australian Open, New South Wales Close, Queensland Open
- 1939 Australian Open, Queensland Open
- 1948 Lakes Open
Other wins (5)
(This list may be incomplete)
- 1944 Northern California Open
- 1945 Northern California Open, 9th Service Command Golf Championship[28]
- 1955 Southern California PGA Championship
- 1963 Southern California Open
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | Winning score | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|
1947 | PGA Championship | 2 & 1 | Chick Harbert |
Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
Results timeline
Tournament | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||||
U.S. Open | ||||
The Open Championship | T44 | |||
PGA Championship | ||||
The Amateur Championship | 2 |
Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 26 | T29 | T15 | NT | NT | NT | T4 | T6 | T4 | T16 |
U.S. Open | T29 | T30 | NT | NT | NT | NT | CUT | T6 | CUT | T23 |
The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | ||||
PGA Championship | NT | R16 | 1 | R32 | SF |
Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 2 | 7 | T3 | T16 | WD | |||||
U.S. Open | T5 | CUT | CUT | |||||||
The Open Championship | ||||||||||
PGA Championship | R32 | R16 | R32 | R32 | T38 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | T5 | CUT | |||||||
U.S. Open | CUT | T22 | CUT | WD | ||||||
The Open Championship | ||||||||||
PGA Championship | 2 | T45 | T39 | 7 | T56 | CUT | T49 | T64 | CUT | CUT |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | ||||||||
U.S. Open | ||||||||
The Open Championship | ||||||||
PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | WD |
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 12 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 6 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
PGA Championship | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 16 |
Totals | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 51 | 35 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (twice)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (1946 PGA – 1948 Masters)
Team appearances
Amateur
- Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing New South Wales): 1931, 1933, 1934 (winners), 1935, 1936, 1937 (winners), 1939
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 0-385-26145-4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Stoddart, Brian. "Ferrier, James Bennett (Jim) (1915–1986)". Ferrier, James Bennett Elliott (Jim) (1915–1986). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0689115172.
- ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography, entry for Jim Ferrier
- ^ a b Barkow, 1986
- ^ Hoare, Willie (28 June 1947). "Australia's Jim Ferrier ranks with golf's best". St. Petersburg Times. p. 13.
- ASIN B000M1PWB4.
- ^ "Honour Roll: Men's NSW Amateur Champions". Golf NSW. 28 January 2016.
- ^ golf.org.au, men's interstate team match results
- ^ "Golf at Sydney". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LXIX, no. 21210. 16 June 1932. p. 9. Retrieved 21 October 2020 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Golf Cup Lost". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LXIX, no. 21211. 17 June 1932. p. 11. Retrieved 21 October 2020 – via Papers Past.
- ^ Witwer, Stan (21 December 1940). "Jim Ferrier displays links skill". St. Petersburg Times. p. 13.
- ^ Snider, Steve (27 August 1940). "USGA bars Big Jim Ferrier from Amateur tournament". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. p. 21.
- ^ McLemore, Henry (13 September 1940). "Jim Ferrier still best amateur". Calgary Herald. United Press. p. 6.
- ^ "Jim Ferrier". Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
- ^ "CDGA Amateur Championship – Tournament History". Chicago District Golf Association.
- ^ "Ferrier Beaten". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 January 1941. p. 10 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Jim Ferrier to turn professional". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Associated Press. 16 March 1941. p. 22.
- ^ "Jim Ferrier leads Byron by stroke". St. Petersburg Times. United Press. 4 December 1944. p. 9.
- ^ Wood, Hall (11 December 1944). "Jim Ferrier hottest thing in golf pants". Oxnard Press-Courier. p. 2.
- ^ "Ferrier victor in open golf". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 11 December 1944. p. 3.
- ^ Schrock, Cliff (3 March 2016). "When making one hole-in-one at a PGA Tour event just isn't enough". Golf Digest.
- ^ "Ferrier blasts new golf mark". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 21 August 1946. p. 10.
- ^ pgatour.com website, entry for Jim Ferrier
- ^ "You Bet Your Life #54-17 Jim Ferrier, golf pro (Secret word: 'Water', Jan 6, 1955)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021.
- ^ Sport Australia Hall of Fame website
- ^ portrait.gov.au, entry for Jim Ferrier
- ^ "Sgt. Jim Ferrier Wins Service Golf Title". The Telegraph. 23 July 1945.