Willie Tucker

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Willie Tucker, Sr.
Tucker, c. 1904
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Henry Tucker, Sr.
Born(1872-08-15)15 August 1872
England
Died6 October 1954(1954-10-06) (aged 82)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sporting nationality England
 United States
Career
Turned professionalc. 1890
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenT7: 1896
The Open ChampionshipT37: 1894

William Henry Tucker, Sr. (15 August 1872 – 6 October 1954) was an American

Southampton, New York.[1][2]

Although a fine golfer, the bulk of his career would not be spent as a tournament player but rather as a golf course architect.

Early life

Tucker was born in England on 15 August 1872.

Willie Dunn, Sr. and the sister of Tom Dunn and Willie Dunn. William Henry Tucker was a gardener from Devon.[6][7][8] After being widowed, Katherine also emigrated to the United States and lived with Tucker. She was still alive in 1930.[9]

Tucker had three younger brothers, Samuel, John and Thomas, who also emigrated to the United States.[10] His brother John Dunn Tucker was the first professional at Pinehurst and designed the second nine holes of the number 1 course.[11]

As a youngster Tucker was taught how to play golf by his father, a green keeper at Wimbledon Common Golf Club. He also became a proficient sod roller but rather than golf course maintenance he yearned for a career as a professional golfer.[3]

Golf career

At first, he moved to

Douglaston and built the present 27-hole Ridgewood Country Club course in Paramus, New Jersey, for A. W. Tillinghast.[13]

1896 U.S. Open

The

U.S. Amateur. However, there were 35 entrants and 28 finished the 36 holes.[1]

Golf course architecture

Tucker designed the St. Martin's course at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. It is named "St. Martin's" after the adjacent episcopal church, St. Martin's in the Fields. The club originally opened a 9-hole course in 1895, which was quickly replaced by the 18-hole St. Martin's course in 1898, designed by Willie Tucker. This course hosted the U.S. Open championships in 1907 and 1910, won by Alec Ross and Alex Smith, respectively. Today, this course has been reduced to a 9-hole layout. Despite the reduction, the 7th, 8th, and 9th holes are the same layout as they were played during the 1907 and 1910 U.S. Open championship.[14]

Tucker was one of the early pioneers in American golf course architecture. He designed at least four courses in the

Salt Lake City, Utah, and courses as far west as Washington state.[15] In 1895 he designed the original Denver Country club course which today is Overland Park golf course, the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi. He built a golf course at the University of New Mexico[3][16] and designed the Preakness Hills Country Club in Wayne, New Jersey, the latter completed in 1926.[13]

Family

Tucker was married to Annie Ada, née Jeal (1873-1951).[17] They had a son, Willie Tucker, Jr., who was also a golf course architect.

Death and legacy

Tucker died on 6 October 1954 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[4] The Championship Course at the University of New Mexico, designed by Tucker, has been home to the William H. Tucker Invitational for the past 43 years. The tournament is the second longest running college tournament in the U.S. and the golf course hosted the 61st playing of the event in 2015.[16]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5
    .
  2. ^ "Great Golf By Foulis". The New York Sun. 18 July 1896. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Trenham, Peter C. "A Chronicle of the Philadelphia Section PGA and Golf in the Philadelphia Area – The Leaders and the Legends (1895-1915)" (PDF). Trenham Golf History.org.
  4. ^ a b "William H. Tucker, Sr. (1872-1954)". Tributes.com.
  5. ^ "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  6. ^ "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  7. ^ "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  8. ^ "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  9. ^ "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  10. ^ "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  11. ^ "From Pasture to Pinehurst".
  12. The Glasgow Herald
    . 12 June 1894. p. 8.
  13. ^ a b c "Preakness Hills Country Club: Club History". PreaknessHills.org.
  14. ISBN 087833940X
    , pp. 129–131
  15. ^ "Golf Course Architecture". GolfClubAtlas.com.
  16. ^ a b "University of New Mexico Golf Course – Welcome!". Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Annie Ada Tucker 1873 - 1951 BillionGraves Record".
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