George Simpson (golfer)

George Simpson
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name	George O. Simpson
Born	(1887-01-01)1 January 1887 Monifieth, Scotland
Died	27 January 1920(1920-01-27) (aged 33) Chicago, Illinois
Nationality	Scotland  United States
Career
Turned professional	1911
Best results in major championships
U.S. Open	3rd: 1911
The Open Championship	DNP
PGA Championship	T9: 1916

George O. Simpson (1 January 1887 – 27 January 1920) was a Scottish-American professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. Simpson had one top-10 finish in a golf major championship when he finished third in the 1911 U.S. Open.^[1] Simpson finished second in the 1910 Western Open.

Early life

Simpson was born 1 January 1887 in Monifieth, Scotland.^[2] He emigrated to the United States (date unknown) to further his career as a professional golfer. He held posts as professional at Wheaton Golf Club, La Grange Country Club,^[3] and Oak Park Country Club,^[2] all in Illinois.

Golf career

1911 U.S. Open

The 1911 U.S. Open was the 17th U.S. Open, held June 23–26 at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. 19-year-old John McDermott became the first American-born U.S. Open champion by defeating Mike Brady and George Simpson in an 18-hole playoff.^[1]

Playoff

In the playoff on Monday, McDermott led Brady by four after the turn, with Simpson five back. Brady then played the next four holes in 1-under par while McDermott made three consecutive bogeys, evening up the contest heading to the 15th. McDermott took the lead after Brady missed a 4-footer for par, then sealed the championship with an approach to the 18th that settled 10 feet from the hole. He two-putted from there for an 80, two ahead of Brady and five ahead of Simpson who shot a disappointing 85. He won $100 for a third place finish in the tournament.^[1]

Death and legacy

Simpson died in Chicago, Illinois, on 27 January 1920. He finished third in the 1911 U.S. Open and was a former Scottish Amateur champion before emigrating to the U.S. and turning professional in 1911.^[4][5] He finished second in the 1910 Western Open, losing to Chick Evans at Beverly Country Club by the score of 6 and 5.^[3]

Simpson graciously praised Evans when he said, “I’ve learned the greatest golf lesson of my life today. I consider it a greater honor to be beaten by the kind of golf you have played than to have remained out of the tournament because I did not fancy match play.”^[3]

Results in major championships

Note: Simpson never played only in the Masters Tournament nor The Open Championship.

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
? = unknown
Yellow background for top-10

References