Johnny Goodman

For other people of the same name, see John Goodman (disambiguation).

Johnny Goodman
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name	John George Goodman
Born	(1909-12-28)December 28, 1909 South Omaha, Nebraska
Died	August 8, 1970(1970-08-08) (aged 60) South Gate, California
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Nationality	United States
Spouse	Josephine Kersigo (1938–70)
Career
Turned professional	1960
Professional wins	1
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	1
Best results in major championships (Wins: 2)
Masters Tournament	43rd: 1936
U.S. Open	Won: 1933
The Open Championship	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP
U.S. Amateur	Won: 1937
British Amateur	T9: 1934

John George Goodman (December 28, 1909 – August 8, 1970) was the last amateur golfer 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 Lithuanian 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.

Tournament wins (60)

this list may be incomplete

1925 Omaha Caddie Championship, Omaha Metropolitan Golf Championship
1927 Trans-Mississippi Amateur
1929 Nebraska Amateur
1930 Nebraska Amateur
1931 Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Nebraska Amateur
1933 U.S. Open
1935 Trans-Mississippi Amateur
1936 Mexican Amateur, Arcola Country Club Invitational
1937 U.S. Amateur, Mexican Amateur
1939 Arcola Country Club Invitational

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1933	U.S. Open	6 shot lead	−1 (75-66-70-76=287)	1 stroke	Ralph Guldahl

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	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	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	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 Open Championship 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

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Walker Cup: 1934 (winners), 1936 (winners), 1938

External links

Washington Post review of The King of Swings: Johnny Goodman, the Last Amateur to Beat the Pros at Their Own Game

U.S. Open champions

1895 Horace Rawlins 1896 James Foulis 1897 Joe Lloyd 1898 Fred Herd 1899 Willie Smith 1900 Harry Vardon 1901 Willie Anderson† 1902 Laurie Auchterlonie 1903 Willie Anderson† 1904 Willie Anderson 1905 Willie Anderson 1906 Alex Smith 1907 Alec Ross 1908 Fred McLeod† 1909 George Sargent 1910 Alex Smith† 1911 John McDermott† 1912 John McDermott 1913 Francis Ouimet#† 1914‡ Walter Hagen 1915 Jerome Travers# 1916 Chick Evans# 1917–18 Cancelled due to World War I 1919 Walter Hagen† 1920 Ted Ray 1921‡ Jim Barnes 1922 Gene Sarazen 1923 Bobby Jones#† 1924 Cyril Walker 1925 Willie Macfarlane† 1926 Bobby Jones# 1927 Tommy Armour† 1928 Johnny Farrell† 1929 Bobby Jones#† 1930 Bobby Jones# 1931 Billy Burke† 1932 Gene Sarazen 1933 Johnny Goodman# 1934 Olin Dutra 1935 Sam Parks, Jr. 1936 Tony Manero 1937 Ralph Guldahl 1938 Ralph Guldahl 1939 Byron Nelson† 1940 Lawson Little† 1941 Craig Wood 1942–45 Cancelled due to World War II 1946 Lloyd Mangrum† 1947 Lew Worsham† 1948 Ben Hogan 1949 Cary Middlecoff 1950 Ben Hogan† 1951 Ben Hogan 1952 Julius Boros 1953‡ Ben Hogan 1954 Ed Furgol 1955 Jack Fleck† 1956 Cary Middlecoff 1957 Dick Mayer† 1958 Tommy Bolt 1959 Billy Casper 1960 Arnold Palmer 1961 Gene Littler 1962 Jack Nicklaus† 1963 Julius Boros† 1964 Ken Venturi 1965 Gary Player† 1966 Billy Casper† 1967 Jack Nicklaus 1968 Lee Trevino 1969 Orville Moody 1970‡ Tony Jacklin 1971 Lee Trevino† 1972 Jack Nicklaus 1973 Johnny Miller 1974 Hale Irwin 1975 Lou Graham† 1976 Jerry Pate 1977 Hubert Green 1978 Andy North 1979 Hale Irwin 1980 Jack Nicklaus 1981 David Graham 1982 Tom Watson 1983 Larry Nelson 1984 Fuzzy Zoeller† 1985 Andy North 1986 Raymond Floyd 1987 Scott Simpson 1988 Curtis Strange† 1989 Curtis Strange 1990 Hale Irwin† 1991 Payne Stewart† 1992 Tom Kite 1993 Lee Janzen 1994 Ernie Els† 1995 Corey Pavin 1996 Steve Jones 1997 Ernie Els 1998 Lee Janzen 1999 Payne Stewart 2000‡ Tiger Woods 2001 Retief Goosen† 2002‡ Tiger Woods 2003 Jim Furyk 2004 Retief Goosen 2005 Michael Campbell 2006 Geoff Ogilvy 2007 Ángel Cabrera 2008 Tiger Woods† 2009 Lucas Glover 2010 Graeme McDowell 2011‡ Rory McIlroy 2012 Webb Simpson 2013 Justin Rose 2014‡ Martin Kaymer

† indicates the event was won in a playoff; ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire; # indicates the event was won by an amateur

U.S. Amateur champions

1895 Charles B. Macdonald 1896 H. J. Whigham 1897 H. J. Whigham 1898 Findlay S. Douglas 1899 Herbert M. Harriman 1900 Walter Travis 1901 Walter Travis 1902 Louis N. James 1903 Walter Travis 1904 Chandler Egan 1905 Chandler Egan 1906 Eben Byers 1907 Jerome Travers 1908 Jerome Travers 1909 Robert A. Gardner 1910 William C. Fownes Jr. 1911 Harold Hilton† 1912 Jerome Travers 1913 Jerome Travers 1914 Francis Ouimet 1915 Robert A. Gardner 1916 Chick Evans 1917–18 Cancelled due to World War I 1919 S. Davidson Herron 1920 Chick Evans 1921 Jesse P. Guilford 1922 Jess Sweetser 1923 Max R. Marston† 1924 Bobby Jones 1925 Bobby Jones 1926 George Von Elm 1927 Bobby Jones 1928 Bobby Jones 1929 Harrison R. Johnston 1930 Bobby Jones 1931 Francis Ouimet 1932 Ross Somerville 1933 George Dunlap 1934 Lawson Little 1935 Lawson Little 1936 John Fischer† 1937 Johnny Goodman 1938 Willie Turnesa 1939 Bud Ward 1940 Dick Chapman 1941 Bud Ward 1942–45 Cancelled due to World War II 1946 Ted Bishop† 1947 Skee Riegel 1948 Willie Turnesa 1949 Charles Coe 1950 Sam Urzetta† 1951 Billy Maxwell 1952 Jack Westland 1953 Gene Littler 1954 Arnold Palmer 1955 Harvie Ward 1956 Harvie Ward 1957 Hillman Robbins 1958 Charles Coe 1959 Jack Nicklaus 1960 Deane Beman 1961 Jack Nicklaus 1962 Labron Harris, Jr. 1963 Deane Beman 1964 William C. Campbell 1965 Bob Murphy 1966 Gary Cowan† 1967 Bob Dickson 1968 Bruce Fleisher 1969 Steve Melnyk 1970 Lanny Wadkins 1971 Gary Cowan 1972 Vinny Giles 1973 Craig Stadler 1974 Jerry Pate 1975 Fred Ridley 1976 Bill Sander 1977 John Fought 1978 John Cook 1979 Mark O'Meara 1980 Hal Sutton 1981 Nathaniel Crosby 1982 Jay Sigel 1983 Jay Sigel 1984 Scott Verplank 1985 Sam Randolph 1986 Buddy Alexander 1987 Billy Mayfair 1988 Eric Meeks 1989 Chris Patton 1990 Phil Mickelson 1991 Mitch Voges 1992 Justin Leonard 1993 John Harris 1994 Tiger Woods 1995 Tiger Woods 1996 Tiger Woods† 1997 Matt Kuchar 1998 Hank Kuehne 1999 David Gossett 2000 Jeff Quinney† 2001 Bubba Dickerson 2002 Ricky Barnes 2003 Nick Flanagan† 2004 Ryan Moore 2005 Edoardo Molinari 2006 Richie Ramsay 2007 Colt Knost 2008 Danny Lee 2009 An Byeong-hun 2010 Peter Uihlein 2011 Kelly Kraft 2012 Steven Fox† 2013 Matthew Fitzpatrick 2014 Gunn Yang

† indicates the event was won in a playoff

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