Tommy Bolt


Thomas Henry Bolt was an American professional golfer. He did not join the PGA Tour until he was in his thirties, but he went on to win 15 PGA Tour titles, including the 1958 U.S. Open. He played in the Ryder Cup in 1955 and 1957.

Early life

Bolt was born in Haworth, Oklahoma. He served in the United States Army during World War II and turned professional in 1946. He worked as a caddie and club professional in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Professional career

Bolt was the fifth PGA Tour player to shoot a round of 60 when he did it in the second round of the 1954 Insurance City Open at the par-71 Wethersfield Country Club, outside Hartford, Connecticut. Previously, Al Brosch, Wally Ulrich, Ted Kroll and Bill Nary had also scored 60. Bolt had 11 birdies in his round and had a putt for a 59, but missed a 15-foot putt for birdie on the 18th green. Bolt had scored 71 in his first round and followed with rounds of 69 and 71 over his final 36 holes. Bolt tied with Earl Stewart, but won an 18-hole playoff the following day.
Bolt was a member of the United States Ryder Cup teams in 1955 and 1957. In 1955, at Thunderbird Country Club in California, he won his two matches, including a singles victory over Christy O'Connor Snr. In the 1957 match at Lindrick Golf Club in England he won his foursomes match but lost to Eric Brown in the singles.
Bolt's fiery disposition earned him the nickname "Thunder" and "Terrible Tommy". He was known to break clubs during rounds, and his penchant for throwing clubs led to the adoption of a rule prohibiting such behavior. In his later years, he admitted that a lot of his on-course eruptions were merely showmanship and that he felt they had detracted from his playing.
Bolt was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002. He was also elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 2002.

Death

Bolt died in Cherokee Village, Arkansas at the age of 92. He is interred at Evening Shade Cemetery in Evening Shade, Arkansas.

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (15)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-upRef
1Nov 11, 1951North and South Open−5 3 strokes John Barnum
2Jan 8, 1952Los Angeles Open+5 Playoff Jack Burke Jr., Dutch Harrison
3Jan 18, 1953San Diego Open−14 3 strokes Doug Ford
4Feb 1, 1953Tucson Open−15 1 stroke Chandler Harper
5Mar 21, 1954Miami Beach International Four-Ball
−30 Playoff Julius Boros and Dutch Harrison
6Jun 28, 1954Insurance City Open−13 Playoff Earl Stewart
7Sep 5, 1954Rubber City Open−23 5 strokes Fred Hawkins
8Jan 23, 1955Convair-San Diego Open−14 2 strokes Johnny Palmer
9Feb 13, 1955Tucson Open−14 3 strokes Bud Holscher, Art Wall, Jr.
10Jul 10, 1955St. Paul Open−19 2 strokes Jerry Barber
11Jul 28, 1957Eastern Open Invitational−12 4 strokes Billy Casper, Fred Hawkins
12May 4, 1958Colonial National Invitation+2 1 stroke Ken Venturi
13Jun 14, 1958U.S. Open+3 4 strokes Gary Player
14Jun 6, 1960Memphis Open Invitational−7 Playoff Ben Hogan, Gene Littler
15Mar 12, 1961Pensacola Open Invitational−13 2 strokes Gary Player

Senior wins (5)

Wins (1)

Results timeline

Note: Bolt never played in The Open Championship.
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary