Bobby Locke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bobby Locke
Locke in Australia (1938)
Personal information
Full name	Arthur D'Arcy Locke
Nickname	Bobby Old Baggy Pants Muffin Face Lantern Jowls Moon Face
Born	(1917-11-20)20 November 1917 Germiston, South Africa
Died	9 March 1987(1987-03-09) (aged 69) Johannesburg, South Africa
Nationality	South Africa
Spouse	Hester Elizabeth 'Lillian' le Roux (divorced 1952) Mary Elizabeth Fenton (m. 1958–87, his death)
Children	Dianne and Carolyn
Career
Turned professional	1938
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	94
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	15
Sunshine Tour	50 (total South African wins)
Other	29
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 4)
The Masters Tournament	T10: 1948
U.S. Open	3rd/T3: 1947, 1951
The Open Championship	Won: 1949, 1950, 1952, 1957
PGA Championship	T33: 1947
British Amateur	T33: 1937
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1977
Harry Vardon Trophy	1946, 1950, 1954

Arthur D'Arcy "Bobby" Locke (born November 20, 1917 – died March 9, 1987) was a famous professional golfer from South Africa. Many people consider him one of the best golfers ever. He won The Open Championship four times and a total of 15 PGA Tour events. He also won many tournaments in his home country, South Africa, including the South African Open nine times!

Biography

Early Life and Golf

Bobby Locke was born in Germiston, South Africa. He was the only son of his parents, Mr. C.J. and Mrs. O. Locke. He finished high school in 1934.

He first won the South African Open in 1935 when he was still an amateur (meaning he didn't play for money). He was only 17 years old! He played in his first Open Championship in 1936 at age 18 and was the best amateur player there.

Bobby became a professional golfer in March 1938 when he was 20.

Serving in World War II

Bobby Locke's golf career was paused when he joined the South African Air Force during World War II. He trained to be a pilot and flew different types of aircraft. He became a flying instructor, teaching new pilots how to fly.

Later in the war, he was sent to the Middle East and then to Italy. There, he flew large transport planes, helping to move troops and equipment. He was honorably discharged from the military in October 1945.

Success in the United States

After the war, Bobby Locke started playing golf again in South Africa and did very well. In 1947, he played against Sam Snead, a top American golfer, in a series of matches in South Africa. Bobby won most of these matches!

Sam Snead was so impressed that he told Bobby to try playing on the PGA Tour in the United States. Bobby took his advice and went to the U.S. in April 1947. Even though he started late in the season, Bobby was amazing. In about two and a half years, he played in 59 tournaments, won 11 of them, and finished in the top three in more than half! In 1947, he won six tournaments and was almost the top earner on the American tour.

Winning Around the World

After his time on the PGA Tour, Bobby Locke continued to play golf in Europe and Africa, where he felt more at home. He won 23 tournaments in Europe. His biggest wins were his four victories at The Open Championship in 1949, 1950, 1952, and 1957. He was the first of many South African golfers to win major championships, followed by other greats like Gary Player and Ernie Els.

His win in the 1957 Open Championship had a small rule issue. After he marked his ball on the last green, he didn't put it back exactly right before putting. Even though this was noticed later, the golf committee decided his win should still count, saying it was fair and in the "spirit of the game."

Bobby also played in other parts of the world. In 1955, he won the Australian Open. In 1959, he was in a serious car accident. After that, he had problems like migraines and eye issues, which made it hard for him to compete as much. He still played sometimes but didn't win as often.

In 1977, Bobby Locke was chosen to be in the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was only the second person not from the U.S. or the UK to receive this honor. He passed away in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1987.

How He Played Golf

Bobby Locke was known for his amazing putting. He famously said, "You drive for show, but putt for dough." This means that while hitting the ball far (driving) looks impressive, it's putting the ball into the hole (for money) that truly wins games.

He often wore his special knickerbockers (a type of short pants), white shoes, and stockings. He played golf slowly and carefully. When he putted, he had a very unusual style. He would bring the putter back in a unique way and then hit the ball to make it spin a lot. He was very good at reading the greens to see how the ball would roll. He even thought he could make his putts "hook" or "slice" like full shots!

Bobby didn't hit the ball super far from the tee, but he was very accurate. He always aimed to hit the fairways (the mowed part of the course) and the greens. He usually hit the ball with a strong right-to-left curve.

Another golfer, Jim Ferrier, said that Bobby's putting style was perfect for the types of grass used on greens in warm places like South Africa and the southern U.S. This grass, called Bermuda-grass, was very thick. Bobby's putting method helped the ball roll smoothly on top of the grass without being affected by it. Bobby learned this special technique from Walter Hagen, another famous golfer, in South Africa in 1938.

Amateur Wins

• 1931 South Africa Boys
• 1935 South African Amateur, Natal Amateur, Transvaal Amateur
• 1936 Natal Amateur, Lucifer Empire Trophy
• 1937 South African Amateur, Transvaal Amateur, Orange Free State Amateur

Professional Wins (94)

PGA Tour Wins (15)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	11 May 1947	Houston Open	−11 (71-67-70-69=277)	5 strokes	Johnny Palmer, Ellsworth Vines
2	25 May 1947	Philadelphia Inquirer Open	−7 (68-69-70-70=277)	4 strokes	Matt Kowal, Lloyd Mangrum
3	1 Jun 1947	Goodall Round Robin	+37 points	4 points	Vic Ghezzi
4	8 Jul 1947	All American Open	−12 (66-68-71-71=276)	Playoff	Ed Oliver
5	19 Jul 1947	Canadian Open	−16 (68-66-67-67=268)	2 strokes	Ed Oliver
6	27 Jul 1947	Columbus Invitational	−14 (70-68-67-69=274)	5 strokes	Jimmy Demaret
7	25 Jan 1948	Phoenix Open	−16 (65-69-67-67=268)	1 stroke	Jimmy Demaret
8	20 Jun 1948	Chicago Victory National Open	−18 (65-65-70-66=266)	16 strokes	Ellsworth Vines
9	18 Apr 1949	Cavalier Specialists Invitational	−6 (67-68-66=201)	Playoff	Frank Stranahan (a)
10	15 May 1949	Goodall Round Robin (2)	+66 points	33 points	Herman Barron
11	9 Jul 1949	The Open Championship	−5 (69-76-68-70=283)	Playoff	Harry Bradshaw
12	7 Jul 1950	The Open Championship (2)	−1 (69-72-70-68=279)	2 strokes	Roberto De Vicenzo
13	9 Aug 1950	All American Open (2)	−6 (72-74-69-67=282)	Playoff	Lloyd Mangrum
14	11 Jul 1952	The Open Championship (3)	−1 (69-71-74-73=287)	1 stroke	Peter Thomson
15	5 Jul 1957	The Open Championship (4)	−9 (69-72-68-70=279)	3 strokes	Peter Thomson

PGA Tour Playoff Record (4 wins, 0 losses)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1947	All American Open	Ed Oliver	Won 36-hole playoff; Locke: −4 (68-72=140), Oliver: +2 (71-75=146)
2	1949	Cavalier Specialists Invitational	Frank Stranahan (a)	Won 18-hole playoff; Locke: −1 (68), Stranahan: +1 (70)
3	1949	The Open Championship	Harry Bradshaw	Won 36-hole playoff; Locke: −9 (67-68=135), Bradshaw: +3 (74-73=147)
4	1950	All American Open	Lloyd Mangrum	Won 18-hole playoff; Locke: −3 (69), Mangrum: +1 (73)

South Africa Wins (50)

• 1935 Natal Open, South African Open (both as an amateur)
• 1936 Natal Open (as an amateur)
• 1937 South African Open, Transvaal Open (both as an amateur)
• 1938 South African Open, South Africa Professional, Transvaal Open
• 1939 South African Open, South Africa Professional, Transvaal Open
• 1940 South African Open, South Africa Professional, Transvaal Open
• 1946 South African Open, South Africa Professional, Transvaal Open
• 1949 Stanley Motors 1,000 Guineas Tournament, Transvaal Open
• 1950 Dunlop £1.000 Tournament, Stanley Motors 1,000 Guineas Tournament, Transvaal Open, Western Transvaal Open, Grey Slax £1,000 Tournament, South Africa Professional, South African Open, Grey Slax £1,000 Tournament
• 1951 Stag £1,000 Matchplay, Stanley Motors 1,000 Guineas Tournament, Transvaal Open, East Rand Open, South Africa Professional, South African Open, Dunlop Masters £1,000 Tournament
• 1952 Stag £1,000 Matchplay, Stanley Motors 1,000 Guineas Tournament
• 1953 SANTA Open, Natal Open
• 1954 SANTA Open, Transvaal Open, Mills 1,000 Guineas Tournament
• 1955 Transvaal Open, South African Open, South Africa Professional
• 1956 Western Province Open
• 1957 East Rand Open
• 1958 Transvaal Open, Western Province Open, East Rand Open (tie with Eric Moore)
• 1960 East Rand Open

Other Wins (29)

• 1938 Irish Open, New Zealand Open
• 1939 Dutch Open
• 1946 Yorkshire Evening News Tournament, Brand-Lochryn Tournament, Dunlop Masters
• 1947 Carolinas Open, Carolinas PGA Championship
• 1948 Carolinas Open
• 1950 Dunlop Tournament, Spalding Tournament, North British-Harrogate Tournament
• 1952 French Open, Mexican Open, Lotus Tournament, Carolinas Open
• 1953 French Open
• 1954 Egyptian Open, German Open, Swiss Open, Dunlop Tournament, Dunlop British Masters (tie with Jimmy Adams), Egyptian Match Play, Swallow-Harrogate Tournament (Stroke play stage)
• 1955 Australian Open
• 1957 Daks Tournament, Bowmaker Tournament (tied with Frank Jowle)
• 1959 New Hampshire Open, Bowmaker Tournament

Major Championships

Wins (4)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1949	The Open Championship	Tied for lead	−5 (69-76-68-70=283)	Playoff 1	Harry Bradshaw
1950	The Open Championship (2)	Tied for lead	−1 (69-72-70-68=279)	2 strokes	Roberto De Vicenzo
1952	The Open Championship (3)	1 shot deficit	−1 (69-71-74-73=287)	1 stroke	Peter Thomson
1957	The Open Championship (4)	3 shot lead	−9 (69-72-68-70=279)	3 strokes	Peter Thomson

¹ Defeated Harry Bradshaw in 36-hole playoff: Locke (135), Bradshaw (147)

Summary of Major Championship Results

• Most consecutive cuts made – 19 (from the 1936 Open Championship to the 1952 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10 finishes – 5 (from the 1949 U.S. Open to the 1951 Open Championship)

Team Appearances

Bobby Locke also represented South Africa and other teams in golf competitions:

• South African Amateur Golf Team to England 1937
• Canada Cup (representing South Africa): 1953, 1954, 1956, 1960
• Slazenger Trophy (representing British Commonwealth and Empire): 1956
• Hopkins Trophy (representing Canada): 1952, 1953, 1954

See also

• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• List of men's major championships winning golfers