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Chandler Egan
Egan, circa 1904
Personal information
Full name Henry Chandler Egan
Born (1884-08-21)August 21, 1884
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died April 5, 1936(1936-04-05) (aged 51)
Everett, Washington
Nationality  United States
Spouse Nina Lydia McNally
(m.1910–1916)
Alice Barrett Scudder
(m.1917–1936) his death
Children 1
Career
College Harvard University
Status Amateur
Best results in Major Championships
(Wins: 2)
The Masters Tournament 60th: 1935
U.S. Open T8: 1906
The Open Championship DNP
PGA Championship DNP
U.S. Amateur Won: 1904, 1905
British Amateur T129: 1934

Henry Chandler Egan (born August 21, 1884 – died April 5, 1936) was an American golf star. He was an amateur golfer and also designed many golf courses in the early 1900s.

A Young Golf Star

Chandler Egan was born in Chicago, Illinois. Back then, Chicago was a very important place for golf in the United States. The first 18-hole golf course in the country, the Chicago Golf Club, was built near there in 1895.

Egan started playing golf at age 12 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He went to Rugby School for high school. He was a great football player there. Since his school didn't have a golf team, he practiced at his father's club, Exmoor Country Club.

He later went to Harvard University. There, he quickly became the captain of the college golf team. His team won three national college golf championships from 1902 to 1904. Chandler also won the individual championship in 1902.

Winning Championships and Olympic Medals

Chandler Egan won his first big tournament outside of college in 1902. It was called the Western Amateur, and it was held at the Chicago Golf Club. What made it even more special was that his cousin, Walter Egan, was the runner-up!

The cousins played against each other again a year later. This time, Walter won, and Chandler came in second. But Chandler Egan won the Western Amateur again in 1904, 1905 (with Walter as runner-up again), and 1907.

In 1904, Egan reached the top of amateur golf in the U.S. He won the U.S. Amateur tournament. It was played at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. He won the title again the next year at his home course, the Chicago Golf Club.

Egan was playing very well when the 1904 Summer Olympics took place. Golf was part of the Olympics for the last time that year. Chandler's U.S. team, which included his cousin Walter, won the team gold medal. However, Chandler won the individual silver medal. He was beaten by George Lyon from Canada. Lyon was 46 years old, more than twice Chandler's age! Egan later said that Lyon's powerful shots made him play differently than usual.

Life in Oregon

After finishing second in the 1909 U.S. Amateur, Egan took a break from golf competitions. In 1911, he bought a large apple and pear orchard in Medford, Oregon.

He started playing golf competitively again in 1914. He finished second in the Pacific Northwest Amateur championship to Jack Neville. A year later, Egan and Neville played again, and this time Egan won. He won the Pacific Northwest Amateur four more times: in 1920, 1923, 1925, and 1932. He also won the California State Amateur in 1926.

Chandler Egan was also part of two U.S. teams that won the Walker Cup in 1930 and 1934. This is a major team golf competition.

Designing Golf Courses

In the 1910s, Egan started a new career: designing golf courses. He created many famous courses in Oregon. Some of these include the Eugene Country Club, Eastmoreland Golf Course, Oswego Lake Country Club, and Waverley Country Club.

In 1929, Egan worked with a famous golf architect named Alister MacKenzie. They helped improve the Pebble Beach Golf Links for the 1929 U.S. Amateur. Chandler even played in that tournament and reached the semifinals! He also helped MacKenzie design other courses, like Green Hills Country Club in California.

Egan also designed the Indian Canyon municipal course in Spokane, Washington. It opened in 1935.

His Final Years and Legacy

In 1936, Chandler Egan finished plans for the West Seattle Golf Course. He was also working on another course, Legion Memorial Golf Course, in Everett. In late March, he became very ill with a serious lung infection. He was in the hospital for almost a week and then passed away. His funeral was held in Seattle, and he was buried in Medford.

Chandler Egan's amazing contributions to golf are still remembered. He was added to the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1990, he was also inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.

His Olympic medals were found after his daughter passed away in 2012. These special medals were put on display in 2016. You can see them at the USGA Museum and the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Golf Courses Designed

Chandler Egan designed or helped design many golf courses, including:

Tournament Wins

  • 1902 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships (individual and team)
  • 1902 Western Amateur
  • 1903 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships (team)
  • 1904 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships (team)
  • 1904 Western Amateur
  • 1904 U.S. Amateur
  • 1905 Western Amateur
  • 1905 U.S. Amateur
  • 1907 Western Amateur
  • 1915 Pacific Northwest Amateur
  • 1920 Pacific Northwest Amateur
  • 1923 Pacific Northwest Amateur
  • 1925 Pacific Northwest Amateur
  • 1926 California State Amateur
  • 1926 Bahamas Amateur
  • 1932 Pacific Northwest Amateur

Major Championship Wins

U.S. Amateur Wins (2)

Year Championship Winning Score Runner-up
1904 U.S. Amateur 8 & 6 United States Fred Herreshoff
1905 U.S. Amateur 6 & 5 United States Daniel Sawyer

U.S. National Team Appearances

  • Walker Cup: 1930 (winners), 1934 (winners)

See also

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