World Golf Hall of Fame member Tommy Bolt died Aug. 29 in Batesville, AR. He was 92.
Bolt, who began his PGA TOUR career at age 28 after serving in World War II and working for a decade in the construction industry, played in 392 official TOUR events, winning 15 times. His most memorable victory came at the 1958 U.S. Open, a four-stroke victory over Gary Player at Tulsa’s Southern Hills Country Club in his home state of Oklahoma. Bolt finished in the top 10 on the money list three times (1954, 1955 and 1958), with his best earnings year coming in 1958, when he won $26,941.
Bolt, a native of Haworth, played sporadically after the birth of the Champions Tour in 1980. He competed in 37 official Tour events between 1980 and 1994 and was a regular participant at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. Bolt was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002, along with Marlene Hagge, Ben Crenshaw, Tony Jacklin, Bernhard Langer and Harvey Penick.
“Today’s players owe a debt of gratitude to Tommy Bolt and his fellow pioneers. His golf prowess was only matched by his formidable and colorful personality and he helped launch an era of the game’s popularity that has continued for nearly half a century,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “We along with his family mourn his passing, yet he will forever be a part of golf’s enduring legacy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
A memorial service for Bolt was held September 2 in Sharp County, AR.
Contact:
Michael McPhillips
Director, Communications
Champions Tour
(904) 273-3470
michaelmcphillips@pgatourhq.com
