Peter W Thomson

    1954    Open Championship
    1955    Open Championship
    1956    Open Championship
    1958    Open Championship
    1965    Open Championship
   

Peter William Thomson AO CBE

The Nomads Golf Club of Australia is honoured to have as its patron one of the greates golfers to play the game with an eviable record particularly in the Open Championship.

Born on 23 August 1923 in Melbourne, he is considered the greatest Australian golfer of them all, and must also be considered one of the best links golfers of all time.

While he played sparingly in the U.S., Peter Thomson won often in Australia, Europe and Asia during his best years in the 1950s. During one stretch - 1952 to 1958 - he finished no worse than second in the British Open, winning four times.
 
Peter Thomson took up golf at age 12, and by age 15 was club champion at his local golf club. He became a professional golfer in 1948.
 
He finished second at the 1952 and '53 Open Championships, then won in 1954, '55, and '56 - the only golfer in the 20th Century to win the British Open three straight years. He added another win in 1958. His final British Open title came in 1965, and it is considered his most important.

In the '50s, only a handful of America's best players traveled to play the Open, and then only occasionally. By 1965, all the world's best were there, and Thomson held off Palmer, Nicklaus, Player and defending champ Tony Lema for the victory.
 
Thomson won once on the U.S. PGA Tour, but won the national championships of 10 countries, including the New Zealand Open nine times. His winning finally ended in 1988 with the British PGA Seniors title.
 
Before that, however, he did venture to America and played a full season on the Senior PGA Tour. The results: Thomson dominated, winning 9 times in 1985.
 
He served as President of the Australian PGA from 1962 to 1994. In 1998, Thomson captained the International team to victory in the Presidents Cup. He also built a thriving golf course design business.
 
Peter Thomson was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1988.