Willie Tucker

Background

Tucker was born in England on 15 August 1872. As a youngster he was taught how to play golf by his father, a green keeper at Wimbledon Common Golf Club.

Career

Tucker placed eighth in the 1896 United States. Open, held 18 July at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New New York Although a fine golfer, the bulk of his career would not be spent as a tournament player but rather as a golf course architect. He also became a proficient sod roller but rather than golf course maintenance he yearned for a career as a professional golfer.

At first he moved to Biarritz, France, where he worked for Willie Dunn.

He didn"t stay there long and soon returned to London where he worked as a club maker for Slazenger. The brothers manufactured hand-made golf clubs that they marketed under the name "Defiance".

While at Saint Andrew’s, Willie helped with the design of Saint Andrew’s Mount Hope course. Later he designed such courses as the original North Hills in Douglaston and built the present 27-hole Ridgewood Country Club course in Paramus, New Jersey, for A. West. Tillinghast.

1896 United States. Open

The 1896 United States. Open was the second United States. Open, held July 18 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New New York

Like the first Open, it was a sideshow to the more established and better known United States. Amateur. However, there were 35 entrants and 28 finished the 36 holes. Golf course architecture

Tucker designed the Saint Martin"s course at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

The club originally opened a 9-hole course in 1895, which was quickly replaced by the 18-hole Saint Martin"s course in 1898, designed by Willie Tucker.

Today, this course has been reduced to a 9-hole layout. Despite the reduction, the 7th, 8th, and 9th holes are the same layout as they were played during the 1907 and 1910 United States. Open championship.

Tucker was one of the early pioneers in American golf course architecture. He designed at least four courses in the Queens, New York, area – including Douglaston Golf Club and Clearview Golf Club – and in the American midwest at Salt Lake City, Utah, and courses as far west as Washington state.

He built a golf course at the University of New Mexico and designed the Preakness Hills Country Club in Wayne, New Jersey, the latter completed in 1926.

He had a son, Willie Tucker, Junior., who was also a golf course architect. Tucker died on 6 October 1954 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Championship Course at the University of New Mexico, designed by Tucker, has been home to the William H. Tucker Invitational for the past 43 years.

The tournament is the second longest running college tournament in the United States. and the golf course hosted the 61st playing of the event in 2015.

Achievements

• Tucker finished in eight place with rounds of 78-82=160 and won $5. James Foulis won the tournament, his only major, finishing three strokes ahead of runner-up Horace Rawlins, the defending champion. This course hosted the United States. Open championships in 1907 and 1910, won by Alec Ross and Alex Smith, respectively.