- Dick Chapman
-
Richard D. Chapman (March 23, 1911 – November 15, 1978) was an American amateur golfer. Time magazine crowned Chapman "the Ben Hogan of amateur golf".[1]
Chapman was born in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was the 1940 U.S. Amateur golf champion. He was a member of Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, which was the site of his first major triumph. He remains one of only three players to have won a USGA title on their home course. He holds a place in the Masters Tournament record book for the most appearances (19) as an amateur, a distinction he shares with Charles Coe.
Although Chapman was quite the international player, winning the 1951 British Amateur, he also won state amateur championships in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and the Carolinas. He also won the prestigious North and South Amateur. At the 1958 U.S. Amateur, Chapman and his son, Dixie, both qualified, giving a rare father-and-son appearance.
Chapman's career was put on hold for World War II, where he served as a major in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After the war, Chapman picked up where he left off, with a string of victories in the British, French, Canadian, and Italian amateurs. Chapman is one of only two players (the other is Harvie Ward) who has won the U.S., British, and Canadian Amateur Championships.
"Blessed with a strong competitive spirit and an inquiring mind into the technicalities of the swing," reads the entry on Chapman in Who's Who in Golf. "Chapman not only played the game but wrote about it and worked at its many phases."
In the 1950s, Chapman collaborated with the USGA on a handicap format for foursomes play called the Chapman System. The system worked as follows: two golfers on the same team each tee off, then play the other's ball. From there, the team would play out the best shot.
Chapman played on the winning Walker Cup teams in 1947, 1951, and 1953.
Chapman's final success came in 1967 with a victory in the International Senior Amateur. A stroke in the early 1970s hampered his career, and he died in Rancho Santa Fe, California in 1978.
Chapman was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame in 2001.[2]
Contents
Tournament wins (16)
this list is probably incomplete
- 1934 Westchester Amateur
- 1936 Connecticut Amateur
- 1938 Connecticut Amateur
- 1939 French Open Amateur, New York State Amateur
- 1940 U.S. Amateur
- 1948 Golf Illustrated Gold Vase (England)
- 1949 Canadian Amateur
- 1950 Massachusetts Amateur
- 1951 British Amateur, New England Amateur
- 1952 French Open Amateur
- 1953 Carolinas Amateur
- 1957 Carolinas Amateur
- 1958 North and South Amateur
- 1960 Italian Open Amateur
Major championships
Amateur wins (2)
Year Championship Winning Score Runner-up 1940 U.S. Amateur 11 & 9 
W. B. McCullough Jr.1951 British Amateur 5 & 4 Charles CoeResults timeline
Tournament 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 Masters Tournament DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T37 U.S. Open WD DNP DNP DNP T50 DNP British Open DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP U.S. Amateur DNP DNP R256 DNP SF R16 British Amateur DNP R16 R256 QF DNP QF Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Masters Tournament DNP T19 LA DNP NT NT NT T41 T14 T40 LA 50 U.S. Open T36 T49 NT NT NT NT DNP CUT DNP DNP British Open NT NT NT NT NT NT DNP DNP DNP DNP U.S. Amateur 1 R64 NT NT NT NT R16 R16 R128 DNP British Amateur NT NT NT NT NT NT DNP 2 R16 DNP Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Masters Tournament T35 T20 T55 37 11 T53 T65 CUT CUT CUT U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP CUT T21 DNP DNP DNP CUT 54 British Open DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP U.S. Amateur R32 R32 DNP DNP DNP R256 R64 QF R16 R64 British Amateur 2 1 R32 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP Tournament 1960 1961 1962 Masters Tournament CUT CUT CUT U.S. Open CUT DNP DNP British Open DNP CUT DNP U.S. Amateur R64 DNP R32 British Amateur DNP - - Note: Chapman never played in PGA Championship.
LA = Low Amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10Source for The Masters: www.masters.com
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1935 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 24, 1935, pg. 22.
Source for 1936 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 26, 1936, pg. 20.
Source for 1937 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 29, 1937, pg. 21.
Source for 1939 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1939, pg. 3.
Source for 1948 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1948, pg. 6.
Source for 1952 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 30, 1952, pg. 2.
Source for 1961 British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source[3]
References
- ^ Milestones. November 27, 1978. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,916493,00.html. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
- ^ Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame Members
- ^ Past Champions at Winged Foot Golf Club - Members
Categories:- American golfers
- Amateur golfers
- Golfers from Connecticut
- People from Greenwich, Connecticut
- 1911 births
- 1978 deaths
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