- Chandler Egan
-
Medal record 
Chandler EganMen's golf Competitor for 
United StatesOlympic Games Gold 1904 St. Louis Men's team Silver 1904 St. Louis Individual Henry Chandler Egan (August 21, 1884 – April 5, 1936) was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect of the early 20th century.
Contents
Early life and college
Egan was born in Chicago, Illinois, which at the end of the 19th century was the epicenter of golf in the United States — the first 18-hole golf course in the country, the Chicago Golf Club, was built there in 1893. Egan played his first game of golf in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin at the age of 12.[1] He was accepted to Harvard University, where he soon became the captain of the college golf team. The team won three team NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships from 1902 to 1904, and Egan won the individual title in 1902.[1][2]
Championships and Olympics
Egan won his first non-collegiate tournament in the 1902 Western Amateur, which was played at the Chicago Golf Club. Not only was the tournament played in his hometown, but the runner-up was his cousin Walter Egan.[1] A year later, the Egan cousins switched places with Walter winning and Chandler coming in second, and Chandler Egan would win the tournament again in 1904, 1905 (with Walter again the runner-up), and 1907.[3]
In 1904, Egan achieved the pinnacle of U.S. amateur golf success by winning the U.S. Amateur, played at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. He defended his title a year later at his home turf of the Chicago Golf Club.[4]
Egan appeared to be peaking at the right time to also win an individual gold medal at the 1904 Summer Olympics, which featured golf for the last time in 1904. While Egan's U.S. team (which also included cousin Walter) won team gold, Egan had to settle for individual silver, as he was defeated by Canadian George Lyon, who at 46, was more than twice Egan's age.[1][5] Egan later admitted he had been outclassed by the wily Lyon, whose massive drives forced Egan out of his usual game.[2]
Move to Oregon
Following his runner-up finish in the 1909 U.S. Amateur, Egan abruptly disappeared from competition.[1] He reappeared in the news in May 1911 with his purchase of 115 acres (0.47 km2) of apple and pear orchard in Medford, Oregon.[1][2] He reemerged on the competitive golf circuit in 1914, with a runner-up finish in the Pacific Northwest Amateur championship to Jack Neville. A year later, Egan and Neville would meet again, and this time, Egan was the winner.[6] He would win the Pacific Northwest Amateur four more times, in 1920, 1923, 1925, and 1932.[6] Egan traveled south to win the California Amateur in 1926.[7] He played on two U.S. championship Walker Cup teams in 1930 and 1934.[1][2]
Golf architecture
In the 1920s, Egan moved into golf course design, designing such notable Oregon courses as the Eugene Country Club, Eastmoreland Golf Course, Oswego Lake Country Club, Riverside Golf & Country Club, and Tualatin Country Club.[2][8] In 1929, Egan partnered with legendary golf architect Alister MacKenzie to renovate Pebble Beach Golf Links for the 1929 U.S. Amateur, in which Egan played and reached the semifinals.[2] In 1929 Egan also aided MacKenzie and Hunter during the design and construction of The Union League Golf and Country Club, now known as Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae, California.
Death and legacy
In 1936, Egan had completed plans for West Seattle Golf Course in Seattle, and was working on plans for the Legion Memorial Golf Course in Everett, Washington when he came down with pneumonia and died shortly thereafter.[2][9] His funeral was held in Seattle and he was buried in Medford.[9]
Egan was named to the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1985,[2] and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.[10]
Golf courses designed
Egan designed the following golf courses:[8]
- Coos Country Club, Coos Bay, Oregon
- Eastmoreland Golf Course, Portland, Oregon
- Eugene Country Club, Eugene, Oregon
- Hood River Golf & Country Club, Hood River, Oregon
- Indian Canyon, Spokane, Washington
- Oswego Lake Country Club, Lake Oswego, Oregon
- Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Course, Pacific Grove, California
- North Fulton Golf Course, Atlanta, Georgia
- Reames Golf & Country Club, Klamath Falls, Oregon
- Riverside Golf & Country Club, Portland, Oregon (front nine)[11]
- Seaside Golf Club, Seaside, Oregon
- The Oaks at Rogue Valley Country Club, Medford, Oregon
- The Rogue at Rogue Valley Country Club, Medford, Oregon
- Tualatin Country Club, Tualatin, Oregon
- Walter E. Hall Memorial Golf Course, Everett, Washington
- West Seattle Golf Club, Seattle, Washington
- Egan, aided Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Robert Hunter during the construction of The Union League Golf and Country Club, which is now Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae, California in 1929.
- Egan, along with Robert Hunter, was a construction assistant to Alister Mackenzie on Sharp Park Golf Course, Pacifica, California (1932) Sharp Park is one of MacKenzie's few municipal courses, and his only public seaside links.
Tournament wins (18)
- 1902 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships (individual and team), Western Amateur
- 1903 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships (team)
- 1904 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships (team), Western Amateur, U.S. Amateur
- 1905 Western Amateur, U.S. Amateur
- 1907 Western Amateur
- 1915 Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur
- 1920 Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur
- 1923 Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur
- 1925 Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur
- 1926 California Amateur, Bahamas Amateur
- 1932 Pacific Northwest Men's Amateur
- 1930 Walker Cup (team)
- 1934 Walker Cup (team)
Amateur major championships
Wins (2)
Year Championship Winning Score Runner-up 1904 U.S. Amateur 8 & 6 Fred Herreshoff1905 U.S. Amateur 6 & 5 Daniel SawyerResults timeline
Tournament 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 Masters NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF U.S. Open DNP DNP T20 LA DNP T8 LA DNP DNP DNP U.S. Amateur QF R32 1 1 R16 R32 DNP 2 British Amateur DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP Tournament 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 Masters NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF U.S. Open DNP T23 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP NT NT DNP U.S. Amateur DNQ DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP NT NT DNP British Amateur DNP DNP DNP DNP NT NT NT NT NT NT Tournament 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 Masters NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP U.S. Amateur DNP DNQ DNP DNP R32 DNP DNP DNP DNP SF British Amateur DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 Masters NYF NYF NYF NYF DNP 60 U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP U.S. Amateur DNQ DNP R32 R16 R64 R64 British Amateur DNP DNP DNP DNP R256 DNP LA = Low Amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1934 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 22, 1934, pg. 10.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Schwartz, Todd. "Breaking 100". http://www.toddschwartz.com/chan_todd.html. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Henry Chandler Egan". Pacific Northwest Golf Association. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20070928202715/http://www.thepnga.org/AwardsAndHonors/halloffame_people/hall1985_3.asp. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ "Western Amateur Championship History". Western Amateur. http://www.thewesternamateur.com/intraclub/query/catquery.html?category=history/records&align=left. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ "History". U.S. Amateur. http://www.usamateur.org/2006/history/past-champions/index.html. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ "Chandler Egan". databaseOlympics.com. http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=EGANCHA01. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ a b "Men's Amateur Championship". Pacific Northwest Golf Association. Archived from the original on 2007-05-06. http://web.archive.org/web/20070506203120/http://www.thepnga.org/championships/mens_amateur/past_champions.asp. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ "SCGA Tournament History". Southern California Golf Association. http://www.scga.org/tourney/history/caamateurchampchron.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ a b "H. Chandler Egan - Courses Built". WorldGolf.com. http://www.worldgolf.com/golf-architects/h-chandler-egan.html. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ a b "West Seattle designer left lasting mark on Northwest golf". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2004-04-28. http://www.seattlepi.com/golf/170864_egan28.html. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Roll of Honor Members". Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. http://www.oregonsportshall.org/inductee-members.html. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ "Riverside Golf & Country Club History". Riverside Golf & Country Club. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20070929101922/http://www.riversidegcc.com/riversidegcc/section.cfm?wSectionID=2404. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
Categories:- 1884 births
- 1936 deaths
- American golfers
- Amateur golfers
- People from Medford, Oregon
- Olympic golfers of the United States
- Golfers at the 1904 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States
- Sportspeople from Oregon
- Golf course architects
- Harvard Crimson athletes
- People from Chicago, Illinois
- American people of Irish descent
- Infectious disease deaths in Washington (state)
- Deaths from pneumonia
- Golfers from Oregon
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