Tommy Bolt, US Open Champ, Dies at 92
Bolt is considered by many one of the best ballstrikers in golf history, but someone whose game was held back by his temper and struggles with controlling his emotions on the course. "If we could've screwed another head on his shoulders," Ben Hogan once said, "Tommy Bolt could have been the greatest who ever played."
But he was pretty good as he was. Good enough to gain entry into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was 40 years old when he won the U.S. Open (Bolt didn't join the PGA Tour until age 32), won the Senior PGA Championship in 1969, and played a major role in the creation of what is now called the Champions Tour.
"Terrible Tommy," as he was known, once offered a key piece of advice for golfers who shared his temper: "Never break your driver and putter in the same round."
But his angry antics on the course over the latter stages of his PGA Tour career were often nothing more than showmanship. Gotta give the people what they wanted.
Comments
Tommy Bolt was a great competitor who wasn’t afraid to show his real emotions. I had the honor of working with him and will never forget his smile, his joking manner and the way he always dressed to the nines.
I will miss him