Ernest Joseph "Dutch" Harrison (March 29, 1910 – June 19, 1982) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

whose career spanned over four decades—one of the longest in the history of the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

Early life

Harrison was born in

Conway, Arkansas Conway is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, Faulkner County, located in the state's most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Arkansas. The city also serves as a regional shopping, ...

. He was nicknamed "The Arkansas Traveler."

Professional career

In 1930, Harrison turned pro at the start of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. Although he played in what tournaments existed in those days, the mainstay of his income was the many exhibitions and private "money" matches in which he, as well as many of his fellow professionals, played. Harrison had a total of 18 career

victories spanning from the 1939 Bing Crosby Pro-Am to the 1958 Tijuana Open Invitational. However, as late as

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

, Harrison had a top-25 finish in the Canadian Open at the age of 59. He played on three

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...

teams:

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

, and

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

. Harrison finished nine times in the top-10 at major championships, including third place finishes at the 1939 PGA Championship and the 1960 U.S. Open. He won the

Vardon Trophy The Vardon Trophy was awarded by the PGA of America to the PGA Tour's leader in scoring average. When the award was first given in 1937, it was awarded on the basis of a points system. No award was given from 1942–1946 due to World War II. In ...

for lowest scoring average in 1954 and ranks fifth on the list of players with the most

victories without a major championship on his resume. In 1954, Harrison became the Old Warson Country Club's first golf professional.

Personal life

Harrison was married to the well-known public health advocate and politician Thelma Akana Harrison. In 1982, Harrison died of heart failure at the age of 72 in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

Professional wins (26)

PGA Tour wins (18)

*1939 (2) Bing Crosby Pro-Am,

Texas Open The Texas Open, known as the Valero Texas Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played near San Antonio, Texas. It dates back years to 1922, when it was first called the Texas Open; San Antonio-based Va ...

*1944 (2)

Charlotte Open The Charlotte Open was a golf tournament played at Myers Park Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat ...

, Miami Open *1945 (1) St. Paul Open *1947 (3) Reno Open, Reading Open,

Hawaiian Open The Sony Open in Hawaii is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, and is part of the tour's FedEx Cup, FedEx Cup Series. It has been contested at the Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, since the event's modern-day inception as the ...

*1948 (1) Richmond Open *1949 (1) Canadian Open *1950 (1) Wilmington Open *1951 (1)

*1953 (3) St. Petersburg Open,

Western Open The Western Open was a professional golf tournament in the United States, for most of its history an event on the PGA Tour. The tournament's founding in 1899 actually pre-dated the start of the Tour, which is generally dated from 1916, the ye ...

, Columbia Open *1954 (1) Bing Crosby Pro-Am Invitational *1956 (1) All American Open *

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

(1) Tijuana Open Invitational

Other wins (8)

*1940 Illinois PGA Championship *1942 Illinois PGA Championship *1950

California State Open The California State Open is the California state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Southern California section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1900 and has been played at a ...

*1952 Northern California Open, Ampol Tournament (Oct), Havana Invitational *1955 White Sulphur Springs Open *1957 Greenbrier Invitational

Results in major championships

''Note: Harrison never played in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

.''
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
DQ = disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1940 PGA – 1949 Masters) *Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

U.S. national team appearances

(winners),

(winners) * Lakes International Cup: 1954 (winners)

References

External links

St. Louis Golf History
– Dutch Harrison * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, E. J. American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Golfers from Arkansas People from Conway, Arkansas 1910 births 1982 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen