Emil Frederick "Dutch" Loeffler, Jr. (June 5, 1895 – March 19, 1948) 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 ...

and

golf course designer A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

Early life

Loeffler was born on June 5, 1895 at

Oakmont, Pennsylvania Oakmont is a borough in Allegheny County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is a Pittsburgh suburb and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 6,303 as of the 2010 Census. Incorporated as a town in 1889, this Allegheny River ...

, to Swiss immigrants Emil Loeffler, Sr. and his wife Margaret, both of whom were born in

Berne, Switzerland german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

Golf career

Loeffler had two top-10 finishes in major championships and had four wins in other tournaments. He had a long career as both course superintendent and head professional at

Oakmont Country Club Oakmont Country Club is a country club in the eastern United States, located mostly in Plum with only a very small portion of the property located in Oakmont, suburbs of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania. Established in 1903, its golf course is ...

Oakmont Country Club

Loeffler started working as a caddy at Oakmont when he was 10. He was promoted to caddiemaster in 1912 and took over as the course's superintendent (greenkeeper) in 1916, a position he retained until 1948. Loeffler assisted in modification of the course, including facilitating addition of many hazards that became a hallmark of Oakmont. After the death of head pro Charley Rowe in 1927, Loeffler assumed that role as well. When he relinquished it in 1947, he was reportedly the highest paid pro in America. His replacement, young

Lew Worsham Lewis Elmer Worsham, Jr. (October 5, 1917 – October 19, 1990) was an American professional golfer, the U.S. Open champion Life and career Worsham was born on October 5, 1917, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. He grew up in Long Island, Vir ...

, won the U.S. Open a month after he took charge at Oakmont.

U.S. Open

Loeffler qualified for six U.S. Opens. His best finish was at the 1921 U.S. Open with a 10th place finish.

PGA Championship

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in Brazil. ** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' breaks ...

, the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. It is one of the four men's major championships ...

invited the top 31 professional finishers at the 1921 U.S. Open, along with the defending champion, to the tournament and as such Loeffler was invited. Loeffler finished in a tie for 17th place with his first round loss in

match play Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 h ...

to Cyril Walker on the 37th hole. Loeffer's best finish at the PGA Championship was a tie for 5th (quarter-final finish) in

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...

Golf course design

Loeffler is credited with designing over 20 golf courses, including the former Alcoma Golf Club, which was renamed 3 Lakes Golf Course in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania. In 2018, he was elected to the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.

Military service

Loeffler served in the

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and m ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

where he was wounded. He was a corporal in Company E,

327th Infantry The 327th Infantry Regiment (Bastogne Bulldogs) is an infantry regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) of the United States Army. During World War II, the 327th was a glider-borne regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. It fough ...

, 82nd Division, serving from September 20, 1917 to May 28, 1919.

Death

Loeffler died on March 19, 1948—at the end of a 65-day stay at Presbyterian Hospital—of respiratory failure due to

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

. He was a widower, his wife Hilda having preceded him in death in 1945.

Professional wins (4)

*1920

Pennsylvania Open Championship The Pennsylvania Open Championship is the Pennsylvania state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Pennsylvania Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1912 (except for war years) at ...

, Western Pennsylvania Open Championship *1922

*1933

Tri-State PGA Championship The Tri-State PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Tri-State section of the PGA of America. The Tri-State area includes all of West Virginia, the northwest corner of Maryland, and western Pennsylvania. It has bee ...

Results in major championships

''Note: Loeffler played in only the U.S. Open and PGA Championship.''
DNP = Did not play
? = unknown
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loeffler, Emil American male golfers Golf course architects Golfers from Pennsylvania United States Army personnel of World War I People from Oakmont, Pennsylvania 1895 births 1948 deaths