Herman Barron (December 23, 1909 – June 11, 1978) 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 ...

best known for being the first

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

golfer to win a

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 ...

event.

Early life

Barron was born in

Port Chester, New York Port Chester is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the largest part of the town of Rye (town), New York, Rye in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County by populati ...

Professional career

Barron was one of barely a dozen professional golfers who earned their living as touring professionals in the 1930s and 1940s. His first professional win came at the 1934 Philadelphia Open Championship. On February 8, 1942, Barron became the first Jewish golfer to win an official

event by winning the

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 ...

by two strokes over Henry Picard at Phoenix Golf Club in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. Barron was consistently among the Tour's top money winners. His best year came in 1946. In June he won the Philadelphia Inquirer Open, finished tied for fourth in the U.S. Open the following week, and in late July won the All American Open at the Tam O'Shanter Golf Course in Chicago. Barron played on America's victorious 1947 Ryder Cup team, but was soon forced into retiring as a touring professional due to failing health. For the next 15 years, he held the position of teaching pro at the Fenway Golf Club in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...

. Barron returned to the touring circuit in the early 1960s and won the 1963 Senior PGA Championship. He also worked as a teaching pro during this era. Barron also played a large role in the development of Israel's first golf course, in Caesarea.

Personal life

In 1978, Barron died in

Pompano Beach, Florida Pompano Beach ( ) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Fort Lauderdale and 36 miles north of Miami. The nearby Hillsboro Inlet forms part ...

at the age of 68.

Awards and honors

* Barron is enshrined in the Westchester Hall of Fame * He was inducted into the PGA Metropolitan Section Hall of Fame in New York * Barron was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional wins (14)

PGA Tour wins (4)

Other wins (8)

*1934 Philadelphia Open Championship *1937 Metropolitan PGA *1938 Westchester PGA Championship *1941 Westchester PGA Championship *1943 Westchester PGA Championship *1951 Westchester PGA Championship *1954 Westchester Open *1955 Westchester PGA Championship

Senior wins (2)

Results in major championships

NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1959 PGA Championship)
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barron Herman American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Jewish American golfers Jews from New York (state) Sportspeople from Port Chester, New York Golfers from Westchester County, New York Sportspeople from Pompano Beach, Florida 1909 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American Jews