John Joseph Farrell (April 1, 1901 – June 14, 1988) 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 winning the U.S. Open in 1928. Over the course of his career, he won 22

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

events.

Early life

Born in

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivisi ...

, Farrell started as a

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives the player advice and moral support. Description A good caddie is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with th ...

and turned professional in 1922.

Golf career

At the 1928 U.S. Open, held at Olympia Fields Country Club near

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, Farrell tied with amateur Bobby Jones, then a two-time champion, after the regulation 72 holes and won the 36-hole playoff by one stroke. Farrell was voted the 1927 and 1928 Best

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

Professional in the United States, after a winning streak of six consecutive tournaments, on his road to a total of 22 career

wins. He played for the United States in the first three

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholi ...

, and

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

. Farrell was the head professional at the

Quaker Ridge Golf Club Quaker Ridge Golf Club is a private golf club in Scarsdale, New York, that contains the Quaker Ridge Golf Course. Additionally, club grounds encompass numerous tennis courts, a swimming pool, a clubhouse and many other structures along the prope ...

in New York from 1919 to 1930. In 1931, Farrell played in his third

and also met and married Catherine Hush. In 1934, Farrell accepted the head professional job at

Baltusrol Golf Club The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-Golf course#Anatomy of a golf course, hole Golf club (institution), golf club in the eastern United States, located in Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey, Springfield, New Jersey, about west ...

in Springfield, New Jersey.

Family

The Farrells had five children: Johnny, Jimmy, Billy, Peggy, and Cathy. The Farrell family dedicated itself to golf, becoming Golf Family of the Year in 1966. Billy Farrell played professional golf and is best known for being the first ever to hit the par-5 17th hole at Baltusrol's Lower Course in two shots, which he did during the 1967 U.S. Open.

Death

Farrell died in

Boynton Beach, Florida Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is situated about 57 miles north of Miami. The population was 68,217 at the 2010 census. In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 78,679 according to the University ...

after a stroke at age 87.

Professional wins (27)

PGA Tour wins (22)

*1921 (1) Garden City Open *1922 (1) Shawnee Open *1924 (1) Florida West Coast Open *1925 (2) Philadelphia Open Championship, Mid-South All Pro *1926 (4) Florida Central Competition, Florida Open, Shawnee Open, Mid-Winter Tournament *1927 (7)

Metropolitan Open The Metropolitan Open is a golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. In the early 20th century it was one of the top events in the country and was retroactively given PGA Tour-level status. History The tournament has been ...

, Shawnee Open, Eastern Open Championship, Massachusetts Open,

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 ...

, Philadelphia Open Championship,

Chicago Open Championship The Chicago Open was a golf tournament played in the Chicago area. A Chicago District Open was first held in 1914. From 1926 to 1928 it became a national event. It was held again from 1937 to 1941, although there was no event in 1939. The Hale Ame ...

*1928 (2) La Gorce Open, U.S. Open *1930 (2) Pensacola Open Invitational, New York State Open *1931 (1) Pensacola Open Invitational *1936 (1) New Jersey Open Major championship is shown in bold.

Other wins (5)

''Note: This list may be incomplete.'' *1925 Miami International Four-Ball (with Bobby Cruickshank) *1926 Westchester Open *1928 Miami International Four-Ball (with

Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen (; born Eugenio Saraceni, February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of seven major championships. He is one of five players (along ...

) *1940 Rhode Island Open *1941 Rhode Island Open

Major championships

Wins (1)

¹ Defeated Bobby Jones in a 36-hole playoff – Farrell 70-73=143 (+1), Jones 73-71=144 (+2).

Results timeline

NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
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 – 18 (1919 PGA – 1928 U.S. Open) *Longest streak of top-10s – 6 (twice)

References

External links

Johnny Farrell website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farrell, Johnny American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Golfers from New York (state) Golfers from New Jersey People from White Plains, New York Sportspeople from Boynton Beach, Florida 1901 births 1988 deaths