John George Goodman (December 28, 1909 – August 8, 1970) was the last amateur

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

er to win the U.S. Open, in 1933, and also won the

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

in 1937.

Early life

Born to

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n immigrants in South Omaha, Nebraska, Goodman was orphaned at the age of 14. His mother died when he was 11, after giving birth to her 13th child, and his father later abandoned the family. Goodman became a

caddie In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintena ...

at the Field Club in Omaha, and while a student at Omaha South High School, he won the

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

city championship in 1925.

Golf career

In 1929, he won the first of five consecutive Nebraska Amateur titles. He won the Trans-Mississippi Amateur three times (1927, 1931, and 1935). He gained national notoriety at age 19 in 1929 when he defeated Bobby Jones in the first round of match play competition at the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. Goodman served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and did not turn professional until 1960; he supported himself throughout his career by selling insurance. A municipal golf course in Omaha is named for him.

Tournament wins (60)

:''this list may be incomplete'' *1925 Omaha Caddie Championship, Omaha Metropolitan Golf Championship *1927 Trans-Mississippi Amateur *1929 Nebraska Amateur *1930 Nebraska Amateur *1931 Trans-Mississippi Amateur, Nebraska Amateur *1932 Nebraska Amateur *1933 U.S. Open, Nebraska Amateur *1935 Trans-Mississippi Amateur *1936 Mexican Amateur, Arcola Country Club Invitational *1937

, Mexican Amateur *1939 Arcola Country Club Invitational Major championships are shown in bold.

Major championships

Wins (1)

Amateur wins (1)

Results timeline

''Note: Goodman 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 ...

or 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. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...

.'' LA = low amateur
NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = did not qualify for match play portion
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur
USGA Championship Database
Source for 1934 British Amateur
Reading Eagle, May 24, 1934, pg. 17.
Source for 1936 Masters

Source for 1938 British Amateur

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur *

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup ...

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

(winners),

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

(winners),

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

References

External links

''Washington Post'' review of ''The King of Swings: Johnny Goodman, the Last Amateur to Beat the Pros at Their Own Game''Field Club of Omaha Golf and Country Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodman, Johnny American male golfers Amateur golfers Winners of men's major golf championships United States Army personnel of World War II Golfers from Omaha, Nebraska Sportspeople from South Gate, California 1909 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen