Lewis Elmer Worsham, Jr. (October 5, 1917 – October 19, 1990) 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 ...

, the U.S. Open champion

Early life

Worsham was born on October 5, 1917, in

Pittsylvania County, Virginia Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 60,501. The county seat is Chatham. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical ...

. He grew up in

Long Island, Virginia Long Island is an unincorporated community in Campbell County, Virginia, United States. Long Island is located along the Roanoke River, (also known as the Staunton River) east-southeast of Altavista. The town center of Long Island is on the ot ...

. Worsham attended Hampton High School and was a member of the golf team from 1933 to 1935. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

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 ...

Professional career

Worsham won the U.S. Open in 1947 by defeating

Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (; May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for the better part of four decades (having won PGA of America and Senior PGA Tour events over six decades) an ...

by a stroke in an 18-hole playoff at the St. Louis Country Club in

Clayton, Missouri Clayton is a city in and the county seat of St. Louis County, Missouri, and borders the independent city of St. Louis. The population was 17,355 at the 2020 census. Organized in 1877, the city was named after Ralph Clayton, a citizen who donated ...

. This was the first U.S. Open to be televised locally and the winner's share was $2,000. In July 1947, Worsham appeared on the cover of ''Golfing'' magazine. In 1953, he led 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 ...

money list with $34,002 in earnings. That same year he won the first golf tournament to be broadcast nationally in the United States and golf's first $100,000 tournament, the Tam O'Shanter

World Championship of Golf The World Championship of Golf was a championship played on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 1950s that, in its latter years, had a purse that dwarfed every other event on the tour, including the U.S. Open. It was played in August of each year at th ...

, in spectacular fashion. He holed out a wedge from 104 yards for an eagle-2 to win over

Chandler Harper John Chandler Harper (March 10, 1914 – November 8, 2004) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the PGA Championship in 1950. He won seven times on the PGA Tour and played in the Ryder Cup in 1955. Harper was born, raised ...

by Worsham made his only

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 ...

appearance in

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 ...

and won both of his matches. Like most tour players of his generation, he earned his living primarily as a club professional, and was the longtime pro at

Oakmont Country Club Oakmont Country Club is a golf course country club which, despite its name, is mostly located within the borough of Plum, Pennsylvania with only a small portion of the property actually in the small town of Oakmont. Established in 1903, the club ...

, northeast of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Personal life

Worsham married Virginia. He had one daughter and two sons: Lynda, Richard L and Thomas E. Worsham died on October 19, 1990, at age, 73 in

Poquoson, Virginia Poquoson (), informally known as Bull Island, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,460. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Poquoson with surroundin ...

. He is buried at

Columbia Gardens Cemetery The Columbia Gardens Cemetery is a cemetery located in the Ashton Heights Historic District of Arlington, Virginia. Cemetery The Columbia Gardens Cemetery is located at the southern boundary of the Ashton Heights Historic District and is one ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

Awards and honors

* Worsham was honored as the "Sportsperson of the Year" for 1953 by Pittsburgh's

Dapper Dan Charities The Dapper Dan Charities were founded by ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' editor Al Abrams in 1936. It is one of the oldest nonprofit and fundraising community sports clubs in the world and the oldest in Western Pennsylvania. The foundation fundraises ...

. * He was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2017.

Professional wins (13)

PGA Tour wins (6)

*1946

Atlanta Invitational The Atlanta Classic was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour, a regular stop in suburban Atlanta for over four decades. It was founded in 1967, although previous events dating to 1934 are included in the PGA Tour's past winners list. AT&T was the las ...

*1947 U.S. Open, Denver Open *1951

Phoenix Open The Phoenix Open (branded as the WM Phoenix Open for sponsorship reasons) is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held in early February at TPC Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. The tournament was originally the Ariz ...

*1953 Jacksonville Open,

Major championship is shown in bold.

Other wins (7)

*1942

Middle Atlantic PGA Championship The Middle Atlantic PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Middle Atlantic section of the PGA of America. The tournament has been played annually since 1932 in Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, DC. Fred Funk, eight- ...

*1945 Maryland Open *1946

*1947

*1948 Cavalier Specialists Invitational *1952 Miami Beach International Four-Ball (with

Ted Kroll Ted J. Kroll (August 4, 1919 – April 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer. Early life Kroll was born in New Hartford, New York. He served in the United States Army during World War II, from January 1942 to November 1945, and earned thr ...

) *1961 Tri-State PGA Championship

Major championships

Wins (1)

¹ Defeated Snead in an 18-hole playoff - Worsham 69 (−2), Snead 70 (−1).

Results timeline

''Note: Worsham 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
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = Withdrew
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1946 U.S. Open – 1950 Masters) *Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (1948 U.S. Open – 1949 Masters)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worsham, Lew American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Golfers from Virginia Golfers from Pittsburgh American military personnel of World War II People from Pittsylvania County, Virginia 1917 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen