Thomas Daniel Creavy (February 3, 1911 – March 3, 1979) was an American professional golfer, the winner of 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 ...

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 ...

. Born in Tuckahoe, New York, Creavy learned the game 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 ...

Siwanoy Country Club Siwanoy Country Club is a country club located in Bronxville, New York. The club hosted the first PGA Championship in 1916, which was won by Jim Barnes. History The Club was incorporated on May 20, 1901 at the Westchester County Clerk's office ...

, and was the club professional at the Albany Country Club and Saratoga Spa. He won the PGA Championship at age 20 in

Wannamoisett Country Club The Wannamoisett Country Club is a private golf course located in Rumford, Rhode Island. The course was designed by Donald Ross in 1914 and played host to the 1931 PGA Championship (which was won by Tom Creavy) and hosts the prestigious Northeast A ...

Rumford, Rhode Island Rumford is the northern section of the city of East Providence, Rhode Island, USA. The Rumford section of East Providence borders Seekonk, Massachusetts, Pawtucket, Rhode Island and the Ten Mile River (Seekonk River). Rumford has been part of ...

, defeating

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 ...

5 & 3 in the semifinals and

Denny Shute Herman Densmore "Denny" Shute (October 25, 1904 – May 13, 1974) was an American professional golfer who won three major championships in the 1930s. Life and career Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Shute was the son of a golf pro from England; Hermon ...

2 & 1 in the finals. Creavy played in 11 major championships, including the inaugural Masters in

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 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a max ...

. He had an outstanding short game, but his competitive playing career was hampered by recurring back problems and shortened by spinal

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion ...

in 1943. Creavy died of a heart attack in 1979 at age 68 in

Delray Beach, Florida Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (2)

*1931 (1)

*1934 (1)

San Francisco National Match Play Open The San Francisco Open was a golf tournament played in the San Francisco area. It was played at a number of different courses in the December to February period. From 1930 to 1941 it was a match-play event before becoming a 72-hole stroke play eve ...

Major championships

Wins (1)

''Note: The PGA Championship was

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 ...

until 1958''

Results timeline

''Note: Creavy 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 t ...

.''
NYF = tournament not yet founded
DNQ = did not qualify for match play portion
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

References

External links

Albany golfer an almost-forgotten winner of 1931 PGA ChampionshipCreavy golfing family
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Creavy, Tom American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Golfers from New York (state) People from Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York 1911 births 1979 deaths