Warren Kenneth Wood (April 27, 1887 – October 27, 1926) was an American 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 who competed in the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 1 July to 23 November 1904. Many events were conducted ...

Early life

Wood was born on April 27, 1887, to John Wood and Maud M. Wood (née Heath). He married Maude Langon on June 28, 1911, in Chicago, Illinois. Two daughters, Marjorie and Frances, were born to the couple.

Golf career

1904 Summer Olympics

In 1904, Wood was part of the American team which won the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

. He finished 10th in the team competition. In the individual competition, he finished 11th in the qualification and was eliminated in the first round of the match play.

Major amateur tournaments

Wood won the 1906

North and South Amateur The North and South Men's Amateur Golf Championship, commonly known as the North and South Amateur, is an annual golf tournament held since 1901 at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina, US. An invitational tournament, participants ar ...

. He also won the 1913

Western Amateur The Western Amateur is a leading annual golf tournament in the United States for male amateur golfers. It is organized by the Western Golf Association. The Western Amateur features an international field of top-ranked amateur golfers. It was firs ...

and was runner-up twice more (1906, 1912). He was also runner-up in the 1910

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 ...

. Wood finished fourth in the 1907

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 ...

Later career

In a golf foursomes match contested on 19 August 1921, Wood and

Chick Evans Charles E. "Chick" Evans Jr. (July 18, 1890 – November 6, 1979) was a prominent American amateur golfer of the 1910s and 1920s. Evans, who won the 1910 Western Open, became the first amateur to win both the U.S. Open (golf), U.S. Open and U. ...

played against

Jock Hutchison Jack Falls "Jock" Hutchison (June 6, 1884 – September 27, 1977) was a Scottish-born professional golfer who was based in the United States. Early life Hutchison was born in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, the son of William and Helen (née Fa ...

and

Phil Gaudin Phillip John Gaudin (born 4 March 1879) was a professional golfer from Jersey who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. He had three top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His best result was a tie for eighth place in the 1914 Open ...

. It is unclear who won the match but a large gallery of more than 2,000 spectators watched the match which was played at the Lincoln Park public links in Chicago. Sailors from the Great Lakes Naval Station held the ropes to keep the large throng of fans in order.

Military service

Wood was a soldier in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. When the war concluded on November 11, 1918, he received his travel orders to return to the United States and departed Brest,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, on January 24, 1919, aboard the RMS ''Celtic'', arriving in New York on February 3.

Death and legacy

Wood died on October 27, 1926, in

Pelham Manor, New York Pelham Manor is an affluent village located in Westchester County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a total population of 5,752. It is located in the town of Pelham. History The Bolton Priory, Edgewood House, an ...

, aged 39. He was interred in

Oak Woods Cemetery Oak Woods Cemetery is a large lawn cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Located at 1035 E. 67th Street, it is in the Greater Grand Crossing area of Chicago's South Side. Established on February 12, 1853, it covers . Oak Woods is th ...

, Chicago, Illinois. Wood is best remembered for helping the United States win a team gold medal in golf at the 1904 Summer Olympic games.

References

External links

Warren Wood at databaseOlympics.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Warren American male golfers Amateur golfers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in golf Golfers at the 1904 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics Golfers from Chicago American military personnel of World War I 1887 births 1926 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen