Bob MacDonald

Robert George MacDonald (24 February 1885 – 29 March 1960) was a Scottish-born professional golfer who played primarily in the United States. He was also a club maker who played in the early 20th century. He had three top-10 finishes in the U.S. Open. His best performance came in 1915 when he was third. He finished eighth in 1916 and tenth in 1920. MacDonald was a frequent competitor in the PGA Championship, his best result coming in 1919 when he finished T3.

He won the 1922 Texas Open, pocketing $1,633 in prize money, and also won the Metropolitan Open twice, in 1921 and again in 1923. His career results could have been much better had it not been for the interruption caused by the First World War.

Early life MacDonald was born on 24 February 1885 in Evelix, Scotland. As a young man he worked as a gardener and in 1900 served in the Second Boer War. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1910 and his first posting as a professional was in New Jersey and he later took a job at Hyde Park Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio. MacDonald also had two brothers, Bill and Jack, who both went on to become professional golfers. MacDonald played very well in the event. He scored with rounds of 72-77-73-78=300 and finished in third place, winning $150 in prize money. In his opening 36-hole match MacDonald slipped past Tom Boyd by the slim margin of 1 up. His play in the next match, against George Fotheringham, was more convincing when he was victorious 2 and 1. He rode that momentum into his third match against a much better opponent, Jock Hutchison, but still managed to win 3 and 2. He found himself in the semi-finals against Jim Barnes and finally succumbed by the score of 5 and 4, finishing the tournament tied for third place.

Instructor MacDonald was posted as professional at a number of clubs in the Chicago area, including Evanston, Edgewater, and Indian Hill Club. He coached legendary golfers Gene Sarazen, Horton Smith and Babe Zaharias. His book, Golf, published in 1927, was a classic in the late 1920s. In the book's preface he wrote, "It is probably beyond argument that the golf stroke, apart from the putt, is the most highly technical method of hitting a ball in the whole realm of sport".

He opened in 1918, with Jock Hutchison as partner, the first indoor golf facility in Chicago. The facility was later enlarged to cover 20,000 square feet by 1926.

Professional wins (3)

PGA Tour wins (3) 1921 Metropolitan Open 1922 Texas Open 1923 Metropolitan Open

Source:

Results in major championships Note: MacDonald never played in The Open Championship.

NYF = tournament not yet founded NT = no tournament ? = unknown CUT = missed the half-way cut WD = withdrew R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play "T" indicates a tie for a place