Tom Boyd

Thomas Boyd (7 January 1888 – 29 November 1952) was an Irish-American professional golfer who played in the early-to-mid 20th century. His best U.S. Open finish was T20 in 1925 and his best PGA Championship effort came in 1921 when he finished T9.

Early life Boyd was born on 7 January 1888 in Armagh, Ireland. Little is known of his early life although like contemporaries from his era he likely first started as a caddie and progressed to a career as a professional golfer from there. He also learned, as did almost all pro golfers in the early 20th century, to make golf clubs from scratch.

Golf career Boyd emigrated to the United States in 1915. He served as the head professional of the Fox Hills Golf Club in Stapleton, New York. Boyd had several fine finishes in both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. His best tournament was the 1921 PGA Championship when he reached the round of 16, eventually placing in a tie for 9th place. He defeated Eddie Towns in a first round match by default. He then lost in a second round match to Walter Hagen by the score of 6 and 5. He won once on the PGA Tour, in 1925.

Memorable matches Boyd was involved in a memorable match on October 6, 1918, at Fox Hills Golf Club when he was paired with Jerome Travers to win 1 up after an extra hole to break a tie. They defeated the opposing amateur pair of A. Lucien Walker Jr. and A. F. Kammer. The charity match raised $1,000 for the American Red Cross which used the funds to support the war effort during World War I. Ray was in particularly good form in 1920; just more than a month after the Boyd/Fotheringham match he won the U.S. Open at Inverness Club.