Henry Picard

Henry Gilford Picard was an American professional golfer.

Career

Picard was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He learned to play golf while caddying at the Plymouth Country Club. Already a talented player by his early 20s, he came to prominence after coaching from the leading instructor Alex Morrison. A leading player on the PGA Tour in the 1930s and early 1940s, he won two major championships: the Masters in 1938 and the PGA Championship in 1939, where he defeated Byron Nelson on the 37th hole of the final. Picard played on both the 1935 and 1937 Ryder Cup teams, winning both singles matches and one of two pairs matches.
Picard helped a struggling Ben Hogan with his game in the late 1930s, advising him to weaken his grip, and Hogan combined this advice with his own hard work to become one of golf's all-time great players. When he left the sought-after pro's position at Hershey Country Club in early 1941, Picard recommended Hogan as his replacement, and he got the job. Hogan dedicated his first book, "Ben Hogan's Power Golf," to Picard in 1953.
Picard was pro at the Country Club of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina, 1925–34; Hershey Country Club, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 1934–41; then moving to Twin Hills G & CC, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for two years, then returned to his South Carolina farm in early 1943. Other professional positions include CC of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Canterbury Golf Club, Cleveland, Ohio; and Seminole Golf Club, Palm Beach, Florida. Among his students was Jack Grout, who later taught Jack Nicklaus.
In 1973, Picard retired from Seminole and returned to Charleston, South Carolina. He was a fixture in the local golf community in his later years, and helped future LPGA hall of famer Beth Daniel in her teens. Picard played regularly into his 80s and died at age 90 in 1997.

Awards and honors

In 1939, Picard was the PGA Tour's leading money winner.
In 1977, he was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 2006, Picard was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Professional wins (34)

PGA Tour wins (24)

1932 Mid-South Open
1934 North and South Open
1935 Agua Caliente Open, Tournament of the Gardens Open, Atlanta Open, Metropolitan Open, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball
1936 Tournament of the Gardens Open, North and South Open, Hershey Open
1937 Tournament of the Gardens Open, Hershey Open, Miami International Four-Ball
1938 Pasadena Open, Masters Tournament
1939 New Orleans Open, Thomasville Open, Metropolitan Open, Anthracite Open, PGA Championship, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball
1941 New Orleans Open, Harlingen Open-Texas
1945 Miami Open

Source:
Major championships are shown in bold.

Other wins (10)

this list may be incomplete

1925 Carolinas Open
1926 Carolinas Open
1932 Carolinas Open
1933 Carolinas Open
1935 Miami International Four-Ball, Riverside Pro/Am
1936 Miami International Four-Ball
1937 Argentine Open, St. Augustine Pro-Amateur
1938 Mid South Pro/Pro

Source:

Major championships

Wins (2)

Results timeline

Tournament	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949
Masters Tournament	T7		T15	NT	NT	NT	T25	T6	T25	T21
U.S. Open	T12	T26	NT	NT	NT	NT	T12	CUT
The Open Championship	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT
PGA Championship	R16	R64		NT

Tournament	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
Masters Tournament	T14		T52	T38		T41	T46	T35	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	T12	T24								CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	SF	R32

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970
Masters Tournament	CUT		T39	WD		CUT	CUT	CUT	WD	CUT	WD
U.S. Open
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	T32					CUT

NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
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

Summary

Most consecutive cuts made – 30
Longest streak of top-10s – 5