Johnny Goodman


John George Goodman was the last amateur golfer to win the U.S. Open, in 1933, and also won the U.S. Amateur in 1937.

Early life

Born to Lithuanian immigrants in Omaha, Nebraska">Omaha, Nebraska">Omaha, Nebraska, Goodman was orphaned at the age of 14. His mother died when he was 11, after giving birth to her 13th child, and his father later abandoned the family. Goodman became a caddie at the Field Club in Omaha, and while a student at Omaha South High School, he won the Omaha city championship in 1925.

Golf career

In 1929, he won the first of five consecutive Nebraska Amateur titles. He won the Trans-Mississippi Amateur three times. He gained national notoriety at age 19 in 1929 when he defeated Bobby Jones in the first round of match play competition at the U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach.
Goodman served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and did not turn professional until 1960; he supported himself throughout his career by selling insurance. A municipal golf course in Omaha is named for him.

Tournament wins (60)

Men's major [golf championships|Major championships] wins are shown in bold.

Major championships

Results timeline

Tournament1930193119321933193419351936193719381939
Masters TournamentNYFNYFNYFNYF43
U.S. OpenT11T14 LA1 LAT43T36T228 LACUT
U.S. AmateurR32R322R32R128SFSF1QFR32
British AmateurR16R32

Note: Goodman never played in The Open Championship or the PGA Championship.
LA = low amateur
NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = did not qualify for match play portion
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur:
Source for 1934 British Amateur:
Source for 1936 Masters:
Source for 1938 British Amateur:

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur