Lew Worsham

Lewis Elmer Worsham, Jr. was an American professional golfer, the U.S. Open champion

Early life

Worsham was born on October 5, 1917, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. He grew up in Long Island, Virginia. Worsham attended Hampton High School and was a member of the golf team from 1933 to 1935. He served in the United States Navy during World War II.

Professional career

Worsham won the U.S. Open in 1947 by defeating Sam Snead by a stroke in an 18-hole playoff at the St. Louis Country Club in Clayton, Missouri. This was the first U.S. Open to be televised locally and the winner's share was $2,000. In July 1947, Worsham appeared on the cover of Golfing magazine. In 1953, he led the PGA Tour money list with $34,002 in earnings. That same year he won the first golf tournament to be broadcast nationally in the United States and golf's first $100,000 tournament, the Tam O'Shanter World Championship of Golf, in spectacular fashion. He holed out a wedge from 104 yards for an eagle-2 to win over Chandler Harper by
Worsham made his only Ryder Cup appearance in 1947 and won both of his matches. Like most tour players of his generation, he earned his living primarily as a club professional, and was the longtime pro at Oakmont Country Club, northeast of Pittsburgh,

Personal life

Worsham married Virginia. He had one daughter and two sons: Lynda, Richard L and Thomas E.
Worsham died on October 19, 1990, at age, 73 in Poquoson, Virginia. He is buried at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Awards and honors

Worsham was honored as the "Sportsperson of the Year" for 1953 by Pittsburgh's Dapper Dan Charities.
He was inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame in 2017.
Professional wins (13)

PGA Tour wins (6)

1946 Atlanta Invitational
1947 U.S. Open, Denver Open
1951 Phoenix Open
1953 Jacksonville Open, World Championship of Golf

Major championship is shown in bold.

Other wins (7)

1942 Middle Atlantic PGA Championship
1945 Maryland Open
1946 Middle Atlantic PGA Championship
1947 Middle Atlantic PGA Championship
1948 Cavalier Specialists Invitational
1952 Miami Beach International Four-Ball
1961 Tri-State PGA Championship
Major championships

Wins (1)

¹ Defeated Snead in an 18-hole playoff - Worsham 69, Snead 70.

Results timeline

Tournament	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949
Masters Tournament				NT	NT	NT		T33	T30	6
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT	NT	NT	NT	NT	T22	1	6	T27
PGA Championship				NT			R32	QF	R16	R16

Tournament	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
Masters Tournament	T42	T3	T7	44	T12	T49	T34	CUT	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	CUT	T14	T7	CUT	T23	CUT	CUT	T38	T45
PGA Championship	R32	R32	R32	R64		QF	R16

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963
Masters Tournament	44	T22	T29
U.S. Open		CUT
PGA Championship		T37	CUT	CUT

Note: Worsham never played in The Open Championship.
NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = Withdrew
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" = tied

Summary

Most consecutive cuts made – 12
Longest streak of top-10s – 3