Henry Gilford Picard (November 28, 1906 – April 30, 1997) 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 ("Pick" to friends) 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 (1) Mid-South Open (tie with Al Watrous and Al Houghton) 1934 (1) North and South Open 1935 (5) Agua Caliente Open, Tournament of the Gardens Open, Atlanta Open, Metropolitan Open, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Johnny Revolta) 1936 (3) Tournament of the Gardens Open, North and South Open, Hershey Open 1937 (3) Tournament of the Gardens Open, Hershey Open, Miami International Four-Ball (with Johnny Revolta) 1938 (2) Pasadena Open, Masters Tournament 1939 (6) New Orleans Open, Thomasville Open, Metropolitan Open, Anthracite Open, PGA Championship, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Johnny Revolta) 1941 (2) New Orleans Open, Harlingen Open-Texas 1945 (1) 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 (with Johnny Revolta), Riverside Pro/Am 1936 Miami International Four-Ball (with Johnny Revolta) 1937 Argentine Open, St. Augustine Pro-Amateur 1938 Mid South Pro/Pro (with Jack Grout; tie with Tommy Armour and Bobby Cruickshank)
Source:
Major championships Wins (2) YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up 1938 Masters Tournament 1 shot lead −3 (71-72-72-70=285) 2 strokes Harry Cooper, Ralph Guldahl 1939 PGA Championship n/a 37 holes Byron Nelson
Results timeline Tournament19321933193419351936193719381939Masters TournamentNYFNYFT234T9T3318U.S. OpenT47T6T5T10T7T12The Open Championship6T15PGA ChampionshipR16R16R64R16QFSF1
Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949Masters TournamentT7T15NTNTNTT25T6T25T21U.S. OpenT12T26NTNTNTNTT12CUTThe Open ChampionshipNTNTNTNTNTNTPGA ChampionshipR16R64NT
Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959Masters TournamentT14T52T38T41T46T35CUTCUTU.S. OpenT12T24CUTThe Open ChampionshipPGA ChampionshipSFR32
Tournament19601961196219631964196519661967196819691970Masters TournamentCUTT39WDCUTCUTCUTWDCUTWDU.S. OpenThe Open ChampionshipPGA ChampionshipT32CUT
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 Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 1 0 0 2 6 12 29 19U.S. Open 0 0 0 1 4 9 13 11The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 2PGA Championship 1 0 2 4 8 9 13 12Totals 2 0 2 7 19 32 57 44 Most consecutive cuts made – 30 (1932 PGA – 1947 Masters) Longest streak of top-10s – 5 (1937 PGA – 1939 Masters)
See also List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
References
Further reading
External links
PGA of America Hall of Fame