Thomas Henry Bolt (March 31, 1916 – August 30, 2008) was an American professional golfer. He did not join the PGA Tour until he was in his thirties, but he went on to win 15 PGA Tour titles, including the 1958 U.S. Open. He played in the Ryder Cup in 1955 and 1957.
Early life Bolt was born in Haworth, Oklahoma. He served in the United States Army during World War II and turned professional in 1946. He worked as a caddie and club professional in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Professional career Bolt was the fifth PGA Tour player to shoot a round of 60 when he did it in the second round of the 1954 Insurance City Open at the par-71 Wethersfield Country Club, outside Hartford, Connecticut. Previously, Al Brosch, Wally Ulrich, Ted Kroll and Bill Nary had also scored 60. Bolt had 11 birdies in his round and had a putt for a 59, but missed a 15-foot putt for birdie on the 18th green. Bolt had scored 71 in his first round and followed with rounds of 69 and 71 over his final 36 holes. Bolt tied with Earl Stewart, but won an 18-hole playoff the following day.
Bolt was a member of the United States Ryder Cup teams in 1955 and 1957. In 1955, at Thunderbird Country Club in California, he won his two matches, including a singles victory over Christy O'Connor Snr. In the 1957 match at Lindrick Golf Club in England he won his foursomes match but lost to Eric Brown in the singles.
Bolt's fiery disposition earned him the nicknames "Thunder" and "Terrible Tommy". He was known to break clubs during rounds, and his penchant for throwing clubs led to the adoption of a rule prohibiting such behavior. In his later years, he admitted that a lot of his on-course eruptions were merely showmanship and that he felt they had detracted from his playing.
Death Bolt died in Cherokee Village, Arkansas at the age of 92. He is interred at Evening Shade Cemetery in Evening Shade, Arkansas.
Awards and honors In 2002, Bolt was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame The same year, Bolt was also elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame
Professional wins (20) PGA Tour wins (15) Legend Major championships (1) Other PGA Tour (14) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up1Nov 11, 1951North and South Open−5 (71-72-71-69=283)3 strokes John Barnum2Jan 8, 1952Los Angeles Open +5 (73-74-70-72=289)Playoff Jack Burke Jr., Dutch Harrison3Jan 18, 1953San Diego Open−14 (66-68-70-70=274)3 strokes Doug Ford4Feb 1, 1953Tucson Open−15 (65-68-66-66=265)1 stroke Chandler Harper5Mar 21, 1954Miami Beach International Four-Ball(with Dick Mayer)−30 (67-61-65-65=258)Playoff Julius Boros and Dutch Harrison6Jun 28, 1954Insurance City Open−13 (71-60-69-71=271)Playoff Earl Stewart7Sep 5, 1954Rubber City Open−23 (69-69-63-64=265)5 strokes Fred Hawkins8Jan 23, 1955Convair-San Diego Open (2)−14 (64-67-72-71=274)2 strokes Johnny Palmer9Feb 13, 1955Tucson Open (2)−14 (69-67-65-65=266)3 strokes Bud Holscher, Art Wall Jr.10Jul 10, 1955St. Paul Open−19 (65-68-68-68=269)2 strokes Jerry Barber11Jul 28, 1957Eastern Open Invitational−12 (64-72-69-71=276)4 strokes Billy Casper, Fred Hawkins12May 4, 1958Colonial National Invitation +2 (68-70-70-74=282)1 stroke Ken Venturi13Jun 14, 1958U.S. Open +3 (71-71-69-72=283)4 strokes Gary Player14Jun 6, 1960Memphis Open Invitational−7 (72-69-65-67=273)Playoff Ben Hogan, Gene Littler15Mar 12, 1961Pensacola Open Invitational−13 (72-68-68-67=275)2 strokes Gary Player
PGA Tour playoff record (4–2) No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result11952Los Angeles Open Jack Burke Jr., Dutch HarrisonWon 18-hole playoff;Bolt: −2 (69),Burke: E (71),Harrison: +3 (74)21954Miami Beach International Four-Ball(with Dick Mayer) Julius Boros and Dutch HarrisonWon with birdie on first extra hole31954Insurance City Open Earl StewartWon 18-hole playoff;Stewart conceded on final hole41955Miami Open Sam SneadLost to par on first extra hole51960Memphis Open Invitational Ben Hogan, Gene LittlerWon 18-hole playoff;Bolt: −2 (68),Hogan: −1 (69),Littler: +1 (71)61961Home of the Sun Open Dave Hill, Bud SullivanHill won with birdie on third extra hole
Senior wins (5) 1969 PGA Seniors' Championship, World Senior Championship 1978 Australian Seniors Championship 1980 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Art Wall Jr.) 1995 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Jack Fleck)
Sources:
Major championships Wins (1) YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up 1958 U.S. Open 3 shot lead +3 (71-71-69-72=283) 4 strokes Gary Player
Results timeline Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959Masters TournamentT3T5T12T22T8CUTT32T30U.S. OpenCUTT29T7CUTT6T3T22WD1T38PGA ChampionshipR32SFSFR128R16T5T17 Tournament1960196119621963196419651966196719681969Masters TournamentT20T4CUTT37CUTT8T17T26U.S. OpenWDT22CUTCUTCUTPGA ChampionshipT57WDT30WDCUT Tournament19701971197219731974197519761977Masters TournamentCUTU.S. OpenCUTCUTPGA Championship3WD Note: Bolt never played in The Open Championship.
WD = Withdrew CUT = missed the half-way cut R128, 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 0 0 1 3 5 9 17 13U.S. Open 1 0 1 2 4 6 17 8The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0PGA Championship 0 0 3 4 5 7 14 8Totals 1 0 5 9 14 22 48 29 Most consecutive cuts made – 10 (1953 PGA – 1956 PGA) Longest streak of top-10s – 3 (twice)
U.S. national team appearances Ryder Cup: 1955 (winners), 1957 Hopkins Trophy: 1953 (winners), 1956 (winners) Lakes International Cup: 1954 (winners)
See also List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
References
External links
St. Petersburg Times feature