Jack Dowling

John "Jack" Dowling (August 6, 1890 – October 24, 1931) was an American professional golfer. He had two top-10 finishes in major championships: a tie for seventh in the 1912 U.S. Open and a quarterfinal loss (tie for fifth) in the inaugural 1916 PGA Championship. He won the 1921 Westchester Open and finished third in the same event in 1920.

Jack Dowling
Personal information
Full nameJohn Dowling
Born(1890-08-06)August 6, 1890
Glen Cove, New York
DiedOctober 24, 1931(1931-10-24) (aged 41)
Glen Cove, New York
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight118 lb (54 kg; 8.4 st)
Nationality United States
Career
StatusProfessional
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Professional wins2
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipT5: 1916
U.S. OpenT7: 1912
The Open ChampionshipDNP

He died suddenly of a massive heart attack in 1931 at the age of 41, cutting short a promising life and career.

Early life

Dowling was born August 6, 1890 in Glen Cove, New York.[1] He served as the assistant professional at Nassau Country Club[2] in 1910 and was later the head professional at Scarsdale Golf Club in Hartsdale, New York, before moving on to Engineers Country Club in Roslyn, New York.[1][3]

Golf career

He grew up to be a small, wiry man who weighed only 118 pounds. In 1931, his golf swing was described by writer Ralph Trost of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle as "vivid ... it was a full, powerful, complete lash at the ball".[4] Trost further elaborated on Dowling's appearance as being "thin as the proverbial rail and almost gaunt-looking".[4]

1911 Eastern PGA Four-Ball Tournament

In the Eastern Professional Golfers Association Four-Ball Tournament held at Rumson Country Club, Rumson, New Jersey, on August 9, 1911, Dowling was paired with Jack Hobens. They won the event easily by posting a round of 68 and beat the second place team of Jack Jolly and Tom Anderson, Jr. who carded a round of 74. The winners received a gold medal and $125 in prize money.[2]

1912 U.S. Open

The 1912 U.S. Open was the 18th U.S. Open, held August 1–2 at the Country Club of Buffalo in Amherst, New York, a suburb east of Buffalo. The course is now Grover Cleveland Golf Course, owned by Erie County. The Country Club of Buffalo relocated several miles east in 1926 to Williamsville. 20-year-old John McDermott successfully defended his U.S. Open title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Tom McNamara. Dowling carded rounds of 76-79-76-74=305, finished tied for seventh place, and won $45.[5][6]

1916 PGA Championship

The 1916 PGA Championship was the first PGA Championship and is now considered to be one of golf's major championships. It was played from October 10–14 at the Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York,[7][8][9][10][11] just north of New York City. Dowling opened play in the tournament with a first round bye. In round two he defeated Emmett French 1 up on the first hole of a playoff (37th hole) but lost in the third round (quarterfinals) to Willie MacFarlane in a stubbornly contested match by the close score of 2 and 1.[5]

Dowling had managed to gain entry into the tournament when a west coast player defaulted. To fill the open spot, the PGA held a playoff between Dowling and Clarence Hackney, the result of which was 72-75=147 for Dowling and a 165 total for Hackney. Macdonald Smith was to have been the third player competing for the open spot but he showed up late after the other two players had finished and was disqualified.[12]

Red Cross four-ball match

Dowling, who was paired with Tom McNamara in a match held on September 15, 1918 at Scarsdale Golf Club, defeated Chick Evans (national amateur and open champion), and Bobby Jones, in an American Red Cross four-ball match by the score of 1 up.[13] The proceeds from the match were donated to the Red Cross for its war-time efforts during World War I. Dowling took full advantage in winning the match since the event was contested on his home course.[3]

Death

On October 24, 1931, he played 36 holes of golf at Engineers Country Club in Roslyn, New York. After the two rounds were concluded, he went to his mother's house in nearby Glen Cove, New York, where he suffered an acute heart attack and died at age 41.[3] The bus he was riding in after leaving the golf course had struck and killed a 7-year-old boy.[4]

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (1)

Other wins (1)
  • 1911 Eastern PGA Four-Ball Tournament

Results in major championships
Tournament 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920
U.S. Open T7 T27 ? T22 12 NT NT ? T38
PGA Championship NYF NYF NYF NYF QF NT DNP DNP DNP

Note: Dowling played only in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship.

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" Indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References
  1. "World War I Draft Registration Card". United States. June 5, 1917 – via Ancestry.com. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. "Jack Dowling, Formerly Assistant at Nassau Country Club Shows Great Form in Golf Matches at Rumson C.C.". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York. August 9, 1911. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Jack Dowling, Former Scarsdale Golf Professional, Died Suddenly". Scarsdale Inquirer. October 30, 1931. p. 18. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  4. Trost, Ralph (October 27, 1931). "Jack Dowling Once Defeated Vardon, Ray in Open Title Play". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  6. "Golf Major Championships". golfmajorchampionships.com. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  7. "Jim Barnes Gets Wanamaker Trophy" (PDF). The New York Times. New York. October 15, 1916. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  8. "Pro Golfers Meet In Title Matches" (PDF). The New York Times. New York. October 11, 1916. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  9. "Brady Put Out Of Pro Golf Tourney" (PDF). The New York Times. New York. October 12, 1916. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  10. "Hagen Winner By Lop-Sided Score" (PDF). The New York Times. New York. October 13, 1916. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  11. "Hagen Defeated By Doughty Scot" (PDF). The New York Times. New York. October 14, 1916. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  12. "Jack Dowling Will Have a Try at the Wanamaker Prizes". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York. October 5, 1916. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Chick Evans and Bobby Jones Beaten By Two Pros on Scarsdale Links". The New York Times. September 16, 1918. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
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