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Tommy Armour

Scotland / USA · born , Edinburgh, Scotland · died

3major championships

Summary

  • First major 1927 U.S. Open
  • Last major 1931 The Open
  • Runner-up in majors 1 time

Wins

  1. 1927 U.S. Open Oakmont C.C. · 301 (+13) · won a playoff against Harry Cooper
  2. 1930 PGA Championship Fresh Meadow Country Club · won the final 1 up against Gene Sarazen
  3. 1931 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · 296 · by 1 stroke from José Jurado

Near misses

  1. 1929 The Open Muirfield · finished 10 · 305
  2. 1935 PGA Championship Twin Hills Golf & Country Club · runner-up to Johnny Revolta · lost the final 5 & 4

Rivals

Beat him

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Next in the chain: Johnny Revolta's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1930 PGA Championship All square at the 36th, both players were in a greenside bunker and blasted to about 10–12 feet; Armour holed his putt and Sarazen missed.
  2. 1930 PGA Championship Harold Sampson beat two-time defending champion Leo Diegel on the 38th hole in the round of 16.
  3. 1931 Open Armour's closing 71 equalled the course record in the first Open at Carnoustie.
  4. 1931 Open Jurado drove into the burn at the 17th for a 6, then missed a nine-foot putt at the 18th to tie.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1931 The Open

    Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · 296 · by 1 stroke from José Jurado

    Armour's closing 71 equalled the course record in the first Open at Carnoustie.

    Jurado drove into the burn at the 17th for a 6, then missed a nine-foot putt at the 18th to tie.

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1931.

    Career line, 1927–1935

    PGA Championship
    1930 PGA Championship: won1935 PGA Championship: runner-up to Johnny Revolta
    U.S. Open
    1927 U.S. Open: won
    The Open
    1929 The Open: finished 101931 The Open: won
    19281930193219341936

    5 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10

    Tommy Armour was born on September 24, 1895, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Armour won 3 major championships: 1 PGA Championship (1930), 1 U.S. Open (1927) and 1 Open Championship (1931).

    See Tommy Armour in our rooms: U.S. Open, The Open, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (3)

    1. 1927 U.S. Open Oakmont C.C., Oakmont, PA · 301 (+13) · won a playoff against Harry Cooper (18 holes, 76–79)
    2. 1930 PGA Championship Fresh Meadow Country Club, Flushing, New York · won the final 1 up against Gene Sarazen
    3. 1931 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · 296 · by 1 stroke from José Jurado

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1929 The Open Muirfield · finished 10 · 305
    2. 1935 PGA Championship Twin Hills Golf & Country Club · runner-up to Johnny Revolta · lost the final 5 & 4

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 5 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 17 won, 8 lost, including 1 of 2 finals.

    1. 1925 Round of 32 beat George Griffin 3 & 1
    2. 1925 Round of 16 beat Johnny Golden 6 & 5
    3. 1925 Quarterfinal lost to Mortie Dutra 2 up
    4. 1927 Round of 32 beat Johnny Farrell 4 & 3
    5. 1927 Round of 16 beat Tom Harmon Jr. 7 & 6
    6. 1927 Quarterfinal lost to Walter Hagen 4 & 3
    7. 1928 Round of 32 lost to Jim Barnes 3 & 2
    8. 1930 Round of 32 beat Clarence Hackney 11 & 10
    9. 1930 Round of 16 beat Bob Shave 7 & 5
    10. 1930 Quarterfinal beat Johnny Farrell 2 & 1
    11. 1930 Semifinal beat Charles Lacey 1 up
    12. 1930 Final beat Gene Sarazen 1 up
    13. 1931 Round of 32 beat Joe Kirkwood 2 & 1
    14. 1931 Round of 16 beat Walter Murray 5 & 3
    15. 1931 Quarterfinal lost to Denny Shute 3 & 1
    16. 1934 Round of 32 beat Al Nelson 4 & 3
    17. 1934 Round of 16 lost to Dick Metz 3 & 2
    18. 1935 Round of 64 beat Willie Klein 1 up
    19. 1935 Round of 32 beat Charles Schneider 3 & 2
    20. 1935 Round of 16 beat Ky Laffoon 3 & 2
    21. 1935 Quarterfinal beat Ed Dudley won on 39th hole
    22. 1935 Semifinal beat Al Watrous 2 & 1
    23. 1935 Final lost to Johnny Revolta 5 & 4
    24. 1936 Round of 64 lost to Mortie Dutra 4 & 3
    25. 1937 Round of 64 lost to Sam Bernardi 1 up

    Sources

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. WGHOF
    2. Golf Compendium PGA Tour wins
    3. where2golf
    4. Golf Compendium PGA Tour career wins
    5. Golf Compendium winners list
    6. GNN U.S. Open room (champions data)
    7. PGA of America winners & venues
    8. Golf Compendium 1930
    9. The Golf News Net history table (2026)
    10. Today's Golfer purse history
    11. Trenham, Philadelphia PGA history 1930–1939
    12. The R&A, Tommy Armour
    13. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 101
    14. R&A 1931
    15. GC 1931
    16. R&A 1929
    17. Golf Compendium 1925
    18. Golf Compendium 1927
    19. Golf Compendium 1931
    20. Golf Compendium 1934
    21. Golf Compendium 1935