Dick Chapman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dick Chapman | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Richard Davol Chapman |
| Born | March 23, 1911 Greenwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | November 15, 1978 (aged 67) |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 168 lb (76 kg; 12.0 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| Status | Amateur |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 2) | |
| Masters Tournament | 11th: 1954 |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T21: 1954 |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 1961 |
| U.S. Amateur | Won: 1940 |
| British Amateur | Won: 1951 |
Richard Davol Chapman (March 23, 1911 – November 15, 1978) was an American amateur golfer. Time magazine dubbed him "the Ben Hogan of amateur golf".[1]
Chapman was born in Greenwich, Connecticut.[2]
Chapman won the 1940 U.S. Amateur. He was a member of Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, which was the site of his first major triumph. He remains one of only three players to have won a USGA title on their home course. He holds a place in the Masters Tournament record book for the most appearances (19) as an amateur, a distinction he shares with Charles Coe.
Although Chapman was quite the international player, winning the 1951 British Amateur and French Amateur twice. Chapman also won a number of notable domestic events, including the Connecticut Amateur, Massachusetts Amateur, New York Amateur, New England Amateur, and Carolinas Amateur. He also won the prestigious North and South Amateur. At the 1958 U.S. Amateur, Chapman and his son, Dixie, both qualified, giving a rare father-and-son appearance.
Chapman's career was put on hold for World War II, where he served as a major in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After the war, Chapman picked up where he left off, with a string of victories in the British, French, Canadian, and Italian amateurs. Chapman is one of only two players (the other is Harvie Ward) who has won the U.S., British, and Canadian Amateur Championships.
"Blessed with a strong competitive spirit and an inquiring mind into the technicalities of the swing," reads the entry on Chapman in Who's Who in Golf. "Chapman not only played the game but wrote about it and worked at its many phases."[2]
In the 1950s, Chapman collaborated with the USGA on a handicap format for foursomes play called the Chapman System,[2] also known as Pinehurst or American Foursomes. The system worked as follows: two golfers on the same team each tee off, then play the other's ball. From there, they select the ball with which to complete the hole and continue as in foursomes.
Chapman played on the winning Walker Cup teams in 1947, 1951, and 1953. Chapman was a member of The Tin Whistles.[3] Chapman's final success came in 1967 with a victory in the International Senior Amateur.
Death
In the early 1970s, a stroke hampered his career. In 1978, he died in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
Awards and honors
- In 1986, Chapman was inducted into the Carolinas Golf Association Hall of Fame
- In 2001, Chapman was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame[4]
Amateur wins
this list is probably incomplete
- 1934 Westchester Amateur
- 1936 Connecticut Amateur
- 1938 Connecticut Amateur
- 1939 French Amateur, New York State Amateur
- 1940 U.S. Amateur
- 1948 Golf Illustrated Gold Vase
- 1949 Canadian Amateur
- 1950 Massachusetts Amateur
- 1951 British Amateur, New England Amateur[5]
- 1952 French Amateur
- 1953 Carolinas Amateur
- 1957 Carolinas Amateur
- 1958 North and South Amateur
- 1960 Italian Open Amateur
