In fact, he studied at Victoria University (the old Footscray Tech) and RMIT, extracting a degree in chemistry, but his passion was geology. He was fascinated by soils and rock, and this would be useful many years later when his company would build golf courses in far-flung parts of the world. ‘‘I don’t work hard,’’ he said in 2009. ‘‘It’s brain work, really. I’ve never done manual work. Golf’s always been a sport, a game, a recreation, leisure for me.’’ Thomson turned professional in 1947, setting himself up at Victoria Golf Club in the famed sandbelt. He won tournaments everywhere, securing the national championships of 10 different countries, including his own. Norman Von Nida, the great Australian professional, said of him: ‘‘I sensed he had that inevitable something when I first set eyes on him.’’ Besides his personal glory, he twice won the Canada Cup, effectively the teams world championship of golf, for Australia with his great friend Kel Nagle. Great mates: Thomson (right) and Kel Nagle. He played with a glorious simplicity, and despised the modern tendency to over-analyse the beautiful game. ‘‘I was content with my own company. I liked to figure things out for myself. Looking back, nobody taught me but countless people encouraged me. I think building up the ego of a young man is very important. But making golf a science and insisting that people study it, they get the feeling ‘this is difficult’. Whereas really, they should consider it easy because it is. It’s just whacking a ball, for goodness sakes.’’ Thomson (left) and Nagle in 1965. When he won the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 1954 it was worth £750, or ‘‘enough to buy a decent house’’. When he won it for the fifth time at the same venue in 1965 it was on television, and worth £2000. These were different times. Thomson had to borrow a jacket for the presentation when he won at Royal Liverpool in 1956, with ramifications. ‘‘I thought ‘I must get a jacket from somewhere’ and I saw Max Shaw, who was captain of Royal Melbourne at the time. I said ‘do me a favour, lend me your coat’. He took off his grey jacket and it fitted me. ‘‘The picture shows me in my white golf shoes with a strange jacket on taking the prize. When Max got back to Australia and his wife was sending his jacket to the dry cleaners, she found a cheque for £1000 in the pocket.’’ Thomson went to play in the United States, and won a tournament in Texas, but did not stay for long. He preferred the rolling links courses of Scotland — in particular the home of golf, St Andrews — and said that the fabled Augusta National, for instance, was too long for his game. The US tour wanted golfers to commit to it exclusively, and in any case, setting up in America was not the routine for Australian golfers in those days. As though to thumb his nose at people who said he was no good in the US, he went there in 1985 to play the senior tour, and won an astonishing nine tournaments. Thomson defends his British Open title at St Andrews in 1955. It was said that his domination of the British Open resulted from the lack of great American players coming across the Atlantic at the time, but the truth is that he was probably better than the Americans on links courses through that period. Certainly, when he won the Open in 1965 at Royal Birkdale, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player were in his wake. It was his greatest triumph. Satisfied smile: Peter Thomson after sinking a long putt during the final round of the 1958 British Open. Credit:AP Thomson was married twice, to Lois, and later Mary, and had four children — Deidre Baker, Andrew Thomson, Pan (Peta-Ann) Predergast and Fiona Stanway, along with 11 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. His son Andrew, a lawyer, was a member of Federal Parliament from 1995 to 2001, and a minister in John Howard’s government. Thomson enjoyed opera, books and painting, and loved writing. For 30 years he penned columns for The Age on golf with a distinct style and a sharp focus. Politically conservative, he was moved by his early meetings with Prime Minister Robert Menzies, whom he described as ‘‘an idol of mine’’, and who loved his golf. Thomson stood for election to State Parliament in the seat of Prahran in 1982 but was unsuccessful as John Cain swept Labour to power. L-R: Australian golfing royalty Greg Norman, Peter Thomson, David Graham and Ian Baker Finch at a 1986 charity event. Credit:Fairfax Media<doc-sep>Thomson won five British Open titles in the 1950s and 1960s and is the only player since the turn of the 20th century to win golf's oldest major championship three times in a row. He passed away at home in Melbourne surrounded by family on 20 June, according to Golf Australia. "Golf has lost one of its great champions today," said a spokeperson from the R&A , organizers of the British Open. "He will always be remembered in St Andrews." Peter Thomson was a truly wonderful golfer & a fine global ambassador for our game. His contribution to golf will not be forgotten. In addition he was the most intellectual & best read player I ever met. My condolences to his family & friends. Rest In Peace Thomo. GP Australia's former world No.1 and two-time Open champion Greg Norman said in a statement: "I am so sorry to hear the passing of an Australian legend. There have been many individuals who have touched the game of golf, none more so than Peter Thomson in his era... He will be missed." Compatriot and fellow World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Karrie Webb said she felt "honored" to have known Thomson, describing him as an "Aussie legend and true gentleman of the game." The PGA of America called him a "legendary champion who represented his country with honor," adding he had earned a status as "one of the game's most beloved ambassadors." South Africa's Gary Player, a nine-time major champion who won three Claret Jugs, said: "Peter Thomson was a truly wonderful golfer and a fine global ambassador for our game. His contribution to golf will not be forgotten." King of the links Born on 23 August 1929 in Brunswick, Australia, Thomson honed his considerable skills climbing through a gap in the fence to play the nine-hole Royal Park course in Melbourne. Peter Thomson title breakdown Worldwide wins - 93 Senior wins - 13 Majors - Five British Opens (1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965) US wins - One European Tour wins - 26 Australian-NZ wins - 40 Australian Open wins - Three (1951, 1967, 1972) Aged 14, with a handicap of 20, he received his first full set of clubs and a course membership. Two years later, he won the club championship. Thomson could easily have pursued a different vocation after studying to earn a chemistry degree and writing a number of newspaper columns, but golf was always his foremost passion. After beginning his professional career in 1949, he spent much of his time on the European circuit. Only four other golfers in history (Harry Vardon, JH Taylor, James Braid and Tom Watson) have won as many Open Championships. In fact, Thomson finished either first or second at the Open seven years running (1952-58) -- the longest such streak in the prestigious tournament's history. Not that Thomson was a one-tournament man. The golfer captured the national championships of 10 different countries, including the New Zealand Open on nine occasions. In all, he amassed 34 Australasian and 26 European Tour title wins. We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Open legend, Peter Thomson CBE. Our deepest sympathies are with his family. Peter was a five time Champion Golfer of the Year first winning at Royal Birkdale in 1954. pic.twitter.com/tZizuKAM1A — The Open (@TheOpen) June 20, 2018 Off the course, Thomson served as president of the Australian PGA for 32 years. In 1979, he was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his service to golf, and in 2001 he became an Officer of the Order of Australia. Peter Thomson was named the first Immortal of the PGA of Australia in 2016 A brilliant man who will be remembered as one of the greatest of the game pic.twitter.com/GdfpPUF5hL — PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) June 20, 2018 In 1988, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame alongside fellow great Tom Watson and Bob Harlow, an instrumental figure in the establishment of the PGA Tour. Thomson is survived by his wife, Mary, three children, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.<doc-sep>AUSTRALIAN golfing great Peter Thomson has died after a battle with Parkinson's disease. The five-time British Open champion had been fighting the disease for the past four years. Based in Melbourne, Thomson was 88. Thomson died at home surrounded by his family on Wednesday morning. He is survived by his wife Mary, a son and three daughters, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. The first Australian to win the British Open, Thomson claimed the title five times between 1954 and 1965, a record equalled only by American Tom Watson. On the American senior circuit he won nine times in 1985. As well as a great player, Thomson served as president of the Australian PGA for 32 years, designing and building courses in Australia and around the world. He also helped establish the Asian Tour and worked behind the scenes for the Odyssey House drug rehabilitation organisation where he was chairman for five years. In 1979 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his service to golf and in 2001 became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his contributions as a player and administrator and for community service.<doc-sep>
One of the great Open Championship golfers of all time, Peter Thomson, died on Wednesday at the age of 88. Thomson won The Open in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1965. Only Harry Vardon has more with six Opens, and three of those came in the 19th century. Thomson, an Australian who also finished in the top five at the Masters and U.S. Open in his career, won over 50 times worldwide, including on the senior tours. His only other PGA Tour win came at the Texas International Open in 1956. His Open wins came at Royal Birkdale (twice), St. Andrews, Royal Liverpool and Royal Lytham and St. Annes. He also finished runner up in 1952, 1953 and 1957. Thomson, I have to say, seems to have been a bit of a reprieve from the modern player toting Trackman around and optimizing spin rates at every turn. Here's the Sydney Morning Herald. He played with a glorious simplicity, and despised the modern tendency to over-analyze the beautiful game. "I was content with my own company. I liked to figure things out for myself. Looking back, nobody taught me but countless people encouraged me. I think building up the ego of a young man is very important. But making golf a science and insisting that people study it, they get the feeling 'this is difficult'. Whereas really, they should consider it easy because it is. It's just whacking a ball, for goodness sakes." Thomson served as president of the Australian PGA for over 30 years and put his hands in a variety of disciplines late in his life, including politics and course design. He also had a tremendous career on the PGA Tour Champions. Thomson battled Parkinson's for the last few years until his death on Wednesday. Here's the Australian PGA. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for more than four years and lost his brave battle at home in Melbourne surrounded by family at 9 a.m. Born on 23 August 1929, he was two months short of his 89th birthday. "Peter was a true gentleman and will be forever remembered throughout the world of golf as one of the great champions of our wonderful sport," R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said in a statement. "He was a distinguished Honorary Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and will be sorely missed by all of us at The R&A. Our thoughts are with his family at this very sad time." "Peter gave me a number of very interesting and valuable thoughts on the game, how it has developed and where it is going which demonstrated his genuine interest and love of golf," added Slumbers. "He was one of the most decorated and celebrated champion golfers in the history of The Open, winning the championship five times in total and becoming the only golfer of the 20th century to lift the Claret Jug on three consecutive occasions between 1954 and 1956." Thomson lived an extraordinary life, and it's clear he was beloved all over the globe. Five Opens are obviously the headliner, but he had a love for the game that runs a little contrary to the experience some pros have these days. He loved golf. How much better can the portion of your obituary dealing with your life as a sportsman be? "It [golf] reached out and grabbed me. I followed it faithfully," he once told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It was a good excuse for not working."