Robert Gardner (golfer)
Robert Abbe Gardner (April 9, 1890 – June 21, 1956) was an American multi-sport athlete best known for winning the U.S. Amateur in golf twice.
| Robert Gardner | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Robert Abbe Gardner |
| Born | April 9, 1890 Hinsdale, Illinois |
| Died | June 21, 1956 (aged 66) Lake Forest, Illinois |
| Sporting nationality | United States |
| Spouse | Katherine Keep |
| Children | Mary (1919) |
| Career | |
| College | Yale University |
| Status | Amateur |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 2) | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T23: 1911 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Amateur | Won: 1909, 1915 |
| British Amateur | 2nd: 1920 |
Early life
Gardner was born in Hinsdale, Illinois. He spent most of his life in the Chicago area. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale University in 1912, where he was a member of Skull and Bones.[1]
While a sophomore at Yale, Gardner won the 1909 U.S. Amateur golf tournament over Chandler Egan at the Chicago Golf Club. He was the youngest winner, at 19 years, 5 months, of the U.S. Amateur.[2] His record stood for 85 years until Tiger Woods won his first of three Amateurs at age 18 years, 8 months.
Golf career
Gardner would make the finals of the U.S. Amateur three more times, winning in 1915[3] and losing in 1916[4] and 1921.[5] He also lost in the finals of two other prominent amateur events, the 1911 Western Amateur and the 1920 British Amateur.
Golf was not the only sport Gardner excelled at. On June 1, 1912, at an intercollegiate track and field competition in Philadelphia, he set the world pole vault record at 13 feet 1 inch (3.99 m).[6] This record would be short lived as Marc Wright vaulted 13 feet 2+1⁄4 inches (4.020 m) one week later at the Olympic trials in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[7]
Gardner also was national champion in another sport, racquets. He and Howard Linn won the national doubles racquets championship in 1926 and 1929.
Military career
Gardner enlisted in the Army in 1917 and served in France during World War I as a lieutenant in a field artillery unit. After the war he returned to Chicago and joined a stock brokerage firm where he spent the rest of his career. He served as president of the Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) for many years and also served on several United States Golf Association committees. He won the CDGA Amateur Championship three times (1916, 1924, 1925).[8]
Death
Gardner died in Lake Forest, Illinois at the age of 66.
Golfing highlights
Wins
- 1909 U.S. Amateur
- 1915 U.S. Amateur
- 1916 Chicago District Amateur
- 1924 Chicago District Amateur
- 1925 Chicago District Amateur
Runner-up finishes
- 1911 Western Amateur
- 1916 U.S. Amateur
- 1920 British Amateur
- 1921 U.S. Amateur
Amateur major championships
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | U.S. Amateur | 4 & 3 | Chandler Egan |
| 1915 | U.S. Amateur | 5 & 4 | John G. Anderson |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | T23 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | NT | NT | DNP |
| U.S. Amateur | 1 | DNQ | R32 | DNP | R32 | QF | 1 | 2 | NT | NT | R16 |
| British Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
| Tournament | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Amateur | R16 | 2 | R16 | SF | R32 | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | DNP | DNP |
| British Amateur | 2 | DNP | DNP | R256 | DNP | DNP | R256 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | R256 |
| British Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
LA = Low Amateur
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur:
Source for 1920 British Amateur: The American Golfer, June 19, 1920, pg. 8.
Source for 1923 British Amateur:
Source for 1926 British Amateur:
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Walker Cup: 1922 (winners), 1923 (winners, playing captain), 1924 (winners, playing captain), 1926 (winners, playing captain)
References
- ^ History of the Class of 1912. Yale University. 1912. pp. 142. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
- ^ 1909 U.S. Amateur
- ^ 1915 U.S. Amateur
- ^ 1916 U.S. Amateur
- ^ 1921 U.S. Amateur
- ^ World Record Progression - pole vault - men Archived 2013-01-12 at archive.today
- ^ World Record Progression - Men - Pole Vault 2007-11-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ CDGA Amateur Championship history
External links
- Yale University biography
- New York Times article on his golf and pole vault abilities