Dick Chapman

Chapman was born in Greenwich, Connecticut.{{cite book |last1=Elliott |first1=Len |first2=Barbara |last2=Kelly |title=Who's Who in Golf |year=1976 |publisher=Arlington House |location=New Rochelle, New York |isbn=0-87000-225-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/whoswhoingolf00elli/page/35 35–6] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoingolf00elli/page/35}}

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."

In the 1950s, Chapman collaborated with the USGA on a handicap format for foursomes play called the Chapman System, 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.{{Cite web |last=Case |first=Bill |date=2017-09-28 |title=Taking on the Giants |url=https://pinestrawmag.com/taking-on-the-giants/ |access-date=2025-06-13 |website=PineStraw Magazine |language=en-US}} Chapman's final success came in 1967 with a victory in the International Senior Amateur.

In the early 1970s, a stroke hampered his career. In 1978, he died in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

• 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[http://www.csgalinks.org/hof/inductee.htm Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame Members] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227051733/http://www.csgalinks.org/hof/inductee.htm |date=2008-12-27 }}

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{{Cite news |last=Fitzgerald |first=Tom |date=August 5, 1951 |title=Chapman N.E. Titlist; Beats Dr. Lebel, 8 and 6 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/433339399/?terms=england&match=2 |newspaper=The Boston Sunday Globe |access-date=2025-03-01 |pages=43-46 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}}
• 1952 French Amateur
• 1953 Carolinas Amateur
• 1957 Carolinas Amateur
• 1958 North and South Amateur
• 1960 Italian Open Amateur

Note: Chapman never played in the PGA Championship.

{{legend|lime|Win}}

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

M = Medalist

LA = Low Amateur

NT = No tournament

WD = withdrew

CUT = missed the half-way cut

R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Source for The Masters: [https://web.archive.org/web/20100326225029/http://www.masters.com/en_US/history/past_winners.html www.masters.com]

Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: [https://web.archive.org/web/20101221024412/http://champsdatabase.usga.org/ USGA Championship Database]

Sources for British Amateur: [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19350524&printsec=frontpage The Glasgow Herald, May 24, 1935, pg. 22.], [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19360526&printsec=frontpage The Glasgow Herald, May 26, 1936, pg. 20.], [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19370529&printsec=frontpage The Glasgow Herald, May 29, 1937, pg. 21.], [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19390527&printsec=frontpage The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1939, pg. 3.], [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19480528&printsec=frontpage&hl=en The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1948, pg. 6.], [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19520530&printsec=frontpage&hl=en The Glasgow Herald, May 30, 1952, pg. 2.], [http://www.opengolf.com/en/History/PreviousOpens.aspx?leaderboard=1&eventid=1961000&view=year www.opengolf.com]

Source: [http://www.wfgc.info/html/usopen/pastchampatwfgc.html Past Champions at Winged Foot Golf Club]

Amateur

• Walker Cup: 1947 (winners), 1951 (winners), 1953 (winners)

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{{U.S. Amateur champions}}

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Category:American male golfers

Category:Amateur golfers

Category:Golfers from Connecticut

Category:United States Army Air Forces officers

Category:Sportspeople from Greenwich, Connecticut

Category:1911 births

Category:1978 deaths

Category:20th-century American sportsmen