George Naismith
{{short description|Australian professional golfer}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox golfer
| name = George Naismith
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| fullname = George William Naismith
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| birth_date = 1909
| birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| death_date = {{Death date|1983|5|23|df=y}} (aged 74)
| death_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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| nationality = {{AUS}}
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| status = Professional
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George William Naismith (1909 – 23 May 1983) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the 1937 Australian Open.
Early life
Naismith was initially an assistant professional at Kingston Heath Golf Club.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128100235 |title=Victorian golfers |newspaper=The Referee |issue=2076 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=22 December 1926 |access-date=17 January 2021 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}} In 1929 he was appointed the professional at Riversdale Golf Club.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4005085 |title=Riversdale professional |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |issue=25817 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=11 May 1929 |access-date=17 January 2021 |page=27 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Professional career
Naismith first came to notice in the 1927 Australian Open when, after three mediocre rounds, he finished with a round of 72.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184860839 |title=Sporting Men and Incidents |newspaper=The Sporting Globe |issue=535 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=10 September 1927 |access-date=17 January 2021 |page=6 (Edition1) |via=National Library of Australia}} In 1928 he reached the semi-finals of the Age and Leader purse, only losing at the 20th hole.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204116659 |title=Golf |newspaper=The Age |issue=22936 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=10 October 1928 |access-date=17 January 2021 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia}}
In 1931 Naismith qualified as the Victorian representative in the Spalding Australian Professional Overseas Championship, the main prize for which was an expenses-paid trip to play in the 1931 Open Championship at Carnoustie.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29861250 |title=Spalding Professional Overseas Championship |newspaper=The Advertiser|location=South Australia |date=23 January 1931 |access-date=14 January 2021 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia}} In the Victorian qualifying event, Naismith and John Young were tied on 316 after 72 holes but Naismith won the 18-hole playoff the following day by 10 strokes.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4376698 |title=Spalding's overseas contest |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |issue=26384 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=7 March 1931 |access-date=17 January 2021 |page=22 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4383275 |title=Spalding contest |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |issue=26385 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=9 March 1931 |access-date=17 January 2021 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}} The final stage was at Victoria Golf Club in mid-March with the five state winners competing over 72 holes. Naismith was runner-up, 6 strokes behind South Australian, Rufus Stewart.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45754291 |title=R. Stewart to go to London |newspaper=Advertiser And Register |location=South Australia |date=16 March 1931 |access-date=14 January 2021 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Naismith reached the final of the 1932 Australian Professional Championship at Royal Adelaide, losing 7&6 to Fergus McMahon.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203799318 |title=Championship Golf |newspaper=The Age |issue=24142 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=26 August 1932 |access-date=14 January 2021 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} Two weeks later he won the Victorian Professional Championship at Royal Melbourne beating Horace Boorer 5&4 in the final.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205491576 |title=State professional final |newspaper=The Age |issue=24154 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=9 September 1932 |access-date=31 December 2020 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} He won again in 1934 at Kingston Heath, beating Boorer again in the final, this time 9&8.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205877963 |title=State professional championship |newspaper=The Age |issue=24794 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=1 October 1934 |access-date=31 December 2020 |page=15 |via=National Library of Australia}} In early 1936 Naismith was one of the six-man Australian team in the second Lakes International Cup at Lakewood Country Club, Long Beach, California. Playing with his cousin, Ted Naismith, they lost in the foursomes but George halved his singles against Paul Runyan.{{cite web |url=http://www.golfcollectors.co.uk/u/cms/TTG_93_2010June.pdf#page=38 |title=Australia's Ryder Cup |author=Michael Sheret |periodical=Through the Green |access-date=15 January 2021}}
Naismith's biggest success came in 1937 when he won the Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club. After two rounds Rufus Stewart led from Jim Ferrier with Naismith tied in third place.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206725848 |title=Rufus Stewart leads field |newspaper=The Age |issue=25711 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=11 September 1937 |access-date=17 January 2021 |page=26 |via=National Library of Australia}} Both Stewart and Ferrier did badly on the final day and, with two rounds of 74, Naismith won with a score of 299, one ahead of amateurs, Doug Davies and Tom McKay, and professional Ossie Walker.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169603781 |title=Golf title to Victorian, but how! |newspaper=Truth |issue=2488 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=12 September 1937 |access-date=16 January 2021|page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Naismith reached the final of the Australian Professional Championship for the second time in 1939, at Royal Melbourne, losing 7&5 to Ted Naismith.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206329579 |title=Ferrier secures treble |newspaper=The Age |issue=26325 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=1 September 1939 |access-date=16 January 2021 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} In 1947 the Victorian Golf Association ran a 36-hole "open scratch event", open to amateurs and professionals resident in Victoria, the forerunner of the Victorian Close Championship which started the following year. It was played on a single day at Victoria Golf Club.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article245858882 |title=Golfers' note book |newspaper=The Herald (Melbourne) |issue=21756 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=11 February 1947 |access-date=16 January 2021 |page=17 |via=National Library of Australia}} Naismith and amateur Bill Higgins tied with scores of 149.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206038147 |title=Higgins – G. Naismith Tie in Open Event |newspaper=The Age |issue=28778 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=21 July 1947 |access-date=16 January 2021 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Later life
Naismith resigned from Riversdale Golf Club in late 1962, having been the professional there for over 33 years. He took up a position at the Melbourne Sports Depot in 1963.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_JBVAAAAIBAJ&pg=2807%2C791995 |newspaper=The Age |title=Geo. Naismith to leave club |date=5 November 1962 |page=18 |access-date=16 January 2021 |via=Google News Archive}} Naismith died in Melbourne, Victoria on 23 May 1983.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PyRVAAAAIBAJ&pg=5465%2C3798629 |newspaper=The Age |title=Deaths |date=24 May 1983 |page=38 |access-date=16 January 2021 |via=Google News Archive}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2J9WAAAAIBAJ&pg=3576%2C10002461 |newspaper=The Sun-Herald |title=Fairways |first=Terry |last=Smith |date=29 May 1983 |page=66 |access-date=16 January 2021 |via=Google News Archive}}
Professional wins
Team appearances
- Lakes International Cup (representing Australia): 1936
- Vicars Shield (representing Victoria): 1930, 1931, 1932 (winners), 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939 (winners), 1946, 1949, 1950, 1952 (winners)
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naismith, George}}
Category:Australian male golfers
Category:Golfers from Melbourne