Tom Haliburton

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Tom Haliburton

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| fullname = Thomas Bruce Haliburton

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1915|6|5|df=y}}

| birth_place = Rhu, Argyll and Bute, Scotland

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1975|10|25|1915|6|5|df=y}}

| death_place = Virginia Water, Surrey, England

| height =

| weight =

| nationality = {{SCO}}

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| college =

| status = Professional

| yearpro =

| retired =

| extour =

| prowins = 12

| eurowins =

| otherwins =

| majorwins =

| masters = CUT: 1962

| usopen = DNP

| open = T5: 1957

| pga = DNP

| wghofid =

| wghofyear =

| award1 =

| year1 =

| award2 =

| year2 =

| awardssection =

}}

Thomas Bruce Haliburton (5 June 1915 – 25 October 1975) was a Scottish golfer. He finished tied for 5th in the 1957 Open Championship and played in the 1961 and 1963 Ryder Cups.

Early life

Haliburton was born in a cottage in Rhu, then in Dunbartonshire but now in Argyll and Bute, but after a few years his parents moved to Shandon, a few miles away. It was there that he had his first contact with golf at Shandon Golf Club. He went to the Hermitage School in Helensburgh until he was 15 years old.

During World War II, Haliburton was in the Royal Air Force. He married in 1941 and became a corporal in the same year.

Golf career

Haliburton was initially an assistant for two years at Haggs Castle Golf Club in Glasgow where he was appointed professional in December 1934 before moving to Prestwick St Nicholas Golf Club as professional in January 1937. In 1939, he became first assistant to Henry Cotton at Ashridge Golf Club.{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=6 February 1939 |page=7 |title=Golf}} After a series of moves, he became the professional at the Wentworth Club in 1952 where he remained until his death in 1975.

In 1952 he set a world record score by scoring 126 for the first two rounds of the Spalding Tournament, although he eventually finished fourth.

He was in the British 1961 and 1963 Ryder Cup teams.

In the 1963 Open Championship at Royal Lytham, he scored 29 for the first nine holes of the opening round, an Open record, equalled by Peter Thomson later on the same day. Tony Jacklin equalled the record in 1970 and Denis Durnian beat it, scoring 28, in 1983.{{cite web |url=http://www.golftoday.co.uk/tours/majors/The_Open_records.html |title=The Open Championship - Tournament Records}}

In 1969 he became chairman of the British PGA.{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=27 October 1975 |page=14 |title=Obituary – Mr Tom Haliburton – Distinguished golf career}} He was the non-playing British captain in the first PGA Cup at Pinehurst, North Carolina in 1973. His last tournament was a Pro-Am at Helensburgh Golf Club in 1974.

Death

Drawing up plan for his retirement, he had recommended Bernard Gallacher as his successor at Wentworth. Haliburton and Gallacher had just started a practice round when, on the first green, Haliburton collapsed and died. He had been a professional golfer for 42 years.

Tournament wins

1938 Northern Open, West of Scotland Championship, Ayrshire Professional Championship
1946 West of England Professional Championship
1949 Daily Mail Tournament
1951 Sunningdale Foursomes (with Jean Donald), Middlesex Professional Championship
1953 Sunningdale Foursomes (with Jean Donald)
1957 Surrey Open
1959 Gleneagles Hotel Foursomes Tournament (with Bill Igoe)
1963 Yorkshire Evening News Tournament, Surrey Open

Source:{{cite book |editor1-last=Huggins |editor1-first=Percy |title=The Golfer's Handbook |date=1973 |pages=379 |url=https://archive.org/details/golfershandbook1973unse/page/379/mode/1up}}

Results in major championships

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1936

!1937

!1938

!1939

align="left"|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align="left"|The Open Championship

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|35

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1940

!1941

!1942

!1943

!1944

!1945

!1946

!1947

!1948

!1949

align="left"|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align="left"|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT

|T31

|CUT

|T23

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1950

!1951

!1952

!1953

!1954

!1955

!1956

!1957

!1958

!1959

align="left"|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align="left"|The Open Championship

|WD

|CUT

|T37

|T29

|CUT

|T32

|CUT

|style="background:yellow;"|T5

|CUT

|T29

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1960

!1961

!1962

!1963

!1964

align="left"|Masters Tournament

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

align="left"|The Open Championship

|T32

|T41

|CUT

|T30

|CUT

Note: Haliburton only played in the Masters Tournament and The Open Championship.

NT = No tournament

CUT = missed the half-way cut

WD = Withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

Canada Cup (representing Scotland): 1954
Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain): 1961, 1963
Ireland–Scotland Professional Match (representing Scotland): 1935, 1936
England–Scotland Professional Match (representing Scotland): 1938
Llandudno International Golf Trophy (representing Scotland): 1938
Amateurs–Professionals Match (representing the Professionals): 1960 (winners)
PGA Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1973 (non-playing captain)

References

External links

[http://www.helensburgh-heritage.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=528:from-shandon-to-ryder-cup&catid=38:sport&Itemid=496 Helensburgh Heritage: Van Shandon to Ryder Cup]
[http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php/scotland-63/north-west/argyll-a-bute/1151-shandon-golf-club-scotland Shandon Golf Club, Argyll & Bute]

Category:Scottish male golfers

Category:Ryder Cup competitors for Europe

Category:Golfers from Argyll and Bute

Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II

Category:Royal Air Force airmen

Category:Military personnel from Argyll and Bute

Category:People from Rhu, Argyll and Bute

Category:1915 births

Category:1975 deaths

Category:20th-century Scottish sportsmen