Peter Thomson was the aristocrat of golfers worldwide, and Australia’s greatest.
The five times British Open champion, now known as The Open, died yesterday at 88 after suffering from Parkinson’s Disease for the last four years.
He dominated the world’s oldest tournament like none other.
There was a successive seven-year period from 1952 to 1958 where he won four British Opens, and finished second three times, capturing his fifth Open in 1965 and beating legends-to-be Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Sammy Snead in the process.
The winner’s cheque was a princely 1750 pounds sterling.
The closest in history was another legend-to-be Tom Watson.
Both enjoyed five wins, but Thomson had three seconds, a third and 18 top 10s from 30 starts, to Watson’s two seconds, and 10 top 10s from 38.
But golf was Thomson’s passion, and as he often said – “I never had a real job”.
The combination of one of the sweetest swings of all time, and that passion, led to 88 career wins around the world.
And whenever I thought of, or interviewed him, inevitably his lifelong and close friend Kel Nagle entered the process. Nagle was nine years older.
Nagle won the 1960 Centenary British Open beating his mate and Arnold Palmer on the way to 83 career wins.
The perfect example was the New Zealand Open. Thomson won it 11 times, and if he didn’t win then Nagle did. He won five times in total.
It was the superb Australian combination of Thomson and Nagel that stuck together like Hoad and Rosewall, Lindwall and Miller, Simpson and Lawry, Lillee and Thomson, or Warne and McGrath, to name but a few.
Thomson and Nagel combined to win two Canada Cups, now known as the World Cup.
But in 1954 in Montreal and 1959 in Melbourne, the two very best golfers represented their countries – it was a big deal.
With no golf television in the latter, one of my fondest sporting memories was watching an exhibition match-play clash between the two Aussies and the Americans they beat at The Australian in Sydney – Snead and Dr Cary Middlecoff.
Two of the sweetest swingers in Thomson and Snead, and the superb putting of Nagle was well worth battling the massive crowd that lined the fairways 10 deep to the green on every hole.
But what about Thomson the man?
He was humble with a sharp sense of humour, but interviewing or just chatting to him there was no doubt who was in control. He achieved that in the nicest possible way without any hint of dominating the conversation.
And he served his passion so well off the course in 32 years as president of the Australian PGA, being instrumental in setting up the Asian Tour from scratch that is now so powerful, as well as many years as a television expert commentator and golf writer.
But perhaps his biggest contribution to the sport are the 180 golf courses he has designed all over the world. He was the first to do so on such a large scale.
I rate him the equal of Herb Elliott, never beaten over 1500 or the mile, as the greatest Australian sportsmen behind the incomparable Sir Donald Bradman.
In short, Peter Thomson was a sensational golfer, a gentleman, and a gentle man.
It’s been a privilege to know him well. He’s no longer with us, but will never ever be forgotten.
To his wife Mary, son Andrew, daughters Deirdre, Peta-Ann, Fiona and their spouses, 11 grand children, and four grand children, our thoughts are with you.
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