THOMSON OPENS HIS ACCOUNT

After finishing 6th, 2nd and 2nd in his first three
Open Championships, Thomson claimed Australia’s second major title at Royal Birkdale in 1954, holding off Welshman Dai Rees and England's Syd Scott, as well as long-time rival Bobby Locke by a single shot.

RIGHT: Thomson clutches the Claret Jug at Birkdale.
PHOTO: Getty Images.

Using a set of borrowed clubs, which he returned to
John Letters after claiming Australia’s first Claret Jug, Thomson found the upslope of a bunker at the 16th
hole during the final round, splashing out with his eyes closed to within inches of the hole. “That won it for me, no doubt,” Thomson said.

BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPION

The 1955 Open Championship was held at the
Old Course at St Andrews where Thomson opened with a round of one-under-par; just as he had done the year before at Royal Birkdale.

RIGHT: Thomson wins back-to-back Open Championships.
PHOTO: Getty Images.

The 25-year-old Thomson captured the lead in the second round with his four-under 68 and never surrendered it, winning by two shots over Scotland’s John Fallon. “Now I’ve won The Open in successive years, to join such golfing immortals as Bobby Jones, Walter Hagan and Bobby Locke, I’ll be back to try to make it a hat-trick next year,” Thomson wrote in The Argus Newspaper.

OPEN HAT-TRICK

While Thomson’s home city (Melbourne) prepared
to host the 1956 Olympics, Thommo was attempting to become the first player since Bob Ferguson (1880-1882) to complete a hat-trick of victories at the Open Championship.

RIGHT: Thomson wins a third straight Open Championship.
PHOTO: Getty Images.

Thomson began at Royal Liverpool with a round of
one-under-par – as he had done the year before and
the year before that – and had shot to the lead by the conclusion of the second round. Friday rounds of 72 and 74 led to a convincing three-shot victory over Belgium’s Flory Van Donck.

ANOTHER CLARET JUG

Having finished runner-up to Bobby Locke at St Andrews in 1957, Thomson arrived at Royal Lytham and St Annes in ’58 hungry for redemption.

RIGHT: Thomson won his fourth Open title after defeating Dave Thomas in a play-off. PHOTO: Getty Images.

The 28-year-old Victorian bolted out of the gates and straight to the top of the leaderboard, registering a round of five-under 66 for the best round of his Open career. Thomson proceeded to sign scores of 72, 67 and 73, which left him in a tie for first with Dave Thomas.
But the Welshman was no match for Thommo, who
won the subsequent 36-hole play-off by four shots.

SAVING THE BEST UNTIL LAST

The 1960s saw an increase in American interest and participation in The Open, largely thanks to Arnold Palmer, and the occasional observation that Thomson had achieved his domination of the event against weak fields.

RIGHT: Thomson became the fourth player to win five or more Opens.
PHOTO: Getty Images.

So when the event returned to the site of his first win in 1965, Thomson went about setting the critics straight by claiming his fifth Claret Jug ahead of the likes of Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and defending champion Tony Lema. Thommo handled the tough conditions at Birkdale on the final day best, closing with back-to-back birdies and a 71.

WORLD CHAMPION

Thomson formed a formidable partnership with Kel Nagle in the then Canada Cup, winning the teams event twice in the 1950s before it became the World Cup in 1967.

The Australian combination’s first triumph came in the same year Thomson won the first of five Claret Jugs, 1954, with the Victorian firing a final round 66 to miss out on the individual title by two shots from Stan Leonard of Canada.

RIGHT: Thomson and Kel Nagle won the Canada Cup twice in the 1950s. PHOTO: Getty Images.

In 1959 Nagle and Thomson claimed their second victory, this time by an impressive 10 shots around Royal Melbourne, with Leonard again edging out Thommo for individual honours.

PRESIDENTIAL SEAL

For all his individual accolades, Thomson’s captaincy of the International team to what remains their only victory in the Presidents Cup held a special place in his career.

Thomson and his team made up of players from seven countries took down a highly fancied American side boasting the likes of Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, David Duval and Phil Mickelson 20½ –11½ at Royal Melbourne in 1998. “The other things are very selfish things – there is no one to bother you and sometimes you win. But playing with a team is something different,” Thomson told The Australian newspaper.

Thomson captained the only winning International Team at the Presidents Cup in 1998. PHOTO: Getty Images.

ANOTHER AUSSIE OPEN

Although he had already won his national Open twice (1951 & 1967), Thomson travelled to Kooyonga in Adelaide for the 1972 Australian Open eager to add to his collection.

RIGHT: Thomson won his national championship three times.
PHOTO: Getty Images.

The 43-year-old opened with a round of 74 to sit midfield, before firing 69 and a course record-equalling 68 to charge up the leaderboard. But a 27-year-old David Graham was keeping pace and by the conclusion of 72 holes they were locked in a stalemate. Thommo repeated his record-equalling 68 in the resulting play-off, while Graham signed for 74.

NINE-WIN U.S SEASON

It was 1985 and Thomson was now 55 years old and playing on the Senior PGA Tour in the US.

RIGHT: Thomson silenced his critics by winning nine times on the Senior PGA Tour in the 1985 season. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Many critics had argued the Australian couldn’t be considered one of the all-time greats because he lacked success in America. But the Melburnian soon silenced his doubters, winning nine times in the space of seven months and collecting a host of further top-10s against the likes of Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper and Gary Player.

SAME OLD STORY IN NEW ZEALAND

While Thomson’s record in The Open and Australian Open are outstanding, his dominance of the New Zealand Open stands out through sheer weight of numbers.

RIGHT: Thomson won the New Zealand Open nine times.
PHOTO: Getty Images.

Thomson claimed New Zealand’s national open on nine occasions between 1950 and 1971, and together with close friend and fellow Open Champion Kel Nagle claimed the trophy 16 out of 21 years. Thomson’s influence on New Zealand golf extended beyond his victories, giving a young Steve Williams his first big caddying job as a teenager in the event.