The strange case of Bobby Locke

Bobby Locke’s career ranks him as one of the all-time greats in world golf. Despite missing some of his best years due to World War II, Locke managed to win The Open Championship no less than four times and became one of the greatest putters in history.

With a pedigree like that, anyone would think all the tours would want him in their tournaments. But at one point, Bobby Locke was banned from the PGA Tour.

Let’s delve into that part of golf history.

Bobby Locke: The Background

Bobby Locke was born in 1917 in South Africa. From a very young age, his enormous talent for golf was evident. So much so that in 1934, at the age of 17, he won both the South African Amateur and the South African Open. He repeated the double three years later and turned professional the following year.

It did not take him long to find success in this new phase of his career. In his first season as a professional (1938), he won the Irish Open, the New Zealand Open and the South African Open (the latter for the third time). More triumphs followed until the war knocked on his door.

Bobby Locke was called up for World War II and served in the South African Air Force as a bomber pilot, flying combat missions in the Mediterranean and the Western Desert. Locke was 28 years old when the war ended and was finally able to return to golf.

Bobby Locke: His Experience in America

After the war, Bobby Locke resumed his professional career. He quickly regained the athletic form and became even more successful than before. In early 1947, he was invited to a series of exhibition matches in the United States, where he showed his full potential.

The exhibition consisted of a match against the legendary Sam Snead. After losing to Locke in 12 of 14 matches, Snead recommended Locke try his luck in the PGA Tour, which he did. Locke continued to excel on the American circuit, winning 11 of 59 events by the end of 1948.

In 1949, the first of Locke’s greatest triumphs would come when he won The Open Championship at Royal St. George. Weeks later, however, he was banned from the PGA Tour, a decision so controversial that to this day there is debate as to its cause.

The official explanation was that Locke had missed several commitments in America that had been scheduled shortly after his victory at The Open. However, another version has taken hold in the golf world. As 1948 Masters champion Claude Harmon put it:

 “Locke was simply too good. They had to ban him.”

Bobby Locke: His best years

The ban was lifted a year later, but Locke never returned to the PGA Tour, except for very sporadic appearances. And he didn’t need to. Between 1950 and 1960, he would win three more editions of The Open (1950, 1952, 1957) and more than 50 tournaments on various circuits.

Locke has one of the best records of all time for winning National Opens. He won the South African, French, Mexican, Egyptian, German, Swiss and Australian Opens one or more times. Before the war, he won the Irish, New Zealand and Dutch Opens.

Bobby Locke: The end and the legacy

Bobby Locke came to a tragic end. In 1960, he was involved in a car accident that ended his playing career and left him with psychological effects. Although he survived the accident for 27 years, he was never the same and even got into legal trouble. He eventually died of meningitis.

But his legacy is everlasting. In addition to his three Vardon Awards (to the leader of the European Tour anual Order of Merit) and his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame (1979), Locke is widely regarded as one of the greatest putters in history. As his compatriot Gary Player summed it up:

“One six-foot putt, for my life? I’ll take Bobby Locke. I’ve seen them all, and there was never a putter like him.”

Locke’s athletic accomplishments include 94 professional victories, including 15 on the PGA Tour. In addition to his four wins at The Open Championship, his performances in the majors include two third-place finishes at the US Open (1947, 1951), a T10 at the Masters (1948) and a T33 at the PGA Championship (1947).