Armour was born on 24 September 1896 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of Martha Dickson and her husband George Armour, a baker. He went to school at Daniel Stewart's College, Edinburgh, and studied at the University of Edinburgh. At the outbreak of World War I enlisted with the Black Watch and was a machine-gunner, he rose from a private to Staff Major in the Tank Corps. His conduct earned him an audience with George V. However, he lost his sight to a mustard gas explosion and surgeons had to add a metal plate to his head and left arm. During his convalescence, he regained the sight of his right eye, and began playing much more golf.
Golf career
Armour won the French Amateur tournament in 1920. He moved to the United States and met Walter Hagen who gave him a job as secretary of the Westchester-Biltmore Club. He competed in important amateur tournaments in the U.S. before turning professional in 1924. Armour won the 1927 U.S. Open, 1930 PGA Championship, and the 1931 Open Championship. With Jim Barnes and Rory McIlroy, he is one of three natives of The United Kingdom to win three different professional majors. His 1930 campaign was overshadowed by Bobby Jones' Grand Slam, and Armour seems to have been overlooked. Armour also won the Canadian Open three times, a feat exceeded only by Leo Diegel, who won four. At the Shawnee Open in 1927, Armour scored the first ever "archaeopteryx" when he made a 23 on a par 5, for 18 over par. It still stands as the highest score on a hole in PGA history. This historic performance happened just one week after he'd won the U.S. Open.
Retirement and later life
Armour retired from full-time professional golf after the 1935 season, although he competed periodically in top-class events for several years afterwards. He taught at the Boca Raton Club in Florida from 1926–1955, for $50 a lesson. His pupils included Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Lawson Little. He was also a member at the Winged Foot Golf Club in suburban New York City, where he spent much of his summers. After becoming an American citizen in November 1942, Armour played in exhibitions for USO and Red Cross during World War II. Armour co-wrote a book How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time with Herb Graffis. It became a best-seller and for many years was the biggest-selling book ever authored on golf. A series of 8mm films based on the book was released by Castle Films including Short Game Parts I and II, Long Hitting Clubs, Grip, and Stance. Armour is succeeded by his grandson, Tommy Armour III, who is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour.
1 Defeated Harry Cooper in an 18-hole playoff: Armour 76, Cooper 79. Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
Results timeline
NYF = tournament not yet founded NT = no tournament WD = withdrew CUT = missed the half-way cut R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in match play "T" indicates a tie for a place Sources: U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, Amateur Championship:1920, 1921
