Hall of Fame
Born in Springfield, Missouri, Horton Smith became one of the greatest golfers of the 20th Century. On January 7, 1928, Smith accepted the head professional position at Joplin Oak Hill Golf Club (now Twin Hills). While at Oak Hill his best year was in 1929, when he won eight golf tournaments on the P.G.A tour and $15,000.
Smith will always be remembered for is two Master wins at Augusta national Golf club (19334 & 1936). Later in his career Smith became the President of both the P.G.A and P.G.A Seniors. Through the years, Smith received may prestigious golf awards including the Ben Hogan Award (1951), the Bob Jones Award (1962), Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (1960), Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (1964), Professional Golfers Hall of Fame (1958), World Golf Hall of Fame (1990) and Honorary Life Member of the Professional Golfers Association of Great Britain (1959).
Smith was a member of five Ryder Cup teams, (1929, 1931, 1933, 1935, and 1937), with a career Ryder Cup record was 3–0–1, his only blemish a halved singles match against Bill Cox in 1935 at Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey. Smith was the only golfer to defeat Bobby Jones during the latter's Grand Slam year of 1930, at the stroke play Savannah Open in February. He played in every Masters through 1963, the year of his death.
Awards and Honors
- Smith was inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 1984.
- Smith was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1990.
- In 1960, awarded the Ben Hogan Award by the golf writers for overcoming a physical handicap and continued active participation in golf.
- In 1962, he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
- The PGA of America bestowed the Horton Smith Award, presented annually since 1965, to a PGA professional who has made "outstanding and continuing contributions to PGA education." On July 2, 2020, it was renamed the PGA Professional Development Award by the board of directors because Smith had been a supporter of the PGA's "Caucasian-only' membership clause that was part of their by-laws from 1934 to 1961.
- A municipal golf course in his hometown of Springfield, Missouri, is named for him.
- A golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club is named for him.
- He is attributed with being the first professional golfer to study putting as a means to beat his opponents.
- In September 2013, Horton's green jacket, awarded in 1949 for his Masters wins in 1934 and 1936, sold at auction for over $682,000; the highest price ever paid for a piece of golf memorabilia. It had been in the possession of his brother Ren's stepsons for decades.
PGA Tour wins (30)
- 1928 (2) Oklahoma City Open, Catalina Island Open
- 1929 (8) Berkeley Open Championship, Pensacola Open Invitational, Florida Open, La Gorce Open, Fort Myers Open, North and South Open, Oregon Open, Pasadena Open (December)
- 1930 (4) Central Florida Open, Savannah Open, Berkeley Open, Bay District Open
- 1931 (1) St. Paul Open
- 1932 (1) National Capital City Open
- 1933 (1) Miami International Four-Ball (with Paul Runyan)
- 1934 (3) Masters Tournament, Grand Slam Open, California Open
- 1935 (3) Palm Springs Invitational, Miami Biltmore Open, Pasadena Open
- 1936 (2) Masters Tournament, Victoria Open
- 1937 (3) North and South Open, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Harry Cooper), Oklahoma Four-Ball (with Harry Cooper)
- 1941 (2) Florida West Coast Open, St. Paul Open
Major championships are shown in bold.
