John James O'Brien (February 16, 1888 – April 6, 1928)[1][2] was an American professional golfer. His best year was 1916 when he was in the top 10 in the U.S. Open and he reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural PGA Championship.
| J. J. O'Brien | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | John James O'Brien |
| Nickname | Spitz |
| Born | February 16, 1888 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | April 6, 1928 (aged 40) Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T5: 1916 |
| U.S. Open | T9: 1916 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Professional career
editIn the 1914 U.S. Open, O'Brien was tied for fourth place after the first day, just 4 strokes behind Walter Hagen.[3] Two disappointing rounds on the final day left him tied for 13th place, 12 strokes behind Hagen.[4]
In June 1916, O'Brien finished tied for 9th place in the U.S. Open, despite a final round of 76.[5] In August, he finished tied for 6th place behind Walter Hagen in the Western Open and then in September he qualified for the final stage of the inaugural PGA Championship, finishing 4th in the qualifying of the Middle West section at the Glen View Club, with 7 places available.[6][7] The championship was played at Siwanoy Country Club in mid-October. O'Brien won his first two matches before losing 10 & 9 to Hagen in the quarter-finals.[8]
Personal life
editO'Brien died in April 1928. He had been suffering from the effects of pneumonia for three years. For a number of years he had been running an indoor golf facility in East Liberty (Pittsburgh).[9][10]
Results in major championships
edit| Tournament | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | CUT | WD | T13 | T32 | T9 | NT | NT | T23 | |
| PGA Championship | NYF | NYF | NYF | NYF | QF | NT | NT |
Note: O'Brien never played in The Open Championship.
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 PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
References
edit- ^ "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved November 26, 2023.
- ^ "Death notices – O'Brien". The Pittsburgh Press. April 7, 1928. p. 14 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hagen leads field in national meet". Milwaukee Sentinel. August 21, 1914. p. 5.
- ^ "Hagen captures Open golf title". Milwaukee Sentinel. August 22, 1914. p. 8.
- ^ Sixty, Billy (July 1, 1916). "Golf". Milwaukee Journal. p. 8.
- ^ "Dagleish shoots fine game at Blue Mound". The Times (Munster, Indiana). August 19, 1916. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Simpson tops "Pro" Golfers at Glen View". Chicago Tribune. September 19, 1916. p. 14 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hagen Winner By Lop-Sided Score" (PDF). The New York Times. New York, New York. October 13, 1916.
- ^ ""Spitz" O'Brien, Pro Golfer dies". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. April 7, 1928. p. 15 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ ""Spitz" O'Brien Dead". The Pittsburgh Press. April 8, 1928. p. S5 – via newspapers.com.