Herman Barron

Herman Barron (December 23, 1909 – June 11, 1978) was an American professional golfer best known for being the first Jewish golfer to win a PGA Tour event.^[1]

Herman Barron
Personal information
Born	(1909-12-23)December 23, 1909 Port Chester, New York
Died	June 11, 1978(1978-06-11) (aged 68) Pompano Beach, Florida
Sporting nationality	United States
Career
Status	Professional
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	14
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	4
Other	8 (regular) 2 (senior)
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	T13: 1949
PGA Championship	T5: 1932
U.S. Open	T4: 1946
The Open Championship	CUT: 1963

Biography

Barron was born in Port Chester, New York. He was one of barely a dozen professional golfers who earned their living as touring professionals in the 1930s and 1940s. His first professional win came at the 1934 Philadelphia Open Championship. On February 8, 1942, Barron became the first Jewish golfer to win an official PGA Tour event by winning the Western Open by two strokes over Henry Picard at Phoenix Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona.^[1][2]

Barron was consistently among the Tour's top money winners. His best year came in 1946. In June he won the Philadelphia Inquirer Open, finished tied for fourth in the U.S. Open the following week, and in late July won the All American Open at the Tam O'Shanter Golf Course in Chicago.^[2]

Barron played on America's victorious 1947 Ryder Cup team,^[3] but was soon forced into retiring as a touring professional due to failing health. For the next 15 years, he held the position of teaching pro at the Fenway Golf Club in Westchester County, New York.^[2]

Barron returned to the touring circuit in the early 1960s and won the 1963 Senior PGA Championship.^[2][4]

Barron continued to work as a teaching pro until his death in Pompano Beach, Florida at the age of 68. He played a large role in the development of Israel's first golf course, in Caesarea.^[2] He is enshrined in the Westchester Hall of Fame, in the PGA Metropolitan Section Hall of Fame in New York, and in the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.^[3][2]

Professional wins (14)

PGA Tour wins (4)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up	Ref
1	Feb 8, 1942	Western Open	−8 (69-69-71-67=276)	2 strokes	Henry Picard	[5]
2	Jun 10, 1946	Philadelphia Inquirer Open	−3 (72-68-68-69=277)	Playoff	Lew Worsham	[6][7]
3	Jul 28, 1946	All American Open	−8 (68-71-69-72=280)	1 stroke	Ellsworth Vines	[8]
4	May 9, 1948	Goodall Round Robin	+38 points	6 points	Bobby Locke	[9][10]

Other wins (8)

• 1934 Philadelphia Open Championship
• 1937 Metropolitan PGA
• 1938 Westchester PGA Championship
• 1941 Westchester PGA Championship
• 1943 Westchester PGA Championship
• 1951 Westchester PGA Championship
• 1954 Westchester Open
• 1955 Westchester PGA Championship

Senior wins (2)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	Feb 3, 1963	PGA Seniors' Championship	−16 (67-67-69-69=272)	2 strokes	John Barnum
2	Jul 7, 1963	World Senior Championship	3 & 2		George Evans

Results in major championships

Tournament	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939
Masters Tournament	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	NYF	WD		WD	WD
U.S. Open		T28	T15	T31	T13	T23	T14	T11	CUT	CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship	R16			QF		R32	R64	R64	R64		R32

Tournament	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949
Masters Tournament			T36	NT	NT	NT	T25	T17	T25	T13
U.S. Open		T5	NT	NT	NT	NT	T4	T27	7	T27
The Open Championship	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT
PGA Championship				NT		R16	R16	R32		R16

Tournament	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
Masters Tournament	T46
U.S. Open	CUT	CUT	CUT		CUT				T50	CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship									T35	CUT

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship				CUT
PGA Championship		CUT

  Top 10

  Did not play

NYF = tournament not yet founded
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1959 PGA Championship)
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

See also

• List of Jewish golfers