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Chandler Egan

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Chandler Egan
Egan, circa 1904
Personal information
Full nameHenry Chandler Egan
Born(1884-08-21)August 21, 1884
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedApril 5, 1936(1936-04-05) (aged 51)
Everett, Washington, U.S.[2]
Sporting nationality United States
SpouseNina Lydia McNally
(m.1910–1916)[1]
Alice Barrett Scudder
(m.1917–1936) his death
Children1
Career
CollegeHarvard University
StatusAmateur
Best results in major championships
(wins: 2)
Masters Tournament60th: 1935
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenT8: 1906
The Open ChampionshipDNP
U.S. AmateurWon: 1904, 1905
British AmateurT129: 1934
Medal record
Men's Golf
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1904 St. Louis Men's team
Silver medal – second place 1904 St. Louis Individual

Henry Chandler Egan (August 21, 1884 – April 5, 1936) was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect of the early 20th century.

Early life and college

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Egan was born in Chicago, Illinois, which at the end of the 19th century was the epicenter of golf in the United States – the first 18-hole golf course in the country, the Chicago Golf Club, in Wheaton, was built there in 1895. Egan played his first game of golf in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin at the age of 12.[3] He attended secondary school at the Rugby School in Kenilworth, and was a star football player on its team. The school did not have a golf team, so Chandler developed his golf game at his father's club, Exmoor Country Club. He was accepted to Harvard University, where he soon became the captain of the college golf team. The team won three team NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships from 1902 to 1904, and Egan won the individual title in 1902.[3][4]

Championships and Olympics

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Egan won his first non-collegiate tournament in the 1902 Western Amateur, which was played at the Chicago Golf Club. Not only was the tournament played in his home metropolitan area, but the runner-up was his cousin Walter Egan.[3] A year later, the Egan cousins switched places with Walter winning and Chandler coming in second, and Chandler Egan would win the tournament again in 1904, 1905 (with Walter again the runner-up), and 1907.[5]

In 1904, Egan achieved the pinnacle of U.S. amateur golf success by winning the U.S. Amateur, played at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. He successfully defended his title a year later at his home turf of the Chicago Golf Club.[6]

Egan appeared to be peaking at the right time to also win an individual gold medal at the 1904 Summer Olympics, which featured golf for the last time in 1904. While Egan's U.S. team (which also included cousin Walter) won team gold, Egan had to settle for individual silver,[7] as he was defeated by Canadian George Lyon, who at 46, was more than twice Egan's age.[3][8] Egan later admitted he had been outclassed by the wily Lyon, whose massive drives forced Egan out of his usual game.[4]

Move to Oregon

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Following his runner-up finish in the 1909 U.S. Amateur, Egan abruptly disappeared from competition.[3] He reappeared in the news in May 1911 with his purchase of 115 acres (0.47 km2) of apple and pear orchard in Medford, Oregon.[3][4] He reemerged on the competitive golf circuit in 1914, with a runner-up finish in the Pacific Northwest Amateur championship to Jack Neville. A year later, Egan and Neville would meet again, and this time, Egan was the winner.[9] He would win the Pacific Northwest Amateur four more times, in 1920, 1923, 1925, and 1932.[9] Egan traveled south to win the California State Amateur in 1926.[10] He played on two U.S. championship Walker Cup teams in 1930 and 1934.[3][4]

Golf architecture

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In the 1910s, Egan moved into golf course design, designing such notable Oregon courses as the Eugene Country Club, Eastmoreland Golf Course, Oswego Lake Country Club, Riverside Golf & Country Club, Tualatin Country Club, and Waverley Country Club.[4][11] In 1929, Egan partnered with legendary golf architect Alister MacKenzie to renovate Pebble Beach Golf Links for the 1929 U.S. Amateur, in which Egan played and reached the semifinals.[4] In 1929 Egan also aided MacKenzie and Hunter during the design and construction of The Union League Golf and Country Club, now known as Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae, California. After Seth Raynor submitted plans to re-design Sequoyah Country Club in Oakland, California just prior his death in 1926, it was Egan who ultimately did a 1930 re-design there. He designed the Indian Canyon municipal course in Spokane, Washington in 1930, which opened in 1935.

Death and legacy

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In 1936, Egan had completed plans for West Seattle Golf Course in Seattle, and was working on the half-finished Legion Memorial Golf Course in nearby Everett in late March. He came down with lobar pneumonia, was hospitalized for nearly a week, and died.[2][4][12][13] His funeral was held in Seattle and he was buried in Chicago.[12]

Egan was named to the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1985,[4] and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.[14]

Egan's Olympic medals were discovered after the death of his daughter in 2012. They went on display in 2016 at the USGA Museum, Oakmont Country Club during the U.S. Open and the World Golf Hall of Fame.[15]

Golf courses designed

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Egan designed the following golf courses:[11]

Tournament wins

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Major championships

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Wins (2)

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Year Championship Winning Score Runner-up
1904 U.S. Amateur 8 & 6 United States Fred Herreshoff
1905 U.S. Amateur 6 & 5 United States Daniel Sawyer

Results timeline

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Tournament 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
U.S. Open T20 LA T8 LA
U.S. Amateur QF R32 1 M 1 R16 R32 2
The Amateur Championship
Tournament 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
U.S. Open T23 NT NT
U.S. Amateur DNQ NT NT
The Amateur Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT
Tournament 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
U.S. Open
U.S. Amateur DNQ R32 SF
The Amateur Championship
Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935
Masters Tournament NYF NYF NYF NYF 60
U.S. Open
U.S. Amateur DNQ R32 R16 R64 R64
The Amateur Championship R256
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

M = Medalist
LA = Low amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database

Source for 1934 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 22, 1934, pg. 10.

U.S. national team appearances

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Class of 1905: Fourth Report. Harvard College. June 1920. p. 109.
  2. ^ a b "Simple rites set for Chandler Egan". Rochester Journal. International News Service. April 6, 1936. p. 10.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Schwartz, Todd. "Breaking 100". Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Henry Chandler Egan". Pacific Northwest Golf Association. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  5. ^ "Western Amateur Championship History". Western Amateur. Retrieved August 1, 2007.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ "History". U.S. Amateur. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  7. ^ "Chandler Egan". Olympedia. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  8. ^ "Chandler Egan". databaseOlympics.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  9. ^ a b "Men's Amateur Championship". Pacific Northwest Golf Association. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  10. ^ "SCGA Tournament History". Southern California Golf Association. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  11. ^ a b "H. Chandler Egan - Courses Built". WorldGolf.com. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  12. ^ a b "West Seattle designer left lasting mark on Northwest golf". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. April 28, 2004. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  13. ^ "Pneumonia fatal to Chandler Egan". Windsor Daily Star. April 6, 1936.
  14. ^ "Hall of Fame Roll of Honor Members". Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
  15. ^ Axon, Rachel (June 13, 2016). "Rare golf medals from 1904 Olympics discovered". USA Today.
  16. ^ "Riverside Golf & Country Club History". Riverside Golf & Country Club. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2007.
  17. ^ "Baywood Golf & Country Club History". Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
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