Posted 4/14/03 9:57 am ET

Amazing Amateurs - Dick Chapman

Jacket eludes international golf champion

Richard D. Chapman's best finish at the Masters was a tie for 11th. He set a tournament record with 17 consecutive starts as an amateur. File/The Augusta Chronicle

By John Boyette
The Augusta Chronicle

Richard D. Chapman never came close to winning the Masters Tournament.

It is one of few titles that eluded the lifelong amateur, whose career spanned the better part of four decades.

That Chapman never fared better than a tie for 11th probably disappointed Bobby Jones, himself a career amateur and founder of Augusta National Golf Club.

But Jones no doubt was pleased that the native of Greenwich, Conn., enjoyed success all around the world. Chapman won the amateur championships of five countries - the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France and Italy - and was a four-time member of the Walker Cup team.

A wealthy man who spent his winters in Pinehurst, N.C., Chapman emulated Jones not only in his fine play but also in his passion for the game. He wrote about the game, developed different swing theories and introduced a system of foursomes play called the Chapman System.

``He was totally devoted to golf,'' said Bob Sommers, former editor of the U.S. Golf Association's Golf Journal. ``I don't know if he worked a day in his life.''

At least not in the traditional sense.

Chapman was a member of Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., which was the site of his first major triumph, at the 1940 U.S. Amateur. He breezed through the qualifying and won medalist honors, then blitzed W.B. ``Duff'' McCullough 11 and 9 in the 36-hole final.

His career was put on hold for World War II, where he served as a major in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After the war, Chapman picked up where he left off, with a string of victories in the British, French, Canadian and Italian amateurs.

Although Chapman was quite the international player, he also won state amateur championships in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and the Carolinas. He also won the prestigious North and South Amateur. At the 1958 U.S. Amateur, Chapman and his son, Dixie, both qualified, giving a rare father-and-son appearance.

Chapman holds a place in the Masters record book for the most appearances (19) as an amateur, a distinction he shares with Charlie Coe. His first invitation to play at Augusta National came in 1939, and his last was in 1962. During that span, he set a Masters record for most consecutive starts by an amateur, with 17.

Fittingly, his best finish came in 1954, when amateur Billy Joe Patton held the lead on the final day before giving way to Sam Snead and Ben Hogan.

In the era before the Masters instituted a 36-hole cut, Chapman finished in the top 24 four times. He had a stroke average of 76.49 for his 63 rounds at the Masters.

``Blessed with a strong competitive spirit and an inquiring mind into the technicalities of the swing,'' reads the entry on Chapman in Who's Who in Golf. ``Chapman not only played the game but wrote about it and worked at its many phases.''

While at Pinehurst, Chapman spent a lot of his time on the practice area known as Maniac Hill.

``I think he talked a lot to (Ben) Hogan about the swing and clubs,'' Sommers said.

In the 1950s, Chapman collaborated with the USGA on a handicap system for foursomes play. According to Sommers, the system worked as follows: two golfers on the same team each tee off, then play the other's ball. From there, the team would play out the best shot.

But the system never caught on, at least not in formal competitions such as the Walker Cup or Ryder Cup.

Chapman's final success came in 1967 with a victory in the International Senior Amateur. A stroke in the early 1970s hampered his career, and he died in 1978.

Chapman at the Masters
Year	Place	Score
1939,	tie 37th	78-77-77-77-309
1941,	tie 19th	76-73-70-78-297
1946,	tie 41st	77-77-73-79-306
1947,	tie 14th	72-71-74-72-289
1948,	tie 40th	74-76-77-77-304
1949,	50th	77-75-81-76-309
1950,	tie 35th	77-73-75-80-305
1951,	tie 20th	72-76-72-77-297
1952,	tie 55th	72-79-80-82-313
1953,	37th	72-77-78-72-299
1954,	11th	75-75-75-70-295
1955,	tie 53rd	74-79-73-85-311
1956,	tie 65th	79-82-82-76-319
1957,	missed cut	79-77-156
1958,	missed cut	82-75-157
1959,	missed cut	75-76-151
1960,	disqualified	79
1961,	missed cut	80-79-159
1962,	missed cut	80-84-164

 

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