Henry Picard

1983

PGA Tour

Born in Plymouth, Mass., Henry Picard is a long time resident of Charleston, SC, where he moved as a young man.  He was one of the outstanding golfers of the 1930's and his swing was one of the finest in the game. Besides winning two of the Big Four Championships, he was successful in about thirty other tournaments in the twenty years of his playing career, which began in 1925.
 
His best finishes in the British and US Opens were 6th in 1935 and tied for 6th in 1936, respectively.
 
He experimented a good deal with his swing but never to the extent of damaging it.  In general, his game was conservative; he was a fine long iron player but seldom went for the difficult shot unless circumstances dictated.  He is the only player to ever defeat Walter Hagen in a play-off, which he did in the 1932 Carolina’s Open.

In 1935, he became a professional at Hershey, Pennsylvania, and almost immediately came to the fore, winning six tournaments in the same year; two in partnership with Johnny Revolta.  In 1938 he won the Masters by two strokes over Ralph Guldahl and “Lighthouse” Harry Cooper.  The following year he reached his peak, defeating Byron Nelson in the final of the PGA Championship with birdies on the 36th and 37th holes.  He also won five other tournaments, was leading money winner and was a member of his third Ryder Cup Team.

When in 1942 the war stopped the tour he virtually retired from competition, later taking a job at Cleveland’s Country Club.  His last attempt at a major title was to reach the semi-finals of the National PGA in 1950, played at the Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio.  Since departing the tour he has become known far and wide as an instructor and players of all calibers seek his advice.

Mr. Picard was inducted into the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame in 1983.  He is also a member of the National PGA Hall of Fame, the Carolinas PGA Hall of Fame, and the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

A partial listing of Mr. Picard’s accomplishments include:

1934-1936

Winner, The North and South Open (Discontinued 1951)

1935

Winner, The Metropolitan Open

1937

Winner, The Argentine Open

1938

Winner, The Masters

Winner, The Hershey Open

Winner, The Charleston Open

1939

Winner, USF&G. Classic

Winner, PGA Championship

(Semi-Finalist 1938 and 1950)