John Joseph Farrell (April 1, 1901 – June 14, 1988) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the U.S. Open in 1928. Over the course of his career, he won 22 PGA Tour events.
Career Born in White Plains, New York, Farrell started as a caddie and turned professional in 1922.
At the 1928 U.S. Open, held at Olympia Fields Country Club near Chicago, Farrell tied with amateur Bobby Jones, then a two-time champion, after the regulation 72 holes and won the 36-hole playoff by one stroke. Farrell was voted the 1927 and 1928 Best Golf Professional in the United States, after a winning streak of six consecutive tournaments, on his road to a total of 22 career PGA Tour wins. He played for the United States in the first three Ryder Cups: 1927, 1929, and 1931.
Farrell was the head professional at the Quaker Ridge Golf Club in New York from 1919 to 1930. In 1931, Farrell played in his third Ryder Cup and also met and married Catherine Hush. In 1934, Farrell accepted the head professional job at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey.
In 1948, the AP's Frank Eck reported that there had been, to that point, eight rounds as low as 62 posted in competitive golf, and that Farrell had been the first to do so, in the late 1920s, at the La Gorce Country Club course in Miami Beach.
Personal life Farrell was married to Catherine. They had five children: Johnny, Jimmy, Billy, Peggy, and Cathy. The Farrell family dedicated itself to golf, becoming Golf Family of the Year in 1966. Billy Farrell played professional golf and is best known for being the first ever to hit the par-5 17th hole at Baltusrol's Lower Course in two shots, which he did during the 1967 U.S. Open.
Farrell died in Boynton Beach, Florida after a stroke at age 87.
Awards and honors Farrell was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2023 and was inducted in 2024.
Professional wins (27) PGA Tour wins (20) 1921 (1) Garden City Open 1922 (1) Shawnee Open 1924 (1) Florida West Coast Open 1925 (2) Philadelphia Open Championship 1926 (4) Florida Central Competition, Florida Open, Shawnee Open 1927 (7) Metropolitan Open, Shawnee Open, Eastern Open Championship, Massachusetts Open, Pennsylvania Open Championship, Philadelphia Open Championship, Chicago Open Championship 1928 (2) La Gorce Open, U.S. Open 1930 (2) Pensacola Open Invitational, New York State Open 1931 (1) Pensacola Open Invitational 1936 (1) New Jersey Open
Major championship is shown in bold.
Source:
Other wins (7) Note: This list may be incomplete. 1925 Miami International Four-Ball (with Bobby Cruickshank), Mid-South All Pro 1926 Westchester Open, Mid-Winter Tournament 1928 Miami International Four-Ball (with Gene Sarazen) 1940 Rhode Island Open 1941 Rhode Island Open
Major championships
Wins (1) YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up 1928 U.S. Open 5 shot deficit +10 (77-74-71-72=294) Playoff 1 Bobby Jones 1 Defeated Bobby Jones in a 36-hole playoff – Farrell 70-73=143 (+1), Jones 73-71=144 (+2).
Results timeline Tournament19191920192119221923192419251926192719281929U.S. OpenT4538T11T5T19T3T3T71CUTThe Open ChampionshipNTT192PGA ChampionshipR32R32R16R16QFQFSFR322
Tournament1930193119321933193419351936193719381939Masters TournamentNYFNYFNYFNYFT36T37T2939U.S. Open8T10CUTT9T58T52T22T40CUTThe Open ChampionshipT5T54PGA ChampionshipQFR32SFR16R64R32
Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949Masters TournamentT14NTNTNTT534853U.S. Open28CUTNTNTNTNTCUTThe Open ChampionshipNTNTNTNTNTNTPGA ChampionshipNT
Tournament1950195119521953195419551956Masters TournamentWDT57WDWDU.S. OpenCUTCUTThe Open ChampionshipPGA 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
Summary Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts madeMasters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 9U.S. Open 1 0 2 4 8 11 24 17The Open Championship 0 1 0 2 2 3 4 4PGA Championship 0 1 2 6 9 14 15 15Totals 1 2 4 12 19 29 55 45 Most consecutive cuts made – 18 (1919 PGA – 1928 U.S. Open) Longest streak of top-10s – 6 (twice)
See also List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
References
External links Johnny Farrell website