Greg Norman has echoed the growing chorus of tributes for Australia’s five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson, who passed away peacefully Wednesday morning after battling Parkinson’s disease.
The man many consider to be Thomson’s nearest challenger for “Australia’s Greatest Ever” mantle said he was saddened by the loss of the golf icon, passing on his condolences via a statement.
“I am so sorry to hear the passing of an Australian legend,” said Norman, a two-time winner of the British Open.
“There have been many individuals who have touched the game of golf, none more so than Peter Thomson in his era. Australian golf was the benefactor of his five Open Championships which in turn paved the way for golfers like Bruce Devlin, David Graham, Ian Baker Finch, Jason Day, Adam Scott and myself.
“With his passing, so too has an era of golf. His life off the course deserves equal distinction, having transitioned to a scribe for The Age then politics, which is not something many golfers before or after him have accomplished. He will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with Mary and his family.”
Thomson had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for more than four years and lost his brave battle at home in Melbourne surrounded by family at 9am. Born on August 23, 1929, he was two months short of his 89th birthday.
The first Australian to win the British Open went on to secure the title five times between 1954 and 1965, a record equalled in the 20th and 21st centuries only by American Tom Watson.
On the American senior circuit he won nine times in 1985, setting a record that may never be broken. As well as a great player, he was an outstanding contributor to the game, serving as president of the Australian PGA for 32 years, designing and building courses in Australia and around the world, helping establish the Asian Tour and working behind the scenes for the Odyssey House drug rehabilitation organisation where he was chairman for five years. He also wrote for newspapers and magazines for more than 60 years and was patron of the Australian Golf Writers Association.
In 1979 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his service to golf and in 2001 became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his contributions as a player and administrator and for community service.
Peter is survived by his wife Mary, son Andrew and daughters Deirdre Baker, Pan Prendergast and Fiona Stanway, their spouses, 11 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
