Locke, Bobby (1917-1987), was an internationally famous South African golfer. During his career, Locke won more than 80 golf tournaments, including nine South African Open championships and four British Open titles.
Arthur D’Arcy Locke was born on Nov. 20, 1917, in Germiston, in the Transvaal (now part of Gauteng Province), South Africa. His nanny gave him the nickname Bobby. He was a talented golfer from childhood. After a short but successful career as an amateur, he turned professional in 1938. Locke won the South African Open for the first time in 1935, at age 17. In 1936, while working for a South African mining company, he went on a business trip to the United Kingdom. While there, he took the opportunity to play in the British Open and did well enough to win the amateur medal. In 1937, he won his second South African Open title. After turning professional the following year, he won the South African Open for the third time.
After service in World War II (1939-1945) as a bomber pilot with the South African Air Force, Locke returned to playing professional golf on the British and South African circuits in 1946. In 1947, he went to the United States, where he won six events in his first season. He also won the Canadian Open in 1947. In 1948, he won the Chicago Victory National golf tournament by 16 strokes, tying the record margin of victory in a Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) tour event. In 1949, Locke won the first of four British Open titles. His three other British Open championships came in 1950, 1952, and 1957. His playing career was cut short in 1959 when he was injured in a car accident. Locke was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977. He died on March 9, 1987, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
See also Golf .
