Cooper, Harry E.
Golf
b. Aug. 4, 1904, Leatherhead, England
"Lighthorse Harry" grew up in Texas, where his family moved when he was young, and he learned to play golf there. A great player from tee to green, he was only an average putter, and he had terrible luck in the U. S. Open.
Cooper won two of the few tournaments on the tour in 1926, and he appeared to be the winner of the U. S. Open. In fact, he was changing clothes to appear at the presentation ceremony when word came that Tommy Armour had birdied two of the last six holes to tie for the lead. The next day, Cooper lost the playoff, 79-76.
Ten years later, Cooper again seemed to have won the Open. He was in the clubhouse with a 284, two strokes better than the former 72-hole record that had stood since 1916. Then a virtual unknown named Tony Manero shot a 67 on the last round for a 282. Cooper also finished second in the 1936 Masters after Horton Smith birdied three of the last five holes to win.
Cooper's best year was 1937, when he was the tour's top money winner and also won the Vardon trophy for fewest strokes per round. He was Canadian Open champion in 1932 and 1937. His last victory was in the Bing Crosby Pro-Am in 1942.