Craig Wood's 1941 Augusta National Golf Club Masters Tournament gold winner's medal the obverse struck with an image of the Augusta National Clubhouse

Craig Wood's 1941 Augusta National Golf Club Masters Tournament gold winner's medal the obverse struck with an image of the Augusta National Clubhouse, surrounded by the inscription AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB, the reverse stuck with the famous tournament trademark and inscribed MASTERS TOURNAMENT, CRAIG WOOD, WINNER, 1941, diameter 4.5cm., 1 3/4in. appendix Craig Wood's 1941 'double-majors' prize medals (lots 834 & 835) Craig Ralph Wood was born in Lake Placid, New York, on 18th November 1901. He was a highly successful American professional golfer in the 1930s and 40's and the winner of 21 PGA Tour titles. However, he seemed 'jinxed' when it came to the Majors. Between 1933 and 1939 Craig Wood achieved the unenviable distinction of becoming the first player to lose all four major tournament titles in a play-off (Greg Norman has suffered the same fate in modern times). For Wood this included the famous occasion when Gene Sarazen made albatross at 'Firethorn' (15th) to force a tie at the end of regulation, and then went on to win in a 36 hole play-off. The sequence had began in Scotland in 1933 when he lost the Open Championship at St Andrews to Denny Shute in another 36 hole play-off; and later that year Paul Runyan got the better of Craig Wood at the 38th hole in the PGA Championship during the 36-hole matchplay era at The Park Country Club, Williamsville, NY. Wood's infamous 'royal flush' came when Byron Nelson won the 1939 U.S. Open at Spring Mill, Philadelphia, in extra holes. Additionally, Craig Wood had finished runner-up one shot behind Horton Smith at the first (renamed) Masters Tournament at Augusta National in 1934. Then in 1941, at the age of 39, suddenly the curse was lifted. To understandable public delight Craig Wood won both the Masters and the U.S. Open at Fort Worth, becoming the first wire-to-wire winner of these prestigious US tournaments. Only three golfers have emulated that feat, this excusive club's other members being Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972) and Raymond Floyd in 1976. Wood achieved a three shot victory at Augusta shooting 66-71-71-72=280 with his previous Major conqueror Byron Nelson leading the pursuit. He then followed up be beating another former nemesis Denny Shute by winning the 45th U.S. Open at the Colonial Club, Ft. Worth. Wood shot 284 to win by three strokes. For the record, Craig Wood's 19 other PGA tour wins were as follows: 1928 (1) New Jersey PGA Championship 1929 (2) Oklahoma Open, Hawaiian Open 1930 (2) New Jersey PGA Championship, Oklahoma City Open 1931 (1) Harlingen Open 1932 (3) New Jersey PGA Match Play Championship, San Francisco Open-Match Play, Pasadena Open 1933 (2) Los Angeles Open, Radium Springs Open 1934 (2) Galveston Open Championship, New Jersey Open 1936 (1) General Brock Open 1938 (1) Augusta Open-Forest Hills 1940 (2) Metropolitan Open, Miami-Biltmore Four-Ball (with Billy Burke) 1942 (1) Canadian Open 1944 (1) Durham Open In 1954 in his home town of Lake Placid, NY, the name of the Lake Placid Golf and Country Club was changed to the Craig Wood Golf Course in honour of their famous son. Craig Wood died in Palm Beach, Florida, on 7th May 1968.