Frank Stranahan

Frank Stranahan certainly left his own indelible imprint on The Open during an illustrious playing career.

The American was considered the greatest amateur of his era - compiling a record comparable to only Bobby Jones before him and Tiger Woods after him - and had two notable near-misses at The Open, finishing runner-up in 1947 at Royal Liverpool and 1953 at Carnoustie.

Even more important than his second-place finishes was his support of The Open in the years following World War II, when few players from the States competed.

Stranahan played in eight consecutive Opens from 1947 to 1954 and, along with Arnold Palmer, his presence was seen as a major factor in sustaining and enhancing the event.

Stranahan, nicknamed “The Toledo Strongman” or “muscles” by Palmer, was born into a wealthy industrialist family in Ohio in 1922. He embarked on an amateur career spanning from 1936 to 1954 that would see him win more than 50 titles and finish the low-scoring amateur in 51 professional events.

His Open debut came at Hoylake in 1947 and he so nearly won the tournament, missing out to Fred Daly by one shot, while he finished off four shy of Ben Hogan six years later.

He won six tournaments on the PGA Tour, finishing runner-up seven times and posting an impressive 67 top-10s in a combined amateur-pro career that lasted until 1964.

His competitive nature, and fitness obsession, remained after his retirement. He ran in more than 100 marathons and won trophies for bodybuilding and weightlifting into his 70s.