Sam Parks
Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame
Class of 2015
1935 U.S. Open Champion, Sam Parks
Inducted Thursday, October 14, 2015 at Chartiers Country Club
Sam Parks (1909-1997) surprised the golf world when, as the golf professional at South Hills Country Club, won the 1935 U.S. Open at Oakmont defeating the likes of Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Henry Picard, Horton Smith, Bobby Cruickshank, and Craig Wood. As a youngster at Highland Country Club, he took lessons from Gene Sarazen during Sarazen’s brief stay at Highland. Parks won the 1926 West Penn Junior. While a student at the University of Pittsburgh, he was influential in the Panthers starting their varsity golf program. His amateur career included a runner-up finish in the 1931 North & South Amateur. After his U.S. Open title, he won both the West Penn Open and Tri-State Section championships in 1940. He won two more Section championships, then left the golf business in 1942 to accept a job with US Steel. He later became a member at Oakmont in 1947. Parks was a volunteer chair for scoring during the 1962 U.S. Open and 1969 U.S. Amateur, both at Oakmont. He attended the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont as a special guest of the club.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund.