John Birmingham
Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame
Class of 2016
John Birmingham while at Duke University
Inducted Wednesday, October 6, 2016 at Oakmont Country Club
John Birmingham, one of the area’s top amateurs for nearly two decades, won a total of twelve WPGA titles. A longtime member of Oakmont, Birmingham won three straight West Penn Amateurs from 1966-68, the 1964 and 1972 West Penn Open, and the Tri-State Open in 1966. He also won the Pennsylvania Amateur in 1961 and 1965. His record in WPGA partner events includes victories in the 1994 Father & Son, the Fred Brand Foursomes in 1968 and 1977, and the FourBall in 1965, 1971, 1977 and 1980. Birmingham qualified for 15 U.S. Amateurs, finishing tenth during its stroke play era, and one U.S. Open. Nationally, he won the 1970 Dixie Amateur, the United States Pro-Am and he was a part of a winning team in the John R. Williams at Oak Hill. In 1977, he won both the Fred Brand Foursomes and Four-Ball championships with fellow inductee, Frank Fuhrer III. This team also won the Anderson Memorial Four-Ball at Winged Foot and the Eastern Four-Ball. As a member of the Duke University men’s golf team, he won the ACC Championship in 1959 and 1961, and was runner-up in 1960. In 1970, he was ranked 8th nationally by Golf Digest. He finished runner-up six times in the West Penn Amateur, three times in the Pennsylvania Amateur, and in the 1962 Porter Cup. He served as president of the Pennsylvania Golf Association in 1990. The West Penn Mid-Amateur trophy is named in his honor.
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.