Jerome Travers (1887-1951) was one of the great amateurs of the early 20th century.  In a nine-year stretch from 1906-1915, Travers won four U.S. Amateurs, five Metropolitan Amateurs (a big event in the New York area)and a U.S. Open.  Only Bob Jones won more amateur titles and Travers was one of only five amateurs to win the Open.   He was also a very cold and unlikable character, and eccentric.  After wining the U.S. Open in 1915 at Baltusrol, the same course he is seen practicing at in this picture, he never entered another.  If not liked, he was respected by his peers.  Chick Evans called him "the coldest, hardest golfer I ever knew.''  Francis Ouimet described him as "the best match player in the country.''  Alex Smith, who won the 1906 U.S. Open and taught Travers, called his student, "the greatest competitor I have ever known.''

At only 5-feet-7 and 140 pounds, Travers had to be tough to survive. He was a very erratic driver of the ball, and many times hit his tee shots with a black faced 2-iron.  What made Travers so great was his ability to putt the ball.  Travers believed that putting was more a combination of the mental and physical than any stroke in the game, and he worked for hours perfecting his method.  Travers was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1976.  The thumbnail on the main page shows him with the  Havemeyer Trophy, awarded him for his victory in the 1913 U.S. Amateur.