Golf Hall of Famer Tommy Bolt dead at 92

CHEROKEE VILLAGE, Ark., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Tommy Bolt, who won the 1958 U.S. Open and was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 92 in Arkansas.

Bolt died Saturday due to liver problems, family members said.

Bolt joined the PGA Tour at the age of 28 after serving in World War II. He won 15 tour events and was in the top 10 in money winnings in 1954, 1957 and 1958. His best year was 1958 when he won $26,941.

That year also marked his most famous win, a 4-stroke victory in the U.S. Open at Southern Hill Country Club in Tulsa in his home state of Oklahoma.

He was elected to golf's half of fame in 2002.

"Today's players owe a debt of gratitude to Tommy Bolt and his fellow pioneers. His golf prowess was only matched by his formidable and colorful personality and he helped launch an era of the game's popularity that has continued for nearly half a century," said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem. "We along with his family mourn his passing, yet he will forever be a part of golf's enduring legacy."