Tom has had two careers in golf; first as a player and then as an accomplished golf course architect.

The Massillon, Ohio native was born November 9, 1942, and went to Benedictine High School in Cleveland, and to Ohio State University in Columbus.

During his career, he won fifteen tournaments including three Kemper Open's and the Canadian Open, which he won twice. His five forging victories include the British Open in 1973. Tom has won six times on the senior tour, including the USGA Senior Open in 1995.

Tom can well be remembered for the tournaments he didn't win such as four second place finishes in the Masters, five top four finishes in the US Open, and two top four finishes in the PGA Championship.

Tom set an era record by winning five tournaments in an eight-week span in 1973. He was on the Ryder Cup in 1973 and 1975, and voted player of the year in 1973. As an Amateur he won numerous public links championships and he also won the prestigious Western Amateur at the age of 21.

In 1983 Tom started out on his second career in golf when he teamed up with Jay Morrish in the field of golf course design. His courses have won many awards. He was included in Golf Magazines Top 100 Courses in the World and Golf Digests Top 100 Courses in the United States. Names like Troon Golf and Country Club in Scottsdale, Forest Highlands Golf Club in Flagstaff, Shadow Glen Golf Club in Kansas, and The Monument Course at Troon are all on the winner's list of the Top 100 Courses.