The Metropolitan
May - June 2020
.
As trophy suggests, Blair b whose winner is awarded with the Jim Tom
By Dan O’Neill
Blair Trophy. For entertainment purposes, if for no other
Blair was from a different era, to be sure.
reason, it’s always interesting to ponder a
Times were different, the game was different,
“Mt. Rushmore” for a particular sport.
the manner in which it was chronicled and
For Cardinals fans, the challenge is formidable
celebrated was different.
- selecting just four faces from so many
Blair was born and raised in Jefferson City,
favorites, so many Hall of Famers. For hockey
son of the late Missouri Gov. James Blair,
Blue-bloods, the process might be equally
who held office from 1957-61, Jim Tom
daunting, and try choosing a group of St.
accomplished a number impressive bullet
Louis NFL names from the Cardinals and
points in his life. He served in the Army after
Rams combined. Likewise, should you ponder
college. He established a highly successful
a Mt. Rushmore of amateur golf from the St.
insurance brokerage firm in St. Louis. He
Louis area, arguments abound. Would the
was an avid duck hunter and a member of
foursome be limited to men, or co-ed? Would
the Missouri Conservation Commission from
it include golf administrators, architects or …
1965-77.
cough! cough! … golf writers?
Moreover, he was a husband, a father of three
That’s probably a different mountain, maybe a
and a grandfather many times over. He also
molehill.
was among the founders of the Metropolitan
But you get the point, it’s treacherous ground
Amateur Golf Association and a friend to so
to tred. And yet, one thing is certain. Any Mt.
many on the local golf scene. Interspersed
Rushmore of amateur golf in St. Louis, any
between and around all of it, he was the
short list of the Greatest Of All Time - aka
essence of what it meant to be an amateur, or
“GOAT” - would include Jim Tom Blair III.
at least, what it used to mean.
Ten years have passed since Blair died of
He was a player. Man, he was a player.
complications from multiple sclerosis. He was
“What amazed me about Jim Tom was his
79. And many more years have come and
ability to hit all of the golf shots,” said Jim
gone since Blair was a prominent competitive
Holtgrieve, another Mt. Rushmore candidate.
figure in amateur golf. The time lapse makes
“During U.S. Open qualifying at Westwood
the name incognizant to those who compete
Country Club once, I was paired with Jim
for the Metropolitan Amateur Championship,
Tom. The 15th hole is a slight dogleg right,
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