Tommy Bolt, the 1958 US Open champion who had one of golf's sweetest swings and most explosive tempers, has died. He was 92. His wife, Mary Lou Bolt, said he died on Saturday after “his liver shut down.” Bolt won 15 times on the US PGA Tour, with his lone major at Southern Hills club in Georgia by four shots over Gary Player. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002, which he called the highlight of his career. But it was his temper that gained him the most notoriety. Bolt was called “Terrible Tommy” and “Thunder,” and he was often fined and suspended by the US PGA Tour for slamming clubs and using abusive language. He set up a special fund from his earnings to pay the fines. “That's been ballooned out of proportion a little bit,” Bolt said when he was selected for the Hall of Fame. “Now, I threw a couple of clubs. I'm human, just like the other guys. But I threw them at the most opportune time, it seemed like. They always had the camera on me when I was throwing one.” Bolt attended the US Open at Southern Hills in 2001, and someone asked if tales of his temper were overblown. “I couldn't have possibly broken as many clubs I was supposed to have broken. They haven't made that many,” he said. “Today's players owe a debt of gratitude to Tommy Bolt,” tour commissioner Tim Finchem said. “His golf prowess was only matched by his formidable and colorful personality.”
