Golfer Lewis Oehmig Dies at 86

Story Links

Dec. 2, 2002

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Former University of Virginia golfer Lewis Oehmig died in late September at the age of 86 following a lengthy illness.

The 1937 co-medalist and team semifinalist and captain of the 1938 University of Virginia golf team, Oehmig’s distinguished amateur career spanned five decades. An eight-time winner and five-time runner-up in the Tennessee State Amateur Championship, the Lookout Mountain native became the oldest USGA Champion in history when he won the 1985 U.S. Senior Amateur at age 62. That victory was Oehmig’s third U.S. Senior title, having won in both 1972 and 1976. Oehmig also captured the 1976 International Senior Amateur and was runner-up in the U.S. Senior in 1973, 1977 and 1979.

Forty years after he captained the UVa golf team, Oehmig served as captain of the U.S. Walker Cup Team. In 1994, he received the Bob Jones Award for distinguished sportsmanship in golf, the highest award given by the United States Golf Association.

Oehmig, the former CEO of the First Flight Golf Company, lived his entire life performing at the highest levels of the sport.

Born May 11, 1916, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Oehmig was the second son of William Gallupe Oehmig and Ruth Daniel Oehmig. A 1939 graduate of the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Arts & Sciences, Oehmig also earned a LLB from the UVA School of Law in 1942. In 1947, he married Mary Augusta King, his companion for more than 55 years.

For more on Oehmig’s USGA career, check out the tribute on the USGA website at:

http://www.usga.org/press/2002/oehmig.html