(Aug. 21, 1884 – Apr. 5, 1936) Chandler Egan was one of the nation’s top golfers at the turn of the 20th Century and one of Oregon’s most influential golf course designers.
Born in 1884 in Chicago, Egan took to golf at age 12 and led Harvard to the national collegiate title from 1902 to ’04, having won the individual title as a sophomore. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1904 and led the U.S. team to the gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis Olympic Summer Games. He won the silver individually.
He won the U.S. Amateur title again in 1905.
Egan moved to Oregon in 1909 and began playing within the Pacific Northwest Golf Association. He won the PNGA Amateur title five times. He also played on the U.S. Walker Cup team twice: 1930 and ’34.
In addition to playing golf, he took to course design in the ’20s and is credited with designing or assisting in construction of 18 golf courses, including nine in Oregon: Coos Country Club (Coos Bay), Eastmoreland (Portland), Eugene Country Club, Hood River Golf and Country Club, Oswego Country Club, Reames Golf and Country Club (Klamath Falls), Riverside Golf and Country Club (Portland), Seaside Golf Club, The Oaks and The Rogue at Rogue Valley Country Club (Medford) and the Tualatin Country Club.
Egan died in 1936 after completing plans for the West Seattle Golf Course. He was inducted to the PNGA Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.