One of the greatest links golfers, he had in abundance the low ball-flight skills needed to deal with the unpredictable surfaces of such hard-running courses, where a feel for the bounce of a ball is more important than launching it high and long.
Apart from playing on British links, Thomson’s other passion was golf in the far east, which he promoted with fervour by playing in various tournaments across the region. In all he won 26 championships in Europe, 19 in Australia and New Zealand, and 11 in Asia and Japan.
He was president of the Australian Professional Golfers’ Association from 1962 to 1994 and was three times a non-playing captain of the international teams in the Presidents Cup against the US in 1996, 1998 and 2000, coming out victorious on the second occasion. In 1979 he was appointed CBE, and in 2001 AO.