George Lyon (Golfer)

George Seymour Lyon ( born August 27, 1858 in Richmond Hill, † May 11, 1938 in Toronto ) was a Canadian golfer and sports official.

In his youth, Lyon was mainly active as a cricketer. He was a professional insurance agent and fought as a soldier in 1885 the Canadian Army in the Northwest Rebellion against the rebellious Métis. Only at the age of 38 years he started to play golf, but quickly developed into one of the best amateurs in the country. Just six years later, he won the gold medal in singles at the Olympic Games 1904 in St. Louis. In the final he sat down 3-2 against American Chandler Egan.

Lyon was able to celebrate many more successes. Between 1898 and 1914 he won the Canadian Amateur Championship eight times, from 1918 to 1930 he was victorious ten times in the Canadian Senior Championship. In 1906 he reached the final of the U.S. Championships, 1908, the semi-finals of the British Amateur Championships. Also in 1908 he traveled to London to defend his Olympic title, but the planned golf tournament was canceled. 1923 Lyon was elected president of the Royal Canadian Golf Association.