Dr. Charles Round

Dr. Charles Round, the former captain of the Brown golf team, is the only Rhode Islander to win all three state titles: junior, amateur, and senior. Dr. Round achieved this mark of distinction over a 41-year span. He defeated the late Johnny Burke in the 1934 Juniors, captured the Amateur crown in 1939 with a 2-and-1 victory over the late Sam Nield, and then posted a 3-2 victory over Alex Corvi in 1975 to win the RIGA Seniors Championship.

The son of the late Lester Angell Round, Charley Round had made a name for himself on the golf course before he entered Brown. He first came close to lifting the amateur title in 1933 at the age of 16 while he was still a student at Hope High School, being turned back in the title round by Mike Bobel. He was a semi-finalist in the state championship four straight years, 1934 through 1937, before winning the title in 1939. Meanwhile, he was compiling a fine record in the New England amateur championships, twice being a medalist and gaining the final in 1933 at Waterbury, when his conqueror was Charley Clare, then recognized as one of the top amateurs in the East. In winning the medal in the New England at the historic Ekwanok course, Manchester, Vt., in 1935, Dr. Round fired a red-hot 69 on his closing round for a 36-hole total of 142. And in touring the second nine in a torried 31, he shattered the course record for that route established by Bobby Jones.

Dr. Round was governor of the American College of Surgeons and former chief of surgery at Kent County Hospital. His wife was the late Shirley Messinger Round, and his children include Charles, Michael, Nancy, Donald, Philip, and Stephen.