He died suddenly of a massive heart attack in 1931 at the age of 41, cutting short a promising life and career.

In 1931, his golf swing was described by writer Ralph Trost of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle as "vivid ... it was a full, powerful, complete lash at the ball".

20-year-old John McDermott successfully defended his U.S. Open title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Tom McNamara.

[5] Dowling had managed to gain entry into the tournament when a west coast player defaulted.

[12] Dowling, who was paired with Tom McNamara in a match held on September 15, 1918, at Scarsdale Golf Club, defeated Chick Evans (national amateur and open champion), and Bobby Jones, in an American Red Cross four-ball match by the score of 1 up.

After the two rounds were concluded, he went to his mother's house in nearby Glen Cove, New York, where he suffered an acute heart attack and died at age 41.