British PGA Matchplay Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Great Britain |
| Established | 1903 |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Match play |
| Final year | 1979 |
| Final champion | |
 Des Smyth | |
The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the News of the World, and was commonly known by the paper's name. Initially organised as the championship of British professionals, the event came to include invited players from other countries - in particular from around the Commonwealth (it was won on four occasions by Australia's Peter Thomson, a record number of victories shared with Dai Rees and James Braid). On occasion, American professionals also took part, notably in 1949 when the eight members of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup side accepted invites to the event, Lloyd Mangrum reaching the semi-finals.
For many years, the event boasted the richest prize fund in British golf, and certainly in the pre-First World War era, can be considered to have been a "major" championship of its day, as at the time, the British professionals were considered the best players in the world – in 1907 the four semi-finalists were The Great Triumvirate of Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor and James Braid, along with Ted Ray, who would go on to win both the British and U.S. Opens.
After World War II, the event provided several notable British and Irish players, like Christy O'Connor Snr, Eric Brown and Dave Thomas, with their greatest triumphs, and also became a showcase for the matchplay strength of Neil Coles, who was at least a semi-finalist eleven times in eighteen years, a remarkable achievement considering the field normally comprised 64 and on occasion 128 players.
The tournament was also often notable for remarkable runs to the later stages by veteran players - Max Faulkner was a semi-finalist in 1967 aged 51 and reached the quarter-finals three years later, and in 1969 Dai Rees reached the final aged 56. However, following the establishment of the British PGA Championship (at stroke play) in 1955, the matchplay version lost some of its importance, and the matchplay format fell out of favour with sponsors, who could not guarantee that the final day would feature any "big-name" players to attract a television audience, nor either that the matches would finish at times to coincide with limited scheduled slots for live transmission. The tournament remained an official money event on the European Tour from its first season in 1972, but after 1979 it was discontinued. The last champion was Irishman Des Smyth, who beat a youthful Nick Price in the final.
History
1903
The tournament was announced in August. £200 had been given by the News of the World to the PGA for the competition. The final stage would be at Sunningdale Golf Club from 13 to 15 October and would be a knock-out match-play contest by 32 professionals. Qualification was by a series of 36-hole stroke-play competitions; one for each of the five PGA sections. The number of qualifiers from each section was based on the membership of that section. The Southern section had 16 qualifiers, the Midland and Northern sections had 5 each, the Scottish section 4 and the Irish section 2. The matches in the final stage were over 18 holes except for the final which was over 36 holes. Extra holes were played in the event of a tied match. The winner received £100, the runner-up £30, losing semi-finalists £15 and losing quarter-finalists £10.[1] The semi-finalists also received medals: the winner gold, the runner-up silver and the losing semi-finalists bronze.
The Northern section held their qualification at Huddersfield on 22 September with Ted Ray winning with a score of 148.[2] The Scottish section qualification was the following day at Earlsferry with Robert Thomson winning with a score of 153. Arnaud Massy failed to qualify,[3] The Irish section played on 24 September at Lahinch with George Coburn winning with a score of 157.[4] The Southern section played on 29 September at Acton with J.H. Taylor winning with a score of 140. There was a tie for the final two places and there was a 36-hole play-off the following day.[5] The Midland section played on 7 October at Hollinwell with Tom Williamson winning with a score of 151.[6] Harry Vardon was ill and didn't enter.
In the first round Jack White, third in the 1903 Open Championship lost to Tom Williamson. Later in the day Tom Vardon who had been second in the Open lost to Ted Ray.[7] In the quarter-finals James Braid beat Alfred Toogood at the 19th hole. In the semi-finals Braid won the first two holes against J.H. Taylor and won 4&2. Ray beat George Coburn 4&3 in the other match. They had been level after 7 holes but Ray won the next 4 to take a convincing lead.[8] In the final Braid led by 1 hole after the first round. In the afternoon Braid won 3 of the first 5 holes to go 4 up and, although Ray won the next two, Braid eventually won 4&3.[9]
Winners
See also
- HSBC World Match Play Championship - another matchplay championship played in the United Kingdom, which has been an official money event on the European Tour since 2004.
References
- ↑ "Golf – Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 3 August 1903. p. 10.
- ↑ "Golf – Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 23 September 1903. p. 5.
- ↑ "Golf – Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 24 September 1903. p. 9.
- ↑ "Golf – Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 25 September 1903. p. 10.
- ↑ "Golf – Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 30 September 1903. p. 9.
- ↑ "Golf – Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 8 October 1903. p. 5.
- ↑ "Golf – The professional tournament – Defeat of Jack White and Tom Vardon". The Glasgow Herald. 14 October 1903. p. 12.
- ↑ "Golf – The great professional tournament – Braid and Ray the finalists". The Glasgow Herald. 15 October 1903. p. 11.
- ↑ "Golf – The great professional tournament – Success of James Braid". The Glasgow Herald. 16 October 1903. p. 15.
- ↑ "Golf Jottings". The Illustrated and Dramatic Sporting News. September 21, 1907. Retrieved 7 November 2015.