- British PGA Matchplay Championship
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British PGA Matchplay Championship Tournament information Location 
Great BritainEstablished 1903 Tour(s) European Tour Format Match play Final year 1979 Final champion 
Des SmythThe 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 a semi-finalist eleven times, 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.
Winners
Year Champion Runner-Up Semi-finalists Venue Sun Alliance European Match Play Championship 1979 Des Smyth Nick Price Antonio Garrido, Carl Mason Fulford Golf Club Sun Alliance Match Play Championship 1978 Mark James Neil Coles Sam Torrance, Manuel Piñero Dalmahoy Country Club 1977 Hugh Baiocchi Brian Huggett Neil Coles, Christy O'Connor Jnr Stoke Poges Golf Club 1976 Brian Barnes Craig DeFoy John O'Leary, Simon Hobday Kings Norton Golf Club 1975 Eddie Polland Peter Butler Dale Hayes, Ronnie Shade Lindrick Golf Club Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship 1974 Jack Newton Cesar Sanudo Neil Coles, David Jagger Downfield Golf Club 1973 Neil Coles Doug McClelland Peter Wilcock, Hedley Muscroft Hillside Golf Club 1972 John Garner Neil Coles Ronnie Shade, Dave Stockton Moor Park Golf Club 1971 No tournament Long John Scotch Whisky Match Play Championship 1970 Tommy Horton Ronnie Shade Bobby Walker, Roberto Bernardini Moor Park Golf Club News of the World Match Play 1969 Maurice Bembridge Dai Rees Brian Huggett, David Talbot Walton Heath Golf Club 1968 Brian Huggett John Panton Neil Coles, James Martin Walton Heath Golf Club 1967 Peter Thomson Dai Rees Max Faulkner, Neil Coles Walton Heath Golf Club 1966 Peter Thomson Neil Coles Alex King, Peter Alliss Walton Heath Golf Club 1965 Neil Coles Lionel Platts Christy Greene, Tony Jacklin Walton Heath Golf Club 1964 Neil Coles Peter Butler Max Faulkner, Hedley Muscroft Walton Heath Golf Club 1963 Dave Thomas John Macdonald George Will, I Wright Turnberry 1962 Eric Brown E Whitehead Dave Thomas, Tony Fisher Walton Heath Golf Club 1961 Peter Thomson Ralph Moffitt Neil Coles, Bernard Hunt Walton Heath Golf Club 1960 Eric Brown Harry Weetman Tom Haliburton, Dave Thomas Turnberry 1959 David Snell Harry Weetman Norman Sutton, Dave Thomas Royal Birkdale Golf Club 1958 Harry Weetman Bernard Hunt Christy O'Connor Snr, Alex Fox Walton Heath Golf Club 1957 Christy O'Connor Snr Tom Haliburton Harry Bradshaw, Eric Brown Turnberry 1956 John Panton Harry Weetman Ken Bousfield, Ralph Mills Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake 1955 Ken Bousfield Eric Brown Arthur Lees, Frank Jowle Walton Heath Golf Club 1954 Peter Thomson John Fallon Frank Jowle, Norman Sutton St Andrews Links 1953 Max Faulkner Dai Rees John Jacobs, Fred Daly Ganton Golf Club 1952 Fred Daly Flory Van Donck John Panton, George Johnson Walton Heath Golf Club 1951 Harry Weetman Jimmy Adams Alan Waters, Sam King Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake 1950 Dai Rees Frank Jowle Ken Bousfield, Henry Cotton Carnoustie Golf Links 1949 Dai Rees Henry Cotton Sam King, Lloyd Mangrum Walton Heath Golf Club 1948 Fred Daly Laurie Ayton Sam King, Charlie Ward Royal Birkdale Golf Club 1947 Fred Daly Flory Van Donck Charlie Ward, Henry Cotton Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club 1946 Henry Cotton Jimmy Adams Bobby Locke, Dick Burton Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake 1945 Reg Horne Percy Alliss Reg Knight, TE Odams Walton Heath Golf Club 1941-44 No tournament due to World War II 1940 Henry Cotton Alf Padgham RG French, Arthur Lacey Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club 1939 No tournament 1938 Dai Rees Eddie Whitcombe Arthur Havers, Laurie Ayton Walton Heath Golf Club 1937 Percy Alliss Jimmy Adams Don Curtis, Charles Whitcombe Stoke Poges Golf Club 1936 Dai Rees Ernest Whitcombe Percy Alliss, JJ Taylor Oxhey Park Golf Club 1935 Alf Padgham Percy Alliss Dick Burton, Reg Whitcombe Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club 1934 JJ Busson Charles Whitcombe AE Chevalier, Reg Whitcombe Walton Heath Golf Club 1933 Percy Alliss Mark Seymour Ernest Whitcombe, Archie Compston Purley Downs Golf Club 1932 Henry Cotton Alf Perry Arthur Lacey, JH Jolly Moor Park Golf Club 1931 Alf Padgham Mark Seymour Charlie Ward, CW Thomson Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club 1930 Charles Whitcombe Henry Cotton Abe Mitchell, Syd Easterbrook Oxhey Park Golf Club 1929 Abe Mitchell Philip Rodgers Archie Compston, Alfred Beck Wentworth Club 1928 Charles Whitcombe Henry Cotton JJ Taylor, Herbert Jolly Stoke Poges Golf Club 1927 Archie Compston James Braid Tom Williamson, Ernest Whitcombe Walton Heath Golf Club 1926 Sandy Herd Jack Bloxham Reg Wilson, WH Ball Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club 1925 Archie Compston George Gadd George Duncan, Len Holland Moor Park Golf Club 1924 Ernest Whitcombe George Gadd Sandy Herd, Thomas Barber Royal St George's Golf Club 1923 Reg Wilson Thomas Renouf Abe Mitchell, Tom Williamson Walton Heath Golf Club 1922 George Gadd Fred Leach Ernest Whitcombe, Charles Johns Sunningdale Golf Club 1921 Bert Seymour JW Gaudin Ted Ray, C Wingate Oxhey Park Golf Club 1920 Abe Mitchell Josh Taylor Bert Seymour, Len Holland Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club 1919 Abe Mitchell George Duncan Peter Rainford, Fred Robson Walton Heath Golf Club 1914-18 No tournament due to World War I 1913 George Duncan James Braid Reg Wilson, Willie Watt Walton Heath Golf Club 1912 Harry Vardon Ted Ray Reg Wilson, Harry Cawsey Sunningdale Golf Club 1911 James Braid Ted Ray Tom Williamson, Harry Vardon Walton Heath Golf Club 1910 James Sherlock George Duncan Eric Bannister, Cyril Hughes Sunningdale Golf Club 1909 Tom Ball Sandy Herd Harry Vardon, James Hepburn Walton Heath Golf Club 1908 J.H. Taylor Fred Robson Charles Mayo, James Sherlock Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club 1907 James Braid J.H. Taylor Ted Ray, Harry Vardon Sunningdale Golf Club 1906 Sandy Herd Charles Mayo George Duncan, Rowland Jones Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell) 1905 James Braid Tom Vardon Rowland Jones, Arthur Mitchell Walton Heath Golf Club 1904 J.H. Taylor Alfred Toogood James Hepburn, Sandy Herd Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club 1903 James Braid Ted Ray J.H. Taylor, George Coburn Sunningdale Golf Club 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.
Categories:- Golf tournaments in the United Kingdom
- Former European Tour events
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