Yorkshire Evening News Tournament

Yorkshire Evening News Tournament
Tournament information
LocationLeeds, Yorkshire, England
Established1923
FormatMatch play (1923–1939, 1949)
Stroke play (1944–1948; 1950–1963)
Final year1963
Final champion
Tom Haliburton

The Yorkshire Evening News Tournament was a professional golf tournament that was held in the Leeds area of Yorkshire, England between 1923 and 1963. It was a fixture on the British PGA tournament circuit, which would later become the European Tour. Before World War II, it was a knockout match play tournament preceded by a 36-hole stroke play qualifying round; when it was revived following the war it was a pure stroke play tournament, except for 1949 when it was played as knockout match play.

In the early years, the Yorkshire Evening News Tournament was considered a British major golf tournament. "The first tournament, in 1923, was billed as the unofficial ‘Championship of the World’ between American superstars Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen. Hagen triumphed, but lost in the final by a two-hole margin to Ryder Cup star Herbert Jolly."[1]

Format

From its founding in 1923 until 1939, the Yorkshire Evening News Tournament was contested as match play knockout by the leading players after 36 holes of stroke play.[2][3] When it was revived in 1944, during World War II, it was a 36-hole stroke play tournament. Following the end of the war, in 1946, it was extended to 72 holes. The 72-hole stroke play format was retained except for 1949, when it was played as knockout match play in order to provide British players with practice in advance of the Ryder Cup.[4]

Winners

Year Winner Score Margin
of victory
Runner(s)-up Winner's
share (£)
Venue Ref
1963 Tom Haliburton 280 1 stroke Peter Thomson 1,000 Sand Moor [5]
1962 Peter Butler 273 4 strokes Ken Bousfield 1,000 Moortown [6]
1961 Peter Thomson 282 1 stroke Dai Rees Sand Moor [7]
1960 Peter Thomson 268 5 strokes Bernard Hunt 500 Moortown [8]
1959 Norman Drew 281 4 strokes Peter Alliss
Harold Henning
Peter Thomson
500 Sand Moor [9]
1958 Eric Brown &
Harold Henning
280 Tie Shared title 500 & 250
(shared)
Moortown [10]
1957 Peter Thomson 264 15 strokes Harry Bradshaw 500 Sand Moor [11]
1956 Ken Bousfield &
Dai Rees
281 Tie Shared title 500 & 250
(shared)
Moortown [12]
1955 Antonio Cerdá 276 3 strokes Harry Weetman 500 Sand Moor [13]
1954 John Panton 284 1 stroke Ken Bousfield
Bernard Hunt
500 Moortown [14]
1953 Flory Van Donck 278 1 stroke Harry Bradshaw 500 Sand Moor [15]
1952 Dai Rees 283 1 stroke Henry Cotton
Syd Scott
Moortown [16]
1951 Dai Rees &
Norman Von Nida
281 Tie Shared title 300 & 150
(shared)
Moortown [17]
1950 Dai Rees 276 8 strokes Arthur Lees Sand Moor [18]
1949 Sam King 6 & 5 Walter Lees Moortown [19]
1948 Charlie Ward 275 3 strokes Norman Von Nida Moortown [20]
1947 Norman Von Nida &
Henry Cotton
277 Tie Shared title 200 & 100
(shared)
Moortown [21]
1946 Bobby Locke 283 7 strokes A G Matthews
Dai Rees
Moortown [22]
1945 Archie Compston 148 5 strokes Bill Cox Moortown [23]
1944 Sam King 133 6 strokes Bill Shankland Roundhay [24]
1940–43: No tournament due to World War II
1939 Dai Rees 37 holes Jack Hargreaves 150 Temple Newsam [25]
1938 Alf Perry 8 & 6 Vernon Greenhalgh Leeds [26]
1937 Arthur Lacey 2 & 1 John Fallon Moortown [27]
1936 Dick Burton 3 & 2 A G Matthews Temple Newsam [28]
1935 Henry Cotton 3 & 2 Percy Alliss 150 Sand Moor [29]
1934 Alf Padgham 37 holes Sid Brews Moortown [30]
1933 Arthur Lacey 2 & 1 Alf Padgham Temple Newsam [31]
1932 Bert Hodson 39 holes Fred Robson Moortown [32]
1931 Ernest Whitcombe 39 holes Tom Barber Sand Moor [33]
1930 Herbert Jolly 3 & 1 Owen Sanderson 200 Headingley [34]
1929 Joe Turnesa 37 holes Herbert Jolly 200 Moortown [35][36]
1928 Charles Whitcombe 3 & 2 Herbert Jolly Moortown [37]
1927 Ernest Whitcombe 9 & 8 Herbert Jolly Headingley [38]
1926 Charles Whitcombe 9 & 8 Moses O'Neill Moortown [39]
1925 Len Holland 3 & 2 James Ockenden Moortown [40]
1924 Fred Robson 37 holes Archie Compston Headingley [41]
1923 Herbert Jolly 2 up Walter Hagen 200 Headingley [42][43]

Records

  • Lowest aggregate score (72-hole stroke play):
    264 – Peter Thomson (1957)
  • Largest margin of victory (72-hole stroke play):
    15 strokes – Peter Thomson (1957)

Venues

Course Times hosted First year Last year
Moortown Golf Club 19 1925 1963
Sand Moor Golf Club 9 1931 1962
Headingley Golf Club 4 1923 1930
Temple Newsham Golf Club 3 1933 1939
Leeds Golf Club 1 1938 1938
Roundhay Golf Club 1 1944 1944

References

  1. ^ "Headingley Golf Club: Club History". Headingley Golf Club. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  2. ^ "World golf champions in Leeds". The Yorkshire Evening Post. 15 May 1923. p. 10. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "British golf victory". News Chronicle. 6 June 1939. p. 18. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ "Match Play For Ryder Cup Men". Bristol Evening Post. 28 January 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Horne, Cyril (24 June 1963). "Surprise Victory For Haliburton". The Glasgow Herald. p. 9.
  6. ^ "Butler Wins Moortown Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 25 June 1962. p. 9.
  7. ^ "First Success For Thomson". The Glasgow Herald. 24 June 1961. p. 5.
  8. ^ "Thomson Wins By 5 Strokes". The Glasgow Herald. 18 June 1960. p. 5.
  9. ^ "Drew's First Victory In Major Event". The Glasgow Herald. 20 June 1959. p. 9.
  10. ^ "Brown And Henning Tie At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 21 June 1958. p. 7.
  11. ^ "Thomson Goes For Aggregate Record And Succeeds". The Glasgow Herald. 22 June 1957. p. 9.
  12. ^ "D.J. Rees and K. Bousfield Tie At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 23 June 1956. p. 7.
  13. ^ "Argentine Golfer Wins At Sand Moor". The Glasgow Herald. 25 June 1955. p. 9.
  14. ^ "Panton Surprise Winner At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 12 June 1954. p. 9.
  15. ^ "Astonishing Finish In Golf At Sandmoor". The Glasgow Herald. 20 June 1953. p. 9.
  16. ^ "Rees Wins At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 21 June 1952. p. 9.
  17. ^ "Von Nida And Rees Tie". The Glasgow Herald. 9 June 1951. p. 6.
  18. ^ "Rees Wins By Eight Strokes". The Glasgow Herald. 10 June 1950. p. 6.
  19. ^ "King Wins £1350 Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 13 June 1949. p. 3.
  20. ^ "Remarkable Finish By Von Nida". The Glasgow Herald. 11 June 1948. p. 2.
  21. ^ "Cotton and von Nida Tie for First Place". The Glasgow Herald. 14 June 1947. p. 2.
  22. ^ "Locke's decisive victory". The Glasgow Herald. 27 May 1946. p. 7.
  23. ^ "Compston wins Leeds golf tourney". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 4 June 1945. Retrieved 29 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. ^ "Sam King". The Glasgow Herald. 22 May 1944. p. 5.
  25. ^ "Golf Struggle At Leeds". The Glasgow Herald. 12 June 1939. p. 20.
  26. ^ "Perry's Easy Win At £750 Final". The Glasgow Herald. 6 June 1938. p. 18.
  27. ^ "Scot beaten in Tourney Final". The Glasgow Herald. 7 June 1937. p. 6.
  28. ^ "Burton wins £735 Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 15 June 1936. p. 6.
  29. ^ "Cotton defeats Alliss". The Glasgow Herald. 10 June 1935. p. 4.
  30. ^ "£750 Tournament final". The Glasgow Herald. 11 June 1934. p. 17.
  31. ^ "Lacey wins at Leeds". The Glasgow Herald. 5 June 1933. p. 3.
  32. ^ "Hodson beats Robson". The Glasgow Herald. 23 May 1932. p. 3.
  33. ^ "The 1000 Guineas Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 25 May 1931. p. 5.
  34. ^ "Jolly wins 1000 Guineas Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 2 June 1930. p. 6.
  35. ^ "Golf – Turnesa wins Leeds tournament". The Times. 20 May 1929. p. 5.
  36. ^ "Turnesa Wins In England". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. 19 May 1929. p. 9 (Sporting section).
  37. ^ "One Thousand Guineas Tournament – C A Whitcombe's success". The Times. 21 May 1928. p. 6.
  38. ^ "Golf – Leeds Tournament – Ernest Whitcombe's wins". The Glasgow Herald. 1 August 1927. p. 15.
  39. ^ "Golf – The Leeds Tournament – Charles Whitcombe's big win". The Glasgow Herald. 23 August 1926. p. 7.
  40. ^ "One Thousand Guineas Tournament – Holland beats Ockenden in final". The Glasgow Herald. 13 July 1925. p. 11.
  41. ^ "The Thousand Guineas Tournament – Fred Robson wins". The Glasgow Herald. 2 June 1924. p. 17.
  42. ^ "Golf – The Leeds Tournament – Jolly's great win over Hagen". The Glasgow Herald. 21 May 1923. p. 15.
  43. ^ "Britisher Defeats Hagen For Professional Title". The Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. 20 May 1923. p. 17.