Frank Eyre

Frank Eyre
Personal information
Full name	Francis Patrick Eyre
Born	c. 1898 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	(1974-09-01)1 September 1974 (aged 76) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sporting nationality	Australia
Career
Status	Professional

Francis Patrick Eyre (c. 1898 – 1 September 1974) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the 1926 Sun-Herald Tournament and the 1930 Australian Open.

Early life

Eyre was the son of Edward "Happy" Eyre, a life-saver at Manly beach and rugby union player.[1] Frank Eyre himself was also a rugby union player in the early 1920s.[2] He became the professional at Long Reef Golf Club, Collaroy, New South Wales in 1922.[3]

Professional career

Eyre's first big success came in 1926 when he won the Sun-Herald Tournament at The Australian Golf Club, beat Arthur Le Fevre 6&5 in the final. He won the first prize of £195 and a gold medal valued at £5.[4] The event was widely regarded as the professional championship of Australia.[5] Eyre had qualified for the final stages in 1925 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, losing to Tom Howard, the eventual winner, in the quarter-finals.[6]

Eyre won the 1930 Queensland Open, beating Harry Sinclair in playoff at Royal Queensland.[7][8] He had been runner-up in the event in 1926.[9] Eyre won the 1930 Australian Open, finishing 7 strokes ahead of the runners-up, amateur George Fawcett and Rufus Stewart.[10] It was the first to be held at the Metropolitan Golf Club and Eyre was the first to be presented with the Stonehaven Cup, presented by Lord Stonehaven, the Governor-General of Australia from 1925 to 1930.[11] Eyre had been runner-up in 1929.[12]

Eyre won the 1933 New South Wales Dunlop Cup, beating Tom Heard in the final.[13]

Later life

In 1963, Eyre retired as professional at Long Reef Golf Club, having been the professional there for over 40 years.[3] He died on 1 September 1974, aged 76.[14][2]

Professional wins

• 1926 Sun-Herald Tournament
• 1930 Queensland Open, Australian Open
• 1933 Dunlop Cup (New South Wales)

Team appearances

• Vicars Shield (representing New South Wales): 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933 (winners)

References

1. ""Happy" Eyre". Evening News. No. 12094. New South Wales, Australia. 15 March 1906. p. 7. Retrieved 6 January 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
2. Smith, Terry (8 September 1974). "Fairways". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. p. 91. Retrieved 6 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Frank Eyre". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. 15 September 1963. p. 68. Retrieved 6 January 2021 – via Google News Archive.
4. "Frank Eyre". The Sun. No. 4980. Sydney. 22 October 1926. p. 11 (Final extra). Retrieved 19 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
5. ""Auld Reekie's" golf". The Referee. No. 2068. New South Wales, Australia. 27 October 1926. p. 20. Retrieved 6 January 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Professional golf". The Age. No. 21, 924. Victoria, Australia. 10 July 1925. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Championship golf". The Telegraph (Brisbane). No. 17929. Queensland, Australia. 23 May 1930. p. 14. Retrieved 25 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "Golf title". The Telegraph (Brisbane). No. 17930. Queensland, Australia. 24 May 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 25 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "Open golf championship". The Telegraph (Brisbane). No. 16730. Queensland, Australia. 16 July 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 25 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
10. "Eyre (N.S.W.) wins Open golf title". The Herald. No. 16639. Victoria, Australia. 13 September 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 17 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "Championships meeting". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 26155. Victoria, Australia. 12 June 1930. p. 14. Retrieved 18 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
12. "Golf Championship". The Age. No. 23207. Victoria, Australia. 24 August 1929. p. 23. Retrieved 17 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
13. "Dunlop Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 29836. New South Wales, Australia. 18 August 1933. p. 15. Retrieved 12 January 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
14. "Deaths – Eyre Frank Patrick". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. 4 September 1974. p. 58. Retrieved 6 January 2021 – via Google News Archive.