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
Scotland Tom Haliburton
Yorkshire Evening News Tournament is located in England
Yorkshire Evening News Tournament
Yorkshire Evening News Tournament is located in West Yorkshire
Yorkshire Evening News Tournament

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.

First tournament (1923)

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