Stuart Murray (golfer)

Stuart William Thomas Murray (10 November 1933 – 23 January 2023) was a Scottish professional golfer. He had success as an amateur, winning the Scottish Amateur in 1961 and playing in the 1963 Walker Cup. A change in the rules relating to amateur status pushed him into turning professional in late 1963. He won the Midland Professional Championship three times between 1964 and 1968 and also the Strong Country Tournament in 1965.

Stuart Murray
Personal information
Full nameStuart William Thomas Murray
Born(1933-11-10)10 November 1933
Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Died23 January 2023(2023-01-23) (aged 89)
Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Sporting nationality Scotland
Career
Turned professional1963
Former tour(s)European Senior Tour
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT40: 1964

Amateur career

Murray qualified for the 1955 Open Championship at St Andrews, although he failed to make the cut.[1][2] In 1958 he won the West of Scotland championship at Barassie, beating Lindsay Renfrew in the final.[3] In the 1961 Scottish Amateur at Western Gailes, Murray lost in the final to James Walker. Walker was seven up after 13 holes of the morning round and eventually won 4 and 3.[4] Murray won the 1962 Scottish Amateur at Muirfield, beating Ronnie Shade 2 and 1 in the final. Shade won the event for the following five years.[5]

Murray played for Great Britain & Ireland against the rest of Europe in France in 1958 and in Sweden in 1962.[6][7] In 1959 he made his debut for Scotland in the Men's Home Internationals, and played each year until he turned professional.[8] Murray played in the 1963 Walker Cup at Turnberry. Playing with Michael Bonallack they won their foursomes match on the first morning and Murray beat Deane Beman 3 and 1 in the afternoon, as the home team took a 6–3 lead. However he lost both his matches on the second day and the US won the match 12–8.[9]

Professional career

Murray turned professional towards the end of 1963 following a change in the rules on amateur status. Murray was a sales representative for John Letters, a firm of golf club makers.[10][11] Murray was initially a professional at Northamptonshire golf club, before moving to Hendon golf club from 1972.[9]

While at Northamptonshire Murray had some success in regional events. He won the Midland Professional Championship three times, in 1964, 1967 and 1968.[12][13][14] He also won the Northamptonshire Professional Championship four times, in 1964, 1966, 1969 and 1971.[15] In Scotland he was a runner-up in the 1965 Northern Open behind Jock Brown, and in the Pringle of Scotland Tournament later in the year, behind Cobie Legrange.[16][17]

Murray was a regular competitor in the Strong Country Tournament, a 36-hole event generally played in the Southampton area. Peter Alliss had won the tournament from 1961 to 1964 but Murray won in 1965. He had a final round 62 to win by 10 strokes.[18] In 1968 he lost in a sudden-death playoff to Doug Sewell.[19] Murray also won a qualifying round in the Shell Winter Tournament in late 1967, taking the first prize of £250.[20] Murray qualified for the Open Championship in 1964, 1965 and 1966. He made the cut in 1964 and finished in a tie for 40th place.[2]

Despite being nearly 60 when the tour started in 1992, Murray played on the European Senior Tour from 1992 to 1994.[21]

Personal life

Murray died on 23 January 2023, at the age of 89. He was widowed and had two sons.[9][22][23]

Results in major championships
Tournament 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966
The Open Championship CUT T40 CUT CUT

Note: Murray only played in The Open Championship.

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Source:[2]

Team appearances

Amateur

  • Walker Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1963
  • St Andrews Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1958 (winners), 1962 (winners)
  • Men's Home Internationals (representing Scotland): 1959 (joint winners), 1960, 1961 (winners), 1962 (joint winners), 1963 (joint winners)

References
  1. "Ninety-four qualifiers for "Open"". Glasgow Herald. 6 July 1955. p. 4.
  2. Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  3. "Murray wins West title". The Glasgow Herald. 26 May 1958. p. 4.
  4. "Walker now champion of Scotland". The Glasgow Herald. 24 July 1961. p. 4.
  5. "Well merited victory for Murray". The Glasgow Herald. 23 July 1962. p. 4.
  6. "Fine Play by Britons". The Glasgow Herald. 4 October 1958. p. 7.
  7. "British Isles's victory over Europe". The Glasgow Herald. 13 August 1962. p. 4.
  8. Horne, Cyril (9 September 1959). "Home Internationals start to-day". The Glasgow Herald. p. 10.
  9. "Stuart Murray (1933 – 2023)". The PGA. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  10. "Murray turns professional". The Glasgow Herald. 2 October 1963. p. 6.
  11. "Fleet golfer becomes a pro". Aldershot News. 4 October 1963. p. 19 – via Newspaper.com.
  12. Woodbine, Maurice (30 April 1964). "Murray finishes stroke ahead". Birmingham Post and Birmingham Gazette. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. Davies, David (22 May 1967). "Murray beats weather to win play-off". Birmingham Post. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Davies, David (18 July 1968). "'Sheriff' Murray outshoots rivals". Birmingham Post. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "NPGA 36 hole Strokeplay Championship Past Champions". The PGA in Northamptonshire. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  16. "Northern Open win by J. T. Brown". The Glasgow Herald. 10 April 1965. p. 6.
  17. "Legrange shows mature judgment at Barnton". The Glasgow Herald. 28 June 1965. p. 4.
  18. Cousins, Geoffrey (11 August 1965). "Course record earns Murray £250 prize". The Daily Telegraph. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Doug Swell (Ferndown)". The Daily Telegraph. 31 July 1968. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Murray's new style yields success in Shell qualifying". The Glasgow Herald. 6 November 1967. p. 6.
  21. "Stuart Murray Career Record Details". European Tour. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  22. "Stuart William Thomas Murray". The Herald (Glasgow). 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  23. Rodger, Nick (4 February 2023). "The Sheriff born too early to cash in on talent". The Herald (Glasgow). Retrieved 6 February 2023.
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