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.
Tournament information | |
---|---|
Location | Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
Established | 1923 |
Format | Match play (1923–1939, 1949) Stroke play (1944–1948; 1950–1963) |
Final year | 1963 |
Final champion | |
Tom Haliburton | |
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
- Most wins:
- 5 – Dai Rees (2 shared)
- 3 – Peter Thomson
- Lowest aggregate score (72-hole stroke play):
- 264 – Peter Thomson (1957)
- Largest margin of victory (72-hole stroke play):
- 15 strokes – Peter Thomson (1957)
- Largest margin of victory (36-hole match play final):
- 9 and 8 – Charles Whitcombe (1926), Ernest Whitcombe (1927)
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
- "Headingley Golf Club: Club History". Headingley Golf Club. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- "World golf champions in Leeds". The Yorkshire Evening Post. 15 May 1923. p. 10. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "British golf victory". News Chronicle. 6 June 1939. p. 18. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Match Play For Ryder Cup Men". Bristol Evening Post. 28 January 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Horne, Cyril (24 June 1963). "Surprise Victory For Haliburton". The Glasgow Herald. p. 9.
- "Butler Wins Moortown Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 25 June 1962. p. 9.
- "First Success For Thomson". The Glasgow Herald. 24 June 1961. p. 5.
- "Thomson Wins By 5 Strokes". The Glasgow Herald. 18 June 1960. p. 5.
- "Drew's First Victory In Major Event". The Glasgow Herald. 20 June 1959. p. 9.
- "Brown And Henning Tie At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 21 June 1958. p. 7.
- "Thomson Goes For Aggregate Record And Succeeds". The Glasgow Herald. 22 June 1957. p. 9.
- "D.J. Rees and K. Bousfield Tie At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 23 June 1956. p. 7.
- "Argentine Golfer Wins At Sand Moor". The Glasgow Herald. 25 June 1955. p. 9.
- "Panton Surprise Winner At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 12 June 1954. p. 9.
- "Astonishing Finish In Golf At Sandmoor". The Glasgow Herald. 20 June 1953. p. 9.
- "Rees Wins At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 21 June 1952. p. 9.
- "Von Nida And Rees Tie". The Glasgow Herald. 9 June 1951. p. 6.
- "Rees Wins By Eight Strokes". The Glasgow Herald. 10 June 1950. p. 6.
- "King Wins £1350 Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 13 June 1949. p. 3.
- "Remarkable Finish By Von Nida". The Glasgow Herald. 11 June 1948. p. 2.
- "Cotton and von Nida Tie for First Place". The Glasgow Herald. 14 June 1947. p. 2.
- "Locke's decisive victory". The Glasgow Herald. 27 May 1946. p. 7.
- "Compston wins Leeds golf tourney". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 4 June 1945. Retrieved 29 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "Sam King". The Glasgow Herald. 22 May 1944. p. 5.
- "Golf Struggle At Leeds". The Glasgow Herald. 12 June 1939. p. 20.
- "Perry's Easy Win At £750 Final". The Glasgow Herald. 6 June 1938. p. 18.
- "Scot beaten in Tourney Final". The Glasgow Herald. 7 June 1937. p. 6.
- "Burton wins £735 Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 15 June 1936. p. 6.
- "Cotton defeats Alliss". The Glasgow Herald. 10 June 1935. p. 4.
- "£750 Tournament final". The Glasgow Herald. 11 June 1934. p. 17.
- "Lacey wins at Leeds". The Glasgow Herald. 5 June 1933. p. 3.
- "Hodson beats Robson". The Glasgow Herald. 23 May 1932. p. 3.
- "The 1000 Guineas Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 25 May 1931. p. 5.
- "Jolly wins 1000 Guineas Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 2 June 1930. p. 6.
- "Golf – Turnesa wins Leeds tournament". The Times. 20 May 1929. p. 5.
- "Turnesa Wins In England". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. 19 May 1929. p. 9 (Sporting section).
- "One Thousand Guineas Tournament – C A Whitcombe's success". The Times. 21 May 1928. p. 6.
- "Golf – Leeds Tournament – Ernest Whitcombe's wins". The Glasgow Herald. 1 August 1927. p. 15.
- "Golf – The Leeds Tournament – Charles Whitcombe's big win". The Glasgow Herald. 23 August 1926. p. 7.
- "One Thousand Guineas Tournament – Holland beats Ockenden in final". The Glasgow Herald. 13 July 1925. p. 11.
- "The Thousand Guineas Tournament – Fred Robson wins". The Glasgow Herald. 2 June 1924. p. 17.
- "Golf – The Leeds Tournament – Jolly's great win over Hagen". The Glasgow Herald. 21 May 1923. p. 15.
- "Britisher Defeats Hagen For Professional Title". The Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. 20 May 1923. p. 17.