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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

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."

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. 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.

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

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