Midland Professional Championship

Midland Professional Championship
Tournament information
Established 1897
Course(s) Shifnal Golf Club (2016)
Current champion
Paul Streeter and Andrew Willey (2016)

The Midland Professional Championship is an annual golf tournament played in the English Midlands. The event is organised by the Midlands Region of the Professional Golfers' Association. It is the oldest tournament in professional golf having been first contested in 1897.[1] It was originally organised by the Midland Counties Professional Golf Club, a forerunner of the PGA.

For a number of years, until at least 1924, the Championship winner also received the Chance Challenge Cup. In 1911 the Midland Professional Championship and the Chance Challenge Cup were contested separately. The Midland Professional Championship was played on 6 April and served as the Midland section qualifying event for the Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament, the winner receiving the Midland Challenge Cup. The Chance Challenge Cup was awarded to the winner of Midland section qualifying event for the News of the World Match Play, played on 13 September. Wilfrid Reid won the Midland Professional Championship (and with it, the Midland Challenge Cup) while Tom Williamson won the Chance Cup.[2][3][4]

Winners

Source:[5]

Year Winner Country Venue Score Margin
of victory
Runner(s)-up Winner's
share (£)
Ref
1897 Tom Williamson
1898 Tom Williamson
1899 Alfred Toogood  England Sandwell Park Golf Club 167 1 stroke England James Sherlock [6]
1900 Tom Williamson  England Derbyshire Golf Club 157 2 strokes England George Cawsey
1901 James Sherlock  England Atherstone Golf Club 156 4 strokes England George Cawsey
1903 James Sherlock
1904 Alfred Lewis
1906 Jack Fulford  England Derbyshire Golf Club 153 1 stroke England William Jeffries [7]
1907 Tom Williamson  England Robin Hood Golf Club 151 1 stroke England George Cawsey
England George Coburn
[8]
1908 George Cawsey  England Notts Golf Club 150 2 strokes England Tom Williamson [9]
1909 Tom Williamson  England Leicestershire Golf Club 145 4 strokes Scotland Frank Coltart [10]
1910 Edward Veness  England Stourbridge Golf Club 151 2 strokes England Jack Oke [11]
1911 Wilfrid Reid  England Harborne Golf Club 153 3 strokes England Jack Oke [3]
1912 George Buckle  England Seacroft Golf Club 150 Playoff
(18+18 holes)
England Harry Cawsey [12][13]
1913 George Tuck  England Little Aston Golf Club 153 1 stroke England George Buckle [14]
1914–18: No tournament
1919 Bert Weastell  England Sandwell Park Golf Club 149 Playoff
(9 holes)
England Len Holland 5 [15]
1920 Tom Williamson  England Moseley Golf Club 151 Playoff
(36+9 holes)
England George Buckle
England Dick Wheildon
[16]
1921 Willie Robertson  England Robin Hood Golf Club 144 1 stroke England George Buckle
1922 Tom Williamson  England Copt Heath Golf Club 144 1 stroke England Len Holland [17]
1923 George Buckle  England Edgbaston Golf Club 138 Playoff
(18 holes)
England Ernest Hanton [18]
1924 Jack Bloxham  England Olton Golf Club 146 Playoff
(18 holes)
England George Buckle
England Len Holland
England George Tuck
[19][20]
1925 George Buckle  England Walmley Golf Club 144 3 strokes England Jim Morris
England George Tuck
England Tom Williamson
[21]
1926 Ted Douglas  Scotland Finham Park Golf Club 144 1 stroke England Tom Barber [22]
1927 Tom Barber  England Harborne Golf Club 147 Playoff England Archie Compston [23][24]
1928 Frank Weston  England Handsworth Golf Club 149 Playoff
(18 holes)
Republic of Ireland Moses O'Neill
England C Pixton
England T Richards
England Dick Wheildon
[25][26]
1929 George Buckle  England North Worcestershire Golf Club 144 Playoff
(18 holes)
Wales Tom Green
1930 Tom Green  Wales Copt Heath Golf Club 144 1 stroke Republic of Ireland Michael Bingham
England Tom Williamson
[27]
1931 Tom Green  Wales Castle Bromwich Golf Club 139 4 strokes England Bill Firkins
England Bob Pemberton
1932 Tom Barber  England Henbury Golf Club 143 Playoff
(18 holes)
England James Adwick
England Bert Gadd
1933 Charlie Ward  England Little Aston Golf Club 145 2 strokes England Tom Barber
England A Holton
1934 Charlie Ward  England Olton Golf Club 143 2 strokes England Bill Martin
England T Richards
England Willie Robertson
[28]
1935 Bill Firkins  England Little Aston Golf Club 150 1 stroke England Bill Hancock
England Norman Roffe
[29]
1936 Bill Branch  England Sandwell Park Golf Club 137 7 strokes England Freddie Beck [30]
1937 Freddie Beck  England Harborne Golf Club 141 1 stroke England George Buckle [31]
1938 Herbert Manton  England Beau Desert Golf Club 139 4 strokes England Jack Hargreaves
England Jack Loach
1939 Bill Martin  England Woodhall Spa Golf Club 145 5 strokes England Norman Roffe
England George Johnson
[32]
1940–45: No tournament
1946 Walter Lees  England Sandwell Park Golf Club 140 4 strokes England Jack Cawsey
England Leslie Cliffe
[33]
1947 Ken Adwick  England North Shore Golf Club 144 1 stroke England Bill Branch
England Charlie Ward
1948 Arthur Lees  England Trentham Golf Club 143 Playoff
(18 holes)
England Tom Hassall [34]
1949 Arthur Lees  England Blackwell Golf Club 136 1 stroke England Charlie Ward
1950 Charlie Ward  England Sutton Coldfield Golf Club 138 Playoff
(9 holes)
England Jack Hargreaves
1951 J R Moses
1952 Jack Hargreaves
1953 Charlie Ward
1954 A Cunningham
1955 Charlie Ward
1956 R L Hastleow
1957 David Snell
1958 Jack Cawsey
1959 G A Maisey
1960 Jack Hargreaves
1961 Peter Butler
1964 Stuart Murray
1965 S A Hunt
1966 J Anderson
1967 Stuart Murray
1968 Stuart Murray
1969 T R Squires
1970 David Llewellyn
1971 R A Beattie
1972 Brian Waites
1973 R D S Livingston
1974 M Gallagher
1975 Hugh Boyle
1976 P R Herbert
1977 Brian Waites
1978 Brian Waites
1979 Brian Waites
1980 David Vaughan
1981 D A Stewart
1982 P A Elson
1983 A R Minshall
1984 Mark Mouland
1985 K Hayward
1986 A Skingle
1987 Ross McFarlane[35]
1988 G Farr
1989 J Higgins
1990 G Stafford
1991 K Dickens
1992 J Higgins
1993 Peter Baker
1994 Peter Baker
1995 S Rose
1996 David J Russell
1997 J Higgins
1998 Steve Webster
1999 C Hall
2000 David J Russell
2001 T Rouse
2002 Robert Rock
2003 P Edwards
2004 P Streeter
2005 A Carey
2006 P Streeter
2007 I Lyner
2008 I Walley
2009 Cameron Clark
2010 Cameron Clark
2011 Matthew Cort
2012 Jak Hamblett
2013 Matthew Cort
2014 Paul Broadhurst
2015 Matthew Cort
2016 Paul Streeter and
Andrew Willey

In 1912 Buckle and Cawsey tied at 76 after a playoff the following morning. They played a further 18 holes in the afternoon with Buckle scoring 79 and Cawsey 82. In 1919 Weastell beat Holland 39 to 41 in the playoff, played the same evening. In 1920 Williamson and Wheildon tied on 148 with Buckle on 153 after the 36-hole playoff, played the following day. Williamson beat Wheildon 39 to 40 after a further 9 holes. In 1923 Buckle beat Hanton 74 to 75 in the playoff, played the following day. In 1924 Bloxham scored 73 in the playoff, played the following day, Holland and Tick scored 75 while Buckle scored 76. In 1927 Compston left immediately after the championship to play in the German Open and did not turn up for the playoff on the following day. In 1928 Weston won the playoff, played the following day, with 74, ahead of Wheildon with 76 and O'Neill with 77. In 1929 Buckle beat Green 74 to 76 in the playoff. In the 1932 playoff Barber scored 73, Adwick 78 and Gadd 82. In 1948 Lees beat Hassall 68 to 75. In 1950 Ward beat Hargreaves 33 to 38 in the playoff, played the same evening.

The 1911 championship was the Midland section qualifying event for the Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament. The 1912, 1913, 1919, 1920, 1922 to 1928 and 1946 championships were the Midland section qualifying events for the News of the World Matchplay. The 1939 championship was the Midland section qualifying event for the Daily Mail Tournament.

From 1934 to 1937 the championship was sponsored by Dunlop and known as the "Dunlop-Midland Professional Championship".

The 2016 Championship resulted in a tie when darkness meant that a sudden-death playoff had to be stopped after three holes.

References

  1. "Threesy does it". PGA. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  2. "Golf – Midland professional championship – Victory of W E Reid". The Times. 7 April 1911. p. 15.
  3. 1 2 "Golf – Midland professional championship – Victory of W E Reid". The Glasgow Herald. 7 April 1911. p. 14.
  4. "£400 professional tournament – Midland qualifying competition". The Glasgow Herald. 14 September 1911. p. 12.
  5. https://pgagbi.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgagbi16/event/pgagbi16179/champions.htm
  6. "Midland professionals". The Times. 19 May 1899. p. 12.
  7. "Professional tournament at Derby". The Times. 19 April 1906. p. 11.
  8. "Midland professional tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 25 April 1907. p. 11.
  9. "Golf – Midland professional competition". The Glasgow Herald. 16 April 1908. p. 9.
  10. "Golf – Professional tournament at Leicester". The Glasgow Herald. 22 April 1909. p. 13.
  11. "Midland professional meeting". The Glasgow Herald. 21 April 1910. p. 15.
  12. "Professional tournament for £400". The Times. 26 September 1912. p. 9.
  13. "Midland professional championship". The Times. 27 September 1912. p. 9.
  14. "Midland section qualifying competition". The Times. 18 September 1913. p. 10.
  15. "P.G.A. tournament". The Times. 4 September 1919. p. 5.
  16. "Midland professional championship". The Times. 17 September 1920. p. 4.
  17. "The "News of the World" tournament". The Times. 14 September 1922. p. 6.
  18. "Midland professional competitions". The Times. 7 September 1923. p. 5.
  19. "The £750 tournament". The Times. 11 September 1924. p. 6.
  20. "The midland professional championship". The Times. 12 September 1924. p. 6.
  21. "Midland professional championship". The Times. 10 September 1925. p. 6.
  22. "The midland counties' championship". The Times. 9 September 1926. p. 6.
  23. ""News of the World" tournament". The Times. 8 September 1927. p. 6.
  24. "Midland professional championship". The Times. 9 September 1927. p. 6.
  25. ""News of the World" tournament". The Times. 6 September 1928. p. 5.
  26. "Midland championship". The Times. 7 September 1928. p. 6.
  27. "Midland professional championship". The Times. 22 May 1930. p. 8.
  28. "Midland tournament". The Times. 19 April 1934. p. 6.
  29. "Dunlop-Midland championship". The Times. 18 April 1935. p. 6.
  30. "The Dunlop-Midland tournament". The Times. 9 April 1936. p. 6.
  31. "The Dunlop-Midland tournament". The Times. 14 April 1937. p. 6.
  32. "The £2,000 tournament". The Times. 3 March 1939. p. 6.
  33. "Midland qualifiers". The Times. 12 September 1946. p. 8.
  34. "Professional championships". The Times. 25 May 1948. p. 8.
  35. "For the Record – Golf". The Times. 5 October 1987. p. 43.
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