William Henry Davies (c. 1892 – 25 October 1967) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

. He finished in the top 10 in the

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

four times. He played in the

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

and

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

Ryder Cups.

Golf career

Prior to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Davies was professional at Hooton Park Golf Club. He entered the

1913 Open Championship The 1913 Open Championship was the 53rd Open Championship, held 23–24 June at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. J.H. Taylor won the championship for the fifth and final time, eight strokes ahead of runner-up Ted Ray, the defen ...

at Hoylake but failed to qualify. In September that year, he reached the final stages of the

News of the World Matchplay The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the '' News of the World'', and was commonly known ...

, finishing 5th in the northern section qualifying, although he lost 2&1 to

Fred Leach John Frederick Leach (6 March 1878 – 14 April 1908) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of Thomas Leach (1847-1916), and Emma Bunkin Leach ...

in the first round. He won £5 for reaching the final stage. In 1914 he won the 6th Liverpool and District Professional Championship at Leasowe Golf Club. He tied with H Cadwell on 148 but won the playoff the following day 147 to 150, winning £10 and a gold medal. During the war he was in the

Denbighshire Hussars The Denbighshire Hussars was a Wales, Welsh Yeomanry regiment of the British Army formed in 1794. It saw service in the First World War before being converted into a unit of the Royal Artillery. The lineage has been continued by 398 (Flint & Den ...

. After the war, he was professional at Bromborough Golf Club and then at

Prenton Golf Club Prenton Golf Club is a golf club to the south of Prenton, Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and co ...

from 1924. In 1928 he became professional at Wallasey Golf Club in succession to Bob Kirk, Jr. He remained there until his retirement in 1964. He died on 25 October 1967 at

Moreton Moreton may refer to: People Given name * Moreton John Wheatley (1837–1916), British Army officer and Bailiff of the Royal Parks Surname * Alice Bertha Moreton (1901–1977), English sculptor, draughtsman and artist * Andrew Moreton, a ps ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

Professional wins

*1914 Liverpool and District Professional Championship *1928 Ryder Tournament (joint winner with

Abe Mitchell Henry Abraham Mitchell (18 January 1887 – 11 June 1947) was an English professional golfer. Mitchell had eight top-10 finishes out of 17 appearances in the Open Championship, his best performance being fourth in 1920. He was runner-up in the 1 ...

) *1931

Leeds Cup The Leeds Cup is a golf tournament that has been played annually in northern England since 1902. The event is organised by the north region of the Professional Golfers' Association. It is the oldest trophy in professional golf that is still play ...

, Northern Professional Championship *1933

Dunlop-Southport Tournament The Southport Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in the Southport area in North West England. It was founded in 1930 when it was sponsored by a Manchester newspaper, the ''Daily Dispatch''. From 1931 it was sponsored by Dunlop a ...

*1935 Northern Professional Championship *1939

Results in major championships

''Note: Davies only played in the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.''
NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

(representing Great Britain):

(winners) *

England–Scotland Professional Match The England–Scotland Professional Match was an annual men's professional golf competition between teams representing England and Scotland. It was played from 1903 to the start of World War I and was then revived in 1932 and played until the star ...

(representing England): 1932 (winners), 1933 (winners) *

England–Ireland Professional Match The England–Ireland Professional Match was an annual men's professional golf competition between teams representing England and Ireland. It was played in 1932 and 1933 before the Irish Open. The matches followed the same form as the England–S ...

(representing England): 1932 (winners), 1933 (winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Bill English male golfers Ryder Cup competitors for Europe People from Hoylake English people of Welsh descent 1890s births 1967 deaths