David Snell (10 October 1933 – July 2021) was an English

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 ...

who won the 1959

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 b ...

, the British matchplay championship. Despite this win he was not selected for the British

1959 Ryder Cup The 13th Ryder Cup Matches were held November 6–7, 1959 at the Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, California. The United States team won the competition by a score of 8 to 3 points. The British were again led by Dai Rees, but were unable ...

team.

Professional career

Snell was an assistant professional at

Lindrick Golf Club Lindrick Golf Club is a golf course in South Yorkshire and is also a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The SSSI covers and was designated for its biological interest. The site was notified in 1987. The course is situated on the ...

before becoming the professional at Worksop Golf Club in the mid-1950. Snell won the

in September 1959 at

Royal Birkdale Royal Birkdale Golf Club is a golf course in the United Kingdom in North West England, located in Southport, Merseyside. It is one of the clubs in the rotation for both the Open Championship and Women's British Open and has hosted the Open Champ ...

. He beat the defending champion,

Harry Weetman Harry Weetman (25 October 1920 – 19 July 1972) was an English professional golfer. Weetman won many tournaments on the British PGA circuit in the pre-European Tour era and won the Harry Vardon Trophy for lowest stroke average in 1952 and 1956. ...

, 3 & 2 in the 36-hole final, taking the first prize of £750. Seven members of the British team for the 1959 Ryder Cup were selected from a points system based on performances during the early part of the 1959 season, ending with

Irish Hospitals Tournament The Irish Hospitals Tournament was a professional golf tournament played from 1958 to 1962. Total prize money was £5000 from 1958 to 1960 and £5,555 in 1961 and 1962. It was sponsored by the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake The Irish Hospitals' ...

finishing on 12 July. The remaining three were selected by the P.G.A. tournament committee after the

Dunlop Masters The Betfred British Masters is a professional golf tournament. It was founded in 1946 as the Dunlop Masters and was held every year up to 2008, except for 1984. Dunlop's sponsorship ended in 1982, and the name sponsor changed frequently therea ...

, which was played the week after the News of the World Matchplay. Snell performed poorly in the Dunlop Masters, and was not chosen, with the committee preferring

Ken Bousfield Ken Bousfield (2 October 1919 – 25 May 2000"Ken Bousfield - Winner of 19 professional golf championships in six years" ''The Times'', 2 June 2000.) was one of the leading British golfers of the immediate post-World War II period. Bousfield won ...

, Eric Brown and

Dave Thomas Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * Dave (film), ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * Dave (musical), ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital ...

. In contrast, in both 1957 and 1961, any British or Irish winner of the News of the World Matchplay received an automatic place in the team. Snell was a joint runner-up in the 1959

PGA Close Championship The BMW PGA Championship is an annual men's professional golf tournament on the European Tour. It was founded in 1955 by the Professional Golfers' Association, and originally called the British PGA Championship. History The BMW PGA Championship ...

, played at Ashburnham in Wales, finishing six strokes behind

Dai Rees David James Rees, (31 March 1913 – 15 November 1983) was one of the Britain's leading golfers either side of the Second World War. The winner of many prestigious tournaments in Britain, Europe and farther afield, Rees is best remembered as ...

. He tied for the 1963 Rediffusion Tournament on

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

but lost in the playoff to Alex Caygill at the second extra hole, sharing second place with

Flory Van Donck Flory Van Donck (23 June 1912 – 14 January 1992) was a Belgian professional golfer. Van Donck is widely regarded as the greatest ever Belgian golfer. During his career, he won more than fifty tournaments worldwide, including many of the mo ...

. He was also runner-up to

Jimmy Hitchcock James Franklin Hitchcock Jr. (June 28, 1911 – July 23, 1959) was an American college football player and Major League Baseball player during the Depression Era. Hitchcock played for the Auburn Tigers football team of Auburn University (then Al ...

in the 1965

Agfa-Gevaert Tournament The Agfa-Gevaert Tournament was a golf tournament in England from 1963 to 1971. It was played at Stoke Poges Golf Club in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire. It was sponsored by Agfa-Gevaert Agfa-Gevaert N.V. (Agfa) is a Belgian-German multinatio ...

and to

Tony Jacklin Anthony Jacklin CBE (born 7 July 1944) is a retired English golfer. He was the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, the 1969 Open Championship and the 1970 U.S. Open. He was also Ryder Cup captain ...

in the 1967 Pringle of Scotland Tournament. Snell played for the professionals in the last

Amateurs–Professionals Match The Amateurs–Professionals Match was an annual men's team golf competition between teams of golfers from Great Britain and Ireland representing amateurs and professionals. It was played from 1956 to 1960. The Professionals won four of the five c ...

in 1960. He also played for England in the

1965 Canada Cup The 1965 Canada Cup took place 30 September – 3 October at the Real Sociedad Hípica Española Club de Campo in Madrid, Spain. It was the 13th Canada Cup event, which became the World Cup in 1967. The tournament was a 72-hole stroke play team e ...

in Madrid, with

Guy Wolstenholme Guy Bertram Wolstenholme (8 March 1931 – 9 October 1984) was an English professional golfer. He had a successful career both as an amateur and then as a professional. Early life Wolstenholme was born in Leicester, and is the father of Gary ...

. They finished in a tie for fourth place. Snell had a final round of 68 to equal the best round of the tournament. Snell was a regular competitor 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 ...

, qualifying for 17 successive championships from 1957 to 1973. His best finish was a tie for 30th place in 1958. Despite being in his late 50s when it was formed in 1992, Snell played for a number of years on the

European Senior Tour The Legends Tour is the current branding of the European Senior Tour, a professional tour for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was branded as the Staysure Tour for the 2018 and 2019 seasons after UK-based insur ...

. He never won on the tour, his best finish being runner-up in the La Manga Spanish Seniors Open in 1994, where he was involved in a three-way playoff with

Brian Huggett Brian George Charles Huggett, (born 18 November 1936) is a Welsh professional golfer. He won sixteen events on the European circuit, including two after the formal start of the European Tour in 1972. In 1968 he won the Harry Vardon Trophy for l ...

and Malcolm Gregson. He finished 13th in the order of merit in both 1993 and 1994.

Personal life

In the 1990s Snell designed and built College Pines Golf Club, near

Worksop Worksop ( ) is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located east-south-east of Sheffield, close to Nottinghamshire's borders with South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, on the River Ryton and not far from the nor ...

. He was only tall and was noted for his long swing. Snell died in July 2021, at the age of 87.

Tournament wins

*1957

Midland Professional Championship 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 be ...

*1959

News of the World Match Play 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 b ...

, Midland Open Championship *1963

Sunningdale Foursomes The Sunningdale Foursomes is an open foursomes golf tournament contested at the Sunningdale Golf Club, Berkshire in March. It was first contested in 1934 and has been held annually since, except between 1940 and 1947. The event is open to all go ...

(with

Lionel Platts Lionel Platts (10 October 1934 – 23 May 2021) was an English professional golfer. He finished 7th in the PGA Order of Merit in both 1964 and 1965. He played in the 1965 Ryder Cup. Professional career Platts was runner-up in the 1960 Coombe Hi ...

) *1966 Midland Open Championship

Results in major championships

''Note: Snell only played in The Open Championship.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1969, 1972 and 1973 Open Championships)
"T" indicates a tie for a place Source:

Team appearances

(representing the Professionals): 1960 (winners) *

Canada Cup The Canada Cup (french: Coupe Canada) was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world ...

(representing England):

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snell, David English male golfers European Tour golfers European Senior Tour golfers Sportspeople from Worksop 1933 births 2021 deaths