The Double Diamond International was a team

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

tournament that was played from 1971 to 1977. It was hosted in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

for the first three years, and then in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. From 1974 and 1977 the event was preceded by an individual 36-hole stroke play tournament that was included on the British PGA tournament circuit; the circuit would later become officially recognised as the

European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fif ...

Winners

England won in 1976 by being 2 holes up in the four matches played in the final against the Rest of the World.

1971

The tournament was played on 21, 22, and 23 October, between the four

home nations Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on context. Politically it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales). In sport, if a sport is g ...

at South Staffs Golf Club, with each team playing the other three. There were teams of 6, with 2 foursomes matches in the morning and 6 singles in the afternoon. All matches were over 18 holes. The total prize money was £10,250. The teams were: *England:

Bernard Hunt Bernard John Hunt, MBE (2 February 1930 – 21 June 2013) was an English professional golfer. Hunt was born in Atherstone, Warwickshire. He turned professional in 1946 and was a leading player on the European circuit in the 1950s and 1960s. H ...

(captain), Peter Butler,

Neil Coles Neil Chapman Coles, MBE (born 26 September 1934) is an English professional golfer. Coles had a successful career in European golf, winning 29 important tournaments between 1956 and 1982. After reaching 50, he won a further 14 important Seniors ...

, John Garner,

Tommy Horton Thomas Alfred Horton, (16 June 1941 – 7 December 2017) was an English professional golfer. He finished in the top ten of the Open Championship four times, won a number of important tournaments both before and after the founding of the Euro ...

, Peter Townsend *Scotland: Eric Brown (captain),

Andrew Brooks Andrew Ira Brooks (February 10, 1969January 23, 2021) was an American immunologist, academic, and businessman. He was an associate research professor at Rutgers University and the developer of the first FDA-approved rapid saliva test for COVID- ...

Bernard Gallacher Bernard Gallacher, OBE (born 9 February 1949) is a Scottish professional golfer. Early life and amateur career Gallacher was born in Bathgate, Scotland. He took up golf at the age of eleven. In 1965 he won the Lothians Golf Association Boys Cha ...

, David Ingram,

Frank Rennie Colonel Frank Rennie (9 August 1918 – 17 November 1992) was a career soldier in the New Zealand Army, holding every rank between private and colonel, and founder of the New Zealand Special Air Service. Early life and army service Rennie was ...

Ronnie Shade Ronald David Bell Mitchell Shade, MBE (18 October 1938 – 10 September 1986) was a Scottish professional golfer. Life and career Shade was born in Edinburgh and grew up playing golf at Duddingston Golf Club in that city. He enjoyed unrivalled ...

*Wales: Dai Rees (captain), Kim Dabson, Craig Defoy,

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 ...

, David Llewellyn, David Vaughan *Ireland: Christy O'Connor Sr (captain), Hugh Boyle,

Vince Hood Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname. It may refer to: Given name People * Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player * Vince Cable (born 1943), British politician ...

, Hugh Jackson, Jimmy Kinsella, Paddy Skerritt

Matches

Thursday 21 October Friday 22 October Saturday 23 October

Final table

, John Garner,

, Jimmy Kinsella, Peter Townsend won their 3 singles matches and shared the individual prize of £350. Kinsella beat all the three opposing captains in his singles matches.

1972

The tournament was played on 31 August and 1 and 2 September between six teams, the four

, Continental Europe and the Rest of the World. The event was played at

Pannal Golf Club Pannal is a village in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated to the immediate south of Harrogate. Since 2016 it has formed part of the new civil parish of Pannal ...

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa wate ...

with each team playing the other five. There were teams of 8 with each match consisting of 6 singles matches over 18 holes. Two points were awarded for each match won with one point for a halved match. The overall winner was decided on points won. The total prize money was £15,000. The teams were: *England:

(Captain), Peter Butler, John Garner,

Guy Hunt Harold Guy Hunt (June 17, 1933 – January 30, 2009) was an American politician, pastor, and convicted felon who served as the 49th governor of Alabama from 1987 to 1993. He was the first Republican to serve as governor of the state since R ...

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 capta ...

Doug McClelland Douglas McClelland (born 5 August 1926) is an Australian former politician who served as a Senator for New South Wales from 1962 to 1987, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He was Minister for the Media (1972–1975) and Special ...

, Lionel Platts, Peter Townsend *Scotland: Eric Brown (Captain),

Harry Bannerman Harry Bannerman (born 5 March 1942) is a Scottish retired professional golfer. He is best known for playing in the 1971 Ryder Cup. Professional career Bannerman turned professional in late 1965, at the age of 23, and became an assistant at Royal ...

, Brian Barnes,

Gordon Cunningham Gordon Cunningham (commonly referred to as Mr. C) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Bernard Latham. He first appeared in March 1996, and departed on 16 February 2004 when he died of a heart ...

, Bobby Walker, Norman Wood *Wales: Dai Rees (Captain), Kim Dabson, Craig Defoy,

, David Llewellyn, Andrew Phillips, Dave Thomas, David Vaughan *Ireland: Christy O'Connor Snr (Captain), Hugh Boyle,

, Hugh Jackson, Jimmy Kinsella, Christy O'Connor Jnr, John O'Leary,

Eddie Polland Edward Polland (born 10 June 1947) is a Northern Irish professional golfer. Polland was born in Newcastle, County Down. He turned professional in 1968 and won four times on the European Tour between 1973 and 1980. He played in the Ryder Cup in ...

*Continental Europe: Ramón Sota (Captain), Manuel Ballesteros, Valentín Barrios, Roberto Bernardini, Ángel Gallardo,

Jaime Gallardo Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...

Donald Swaelens Donald Swaelens (1935 – 25 April 1975) was a Belgian professional golfer. Golf career Like his father Jules, Swaelens made his career as a club professional at Royal Latem Golf Club. He also worked as a touring professional, intermittently p ...

, Ettore Della Torre *Rest of the World: Peter Thomson (Captain),

Hugh Baiocchi Hugh John Baiocchi (born 17 August 1946) is a South African professional golfer who has won more than 20 professional tournaments around the world. Professional career Baiocchi was born in Johannesburg. He turned professional in 1971 and spen ...

Vin Baker Vincent Lamont Baker (born November 23, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He appeared in four consecutive All-Star Games. As of 2018, Baker serves as an assista ...

, Gary Baleson,

Dale Hayes Dale Hayes (born 1 July 1952) is a South African professional golfer. Career outline Hayes won the 15–17 Boys category at the Junior World Golf Championships in 1969. He turned professional the following year and quickly became a successful p ...

, Jack Newton,

Ian Stanley Ian Christopher Stanley (born 28 February 1957) is a British musician, songwriter and record producer. He was previously a member of the English band Tears for Fears for most of the 1980s, and played a key role in the making of their multi-plat ...

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 Gar ...

Matches

Thursday 31 August Friday 1 September Saturday 2 September

Final table

1973

The tournament was played on 30, 31 August and 1 September between six teams, the four

, Continental Europe and the Rest of the World. The event was played at

Prince's Golf Club, Sandwich Prince's Golf Club, Sandwich is a links golf course located in Sandwich in Kent in South East England. Prince's is immediately adjacent to the more famous Royal St George's golf club, and both clubs lie on the same stretch of coastline as near ...

with each team playing the other five. There were teams of 5 with each match consisting of 4 singles matches over 18 holes. Two points were awarded for each match won with one point for a halved match. The overall winner was decided on points won. The total prize money remained at £15,000. The teams were: *England:

(Captain), Maurice Bembridge,

Peter Oosterhuis Peter Arthur Oosterhuis (born 3 May 1948) is 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 ...

*Scotland: Eric Brown (Captain), Brian Barnes,

Sam Torrance Samuel Robert Torrance (born 24 August 1953) is a Scottish professional golfer and sports commentator. He was one of the leading players on the European Tour from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, with 21 Tour wins. Torrance was a member of Eur ...

*Wales: Dai Rees (Captain), Craig Defoy,

, Dave Thomas, David Vaughan *Ireland: Christy O'Connor Snr (Captain), Hugh Jackson, Jimmy Kinsella, John O'Leary,

*Continental Europe: Manuel Ballesteros,

Jaime Benito Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...

, Jan Dorrestein, Jean Garaïalde,

(Captain unknown) *Rest of the World: Bob Charles (Captain),

, Bob Dickson, Orville Moody, Jack Newton

Matches

Thursday 30 August Friday 31 August Saturday 1 September

Final table

1974

The tournament was played on 22, 23 and 24 August between six teams, the four

, the Continental Europe and the Rest of the World. The event was played at Gleneagles with each team playing the other five. There were teams of 5 with each match consisting of 4 singles matches over 18 holes. Two points were awarded for each match won with one point for a halved match. The overall winner was decided on points won. The teams were: *England:

(Captain), Maurice Bembridge,

, Peter Townsend *Scotland: Brian Barnes (Captain),

David Chillas David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

*Wales:

(Captain), Craig Defoy, David Llewellyn, Andrew Phillips, David Vaughan *Ireland: Christy O'Connor Snr (Captain), Jimmy Kinsella, Christy O'Connor Jnr, John O'Leary,

*Continental Europe:

(Captain), Jan Dorrestein,

José María Cañizares José María Cañizares (born 18 February 1947) is a Spanish golfer. Cañizares was born in Madrid. He turned professional in 1967 and made the top hundred on the European Tour Order of Merit every year from its first season in 1972 through to 19 ...

, Ángel Gallardo,

Manuel Piñero Manuel Piñero Sánchez (born 1 September 1952) is a Spanish professional golfer. Piñero was born in Badajoz. He turned professional in 1968 and established himself on the European Tour in the early 1970s. He won nine titles on the Tour, the mo ...

*Rest of the World:

Billy Casper William Earl Casper Jr. (June 24, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American professional golfer. He was one of the most prolific tournament winners on the PGA Tour from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. In his youth, Casper started as a caddie ...

(Captain), Bob Charles,

, Jack Newton,

Doug Sanders George Douglas Sanders (July 24, 1933 – April 12, 2020) was an American professional golfer who won 20 events on the PGA Tour and had four runner-up finishes at major championships. Early years He was born into a poor family in Cedartown, Geo ...

Matches

Thursday 22 August Friday 23 August Saturday 24 August

Final table

1975

The tournament was played on 25, 26 and 27 September between six teams, the four

, The Americas and the Rest of the World. The event was played at Turnberry with each team playing the other five. There were teams of 5 with each match consisting of 4 singles matches over 18 holes. Two points were awarded for each match won with one point for a halved match. The overall winner was decided on points won. The teams were: *England:

(Captain), Maurice Bembridge,

Malcolm Gregson Malcolm Edward Gregson (born 15 August 1943) is an English professional golfer. After a promising start to his career as an amateur and assistant professional, he had one exceptional year, 1967, when he won the Harry Vardon Trophy and played in ...

*Scotland: Brian Barnes (Captain),

David Huish David Huish (born 23 April 1944) is a Scottish professional golfer, perhaps best known for being the halfway leader of The Open Championship in 1975. Personal life Huish (pronounced "hush") was born in North Berwick, Scotland. He married his ...

, Norman Wood *Wales: Dai Rees (Captain), Craig Defoy,

, David Llewellyn, David Vaughan *Ireland: Christy O'Connor Snr (Captain),

Eamonn Darcy Eamonn Christopher Darcy (born 7 August 1952) is an Irish professional golfer. He won four times on the European Tour and played in the Ryder Cup four times. Professional career Darcy, with a handicap of 12, turned professional at the age of ...

, Christy O'Connor Jnr, John O'Leary,

*The Americas:

(Captain),

Jim Colbert James Joseph Colbert (born March 9, 1941) is an American professional golfer. Colbert was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended Kansas State University, where he finished second in the NCAA golf championships in 1964, before graduating ...

Lou Graham Louis Krebs Graham (born January 7, 1938) is an American professional golfer who won six PGA Tour tournaments including the 1975 U.S. Open. Most of his wins were in the 1970s. Lou Graham was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He started playing ...

Roberto De Vicenzo Roberto De Vicenzo (14 April 1923 – 1 June 2017) was a professional golfer from Argentina. He won a record 229 professional tournaments worldwide during his career, including seven on the PGA Tour and most famously the 1967 Open Championship. ...

Hale Irwin Hale S. Irwin (born June 3, 1945) is an American professional golfer. He was one of the world's leading golfers from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. He is one of the few players in history to win three U.S. Opens, becoming the oldest ever U.S. Op ...

*Rest of the World:

Gary Player Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...

(Captain),

Seve Ballesteros Severiano Ballesteros Sota (; 9 April 1957 – 7 May 2011) was a Spanish professional golfer, a World No. 1 who was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. A member of a gifted golfing family, he won 90 inte ...

, Bob Charles,

, Jack Newton

Matches

Thursday 25 September Friday 26 September Saturday 27 September

Final table

1976

The tournament was played on 19, 20 and 21 August between eight teams, the four

, Continental Europe, the United States, Australasia and the Rest of the World. The event was played at Gleneagles. Teams were divided into two group of four with the each team playing the others in the group on the first two days. The leading two teams in each group then played semi-finals and a final on the last day. There were teams of 5 with each match consisting of 4 singles matches over 18 holes. In the group matches, one point was awarded for each match won with half a point for a halved match. The order of the groups was decided on points won. In the event of a tie between two teams the order was decided by the result of the match between the teams and, if this was a tie, on net holes up overall. The teams were: *England:

(Captain), Peter Butler,

Martin Foster Martin Foster may refer to: * Martin Foster (footballer) (born 1977), English footballer * Martin D. Foster (1861–1919), U.S. Representative from Illinois * Martin Foster (golfer) Martin Francis Foster (born 12 May 1952) is an English profess ...

*Scotland: Brian Barnes (Captain),

, Norman Wood *Wales: Dai Rees (Captain), Craig Defoy,

, David Llewellyn, David Vaughan *Ireland: Christy O'Connor Snr (Captain),

, Christy O'Connor Jnr, John O'Leary,

*Continental Europe:

(Captain), Francisco Abreu,

Salvador Balbuena Salvador Balbuena Bruna (c. 1949-1950 – 9 May 1979) was a Spanish professional golfer who won the 1976 Portuguese Open on the European Tour. He died of a heart attack on the eve of the 1979 Open de France, French Open in which he was due to pl ...

, Antonio Garrido *United States:

Johnny Miller John Laurence Miller (born April 29, 1947) is an American former professional golfer. He was one of the top players in the world during the mid-1970s. He was the first to shoot 63 in a major championship to win the 1973 U.S. Open, and he ran ...

(Captain),

, Mark Hayes, Jerry Heard, Dave Hill *Australasia: Bob Charles (Captain), Jack Newton, Simon Owen,

*Rest of the World:

(Captain),

Vicente Fernández Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de Méxic ...

, Simon Hobday,

Kazuo Yoshikawa Kazuo (カズオ, かずお) is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible spellings It has several written forms, and the meaning depends on the characters used (usually kanji, but sometimes hiragana). Common forms include: * 一雄: first son, ...

Group matches

Thursday 19 August Friday 20 August

Group tables

England finished ahead of Ireland since they were 3 holes up while Wales were level. Scotland finished ahead of Wales since they were 9 holes up while Wales were 6 holes down.

Knock-out

Saturday 21 August England won the final because they were 2 holes up in the four matches. Scotland won the third-place match because they were 9 holes up in the four matches.

1977

The tournament was played on 18, 19 and 20 August between eight teams, the four

(Captain),

Nick Faldo Sir Nicholas Alexander Faldo, (born 18 July 1957) is an English retired professional golfer and television commentator. A top player of his era, renowned for his dedication to the game, he was ranked No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for ...

, Peter Dawson *Scotland: Brian Barnes (Captain), Ken Brown,

, David Ingram,

*Wales:

(Captain), Simon Cox, Craig Defoy, David Llewellyn, David Vaughan *Ireland: Christy O'Connor Snr (Captain),

, Christy O'Connor Jnr, John O'Leary,

*Continental Europe: Ángel Gallardo (Captain), Francisco Abreu,

, Baldovino Dassù, Philippe Toussaint *United States:

(Captain), Danny Edwards, Bob Murphy, Jerry Pate,

Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and 2 ...

*Australasia: Bruce Devlin (Captain), Bob Charles,

Greg Norman Gregory John Norman AO (born 10 February 1955) is an Australian entrepreneur and retired professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as world number one in the 1980s and 1990s. He won 89 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA Tour tournamen ...

, Simon Owen,

*Rest of the World:

(Captain), Ernesto Acosta, Simon Hobday,

Hsieh Min-Nan Hsieh Min-Nan (, born 9 August 1940), also known as Tony Hsieh, is a Taiwanese professional golfer. Hsieh won 11 events on the Japan Golf Tour. He won the 1972 World Cup with teammate Lu Liang-Huan and also won the individual title. He won many ...

Group matches

Thursday 18 August Friday 19 August

Group tables

Knock-out

Saturday 20 August The Rest of the World won the third-place match because they were 8 holes up in the four matches.

References

{{reflist, 2 Team golf tournaments Golf tournaments in the United Kingdom