The Dunlop-Metropolitan Tournament was an invitation professional golf tournament played in

South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, first level of International Territorial Level, ITL for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of england, ...

. It was founded in 1934. The tournament was played towards the end of the season and was played over 72 holes of stroke play. The event had a small field; entry being mostly based on high finishes in important British and Continental events earlier in the year. Past Open Champions were also invited. The tournament was informally called "The Championship of Champions" and was "equivalent almost to the Masters' tournament of America" which was also founded in 1934. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the event was continued as 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 started in 1946 and was a similar 72-hole end-of-season event with a restricted field.

History

The first tournament was played on 11 and 12 October 1934 on the New Course at Walton Heath Golf Club, contested by a field of 53.

Ernest Whitcombe Ernest Robert Whitcombe (17 October 1890 – 14 July 1971) was an English professional golfer. Over the course of his career he had nine wins in professional tournaments and was runner-up in the 1924 Open Championship. Early life Whitcombe was ...

led after the first day, with two rounds of 69. After a 68 on the second morning his lead increased to eight and despite a final round of 77 he won by four strokes. There was no cut. Prize money amounted to £500. It was planned to play the event again on 24 and 25 September 1935. With the

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 ...

team leaving for America on 14 September and an earlier date not being possible, the tournament was cancelled. The second tournament was played from 22–24 September 1936 on the West Course at Wentworth with a field of 62.

Arthur Lacey Arthur James Lacey (20 May 1904 – 6 August 1979) was an English professional golfer who finished in the top ten of The Open Championship on four occasions in the 1930s. He also played in the 1933 and 1937 Ryder Cup matches, and was then sele ...

led on the first day with a 70, a new record for the altered course. Henry Cotton broke this with a 68 on the second day and was tied with Lacey for the lead on 140. 33 players scoring 155 or better played 36 holes on the final day. Cotton scored 70, Lacey 75 and

Reg Whitcombe Reginald Arthur Whitcombe (10 April 1898 – 11 January 1957) was an English professional golfer. Whitcombe began his career at Came Down Golf Club in Dorset and served in the British armed forces during World War I. He was the professional at P ...

, playing with Cotton, scored 68 to take second place, four behind Cotton.

Jimmy Adams James Clive Adams OD (born 9 January 1968) is a former Jamaican cricketer, who represented the West Indies as player and captain during his career. He was a left-handed batsman, left-arm orthodox spin bowler and fielder, especially in th ...

set a new record with a 67. In the final round Cotton's 71 gave him a three shot win over Whitcombe (70) and Lacey (69). Charles Whitcombe finished fourth, a distant nine shots behind Cotton. The third tournament was played on 21 and 22 September 1937, again on the West Course at Wentworth. The field consisted of the winners, runners-up, other players who had finished in "prominent positions" in the important 1937 events, together with a number of

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 ...

winners, 36 players in all. The field included 69-year-old

Sandy Herd Alexander "Sandy" Herd (24 April 1868 – 18 February 1944) was a Scottish professional golfer from St Andrews. He won The Open Championship in 1902 at Hoylake. Early life Born in St Andrews, Scotland, on 24 April 1868, to a golfing family, H ...

, the 1904 Open champion. On the first day

led on 138, having set a new course record of 66 in the morning round. Whitcombe scored 72 on the second morning and was level on 210 with

with Henry Cotton and

Paddy Mahon Patrick Joseph Mahon ( – 20 July 1945) was an Irish professional golfer. He was one of the leading Irish professionals of the 1930s and had one exceptional season, 1937, where he was runner-up in three important British tournaments, third in a ...

on 213. Whitcombe struggled with a final round 76 and Lacey's 67 gave him a 5 stroke victory. Bill Laidlaw equalled the course record with a final round 66. The fourth tournament was played on 20 and 21 September 1938 on the West Course at Wentworth. 29 players qualified. Prize money was increased from £500 to £750. In wet conditions Alf Perry led after the first day on 137 (69-68), six ahead of second place

. Perry had rounds of 67 and 69 on the second day to win comfortably. Henry Cotton was his only challenger after a course record 64 in the third round. The 1939 tournament was planned to be played at Wentworth on 19 and 20 September 1939 but was cancelled because of the start of

Winners

Between 1933 and 1937 Dunlop also sponsored a number of sectional tournaments. The format varied but was often a 36-hole or match-play event. The events were sometimes qualifying events for the Dunlop-Metropolitan Tournament.

Dunlop-Scottish Tournament

Winners: 1933: Jimmy McDowall 1934:

Mark Seymour Mark Jeremy Seymour (born 26 July 1956) is an Australian musician and vocalist. He was the frontman and songwriter of rock band Hunters & Collectors from 1981 until 1998. Seymour has carved a solo career, releasing his debut solo album in ...

1935:

1936: George Knight 1937:

Laurie Ayton, Snr Laurie Ayton Snr (1884 – 27 October 1962) was a Scottish golfer. He was a descendant of William Ayton, one of the eleven founders of St Andrews Golf Club in about 1843. He served as club captain in 1953. He was the son of David Ayton, Sr. His ...

Dunlop-Irish Tournament

Winners: 1933:

Willie Nolan William Nolan (25 March 1896 – 4 March 1939) was an Irish professional golfer. He was one of the leading Irish professionals of the inter-war period. In 1933 he was a runner-up in the Dunlop-Southport Tournament and led qualifying in the Open C ...

and Pat O'Connor (tied) 1934:

1935: Pat O'Connor 1936:

1937:

John McKenna John McKenna ( ga, Seán Mac Cionnaoith; 3 January 1855 – 22 March 1936) was an Irish businessman, professional rugby player, and the first manager of the Liverpool Football Club which has since gone on to become one of the most successful ...

Dunlop-Welsh Tournament

Winners: 1934:

Frank Hill Frank Robert Hill (21 May 1906 – 28 August 1993) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager. Playing career Forfar and Aberdeen Hill was born in Forfar and started his career at Forfar Athletic F.C., Forfar Athletic, jo ...

1935:

and

Edward Musty Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

(tied) 1936:

1937: Fred Healing and Ken Williams (tied)

Dunlop-Eastern Tournament

Winners: 1934: Ernest Risebro 1935:

James Sherlock James Sherlock (born Rudgwick, West Sussex) is a musician of British and Irish ancestry. Born in Sussex, Sherlock studied with Kevin Smith, continuing at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester and Eton College. He read music at Trinity Colleg ...

1936:

1937: DR Harper

Dunlop-Midland Professional Championship

Winners: 1934:

Charlie Ward Charlie Ward Jr. (born October 12, 1970) is a former American professional basketball player. Ward was an exceptional football player as well, winning the Heisman Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award, and College Football National Championship while quart ...

1935: Bill Firkins 1936: Bill Branch 1937: Freddie Beck In these years Dunlop sponsored the

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 ...

which has been contested since 1898.

Dunlop-Northern Tournament

Winners: 1934: D. C. Jones and Jack Moffat (tied) 1935: Dick Burton 1936:

Albert Chevalier Albert Chevalier (often listed as Albert Onésime Britannicus Gwathveoyd Louis Chevalier); (21 March 186110 July 1923), was an English music hall comedian, singer and musical theatre actor. He specialised in cockney related humour based on life ...

and

Ernest Smith Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith (3 May 1914 – 3 August 2005) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the last living ...

(tied) 1937:

Bert Gadd Albert Gadd (31 May 1909 – November 2003)https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVZJ-XPQD was an English professional golfer. He won the French Open in 1933, the Irish Open in 1937 and twice finished in the top 10 in The Open Championship. ...

Dunlop-Southern Tournament

Winners: 1934:

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 ...

1935:

Allan Dailey Allan Marshall Dailey (born 8 May 1908, date of death unknown) was a Scottish professional golfer. He won the Roehampton Invitation in 1933 and was subsequently selected for the 1933 Ryder Cup but didn't play in any matches. He finished in a ...

1936: Sam King 1937: Sam King

Dunlop-West of England Tournament

Winners: 1934:

Syd Easterbrook Sydney John Philip Easterbrook (22 January 1905 – 30 January 1975) was an English professional golfer. He won the Irish Open in 1934 and was a member of the Great Britain Ryder Cup team in 1931 and 1933. In 1933, he won the deciding match for ...

1935:

Fred Jewell Frederick Alton Jewell (Worthington, Indiana May 28, 1875 - Worthington, Indiana, February 11, 1936), was a prolific musical composer who wrote over 100 marches and screamers, including: Fred Jewell * "Battle Royal" (1909) * "Floto's Triumph" (1 ...

1936:

1937:

References

{{Reflist Golf tournaments in England