The England–Scotland Professional Match was an annual men's professional

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 wi ...

competition between teams representing

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 b ...

and

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 the ...

. It was played from 1903 to the start of

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 ...

and was then revived in 1932 and played until the start of

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 match was played on a single day, generally a few days before 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 ...

. Except on one occasion, there were 12 players in each team who played 12 singles matches and 6 foursomes. Scotland won the inaugural match in 1903 but didn't win another match, although three matches were tied. The event was organised by the PGA and only members of the PGA were eligible to play.

History

In 1902 an international match between English and Scottish amateur golfers was played at

Royal Liverpool Golf Club The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a golf club in Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club. It received the "Royal" designation in 1871 due to the patronage of the Duke of ...

prior to the

Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 19 ...

there. The match consisted of 10 singles matches played over 36 holes. The following year the Professional Golfers' Association decided to organise a similar match for professionals at Prestwick, before the 1903 Open Championship. It was originally planned to play 36-hole singles but it was later decided to play both singles and foursomes. Because only members of the PGA were eligible to play, a number of Scottish golfers were not available for selection, including William Auchterlonie, Andrew Kirkaldy and

Archie Simpson Archibald Simpson (14 March 1866 – January 1955) was an American professional golfer. He was also a golf course designer and a golf club maker. He was runner-up in The Open Championship in 1885 (won by Bob Martin), and 1890 (won by John Ball) ...

. Tom Williamson was originally selected for the England team but was replaced by Fred Collins. The 1908 match was abandoned because of bad weather. The England team was: Tom Ball,

George Cawsey George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...

Phil Gaudin Phillip John Gaudin (born 4 March 1879) was a professional golfer from Jersey who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. He had three top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His best result was a tie for eighth place in the 1914 Ope ...

Ernest Gray Sir Ernest Gray (27 August 1856 – 6 May 1932) was a British educational reformer and Conservative politician. Early life and educational work The son of William Gray, he attended primary school and St John's Training College, Battersea. On ...

, Rowland Jones, Charles Mayo, Ted Ray,

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 ...

, J.H. Taylor,

Harry Vardon Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the ...

Tom Vardon Thomas Alfred Vardon (11 October 1874 – 13 October 1938) was a professional golfer from Jersey, Channel Islands, and the brother of golfer Harry Vardon, whom he sometimes played against professionally. From 1892 to 1909 he played in 18 Open Cham ...

, Tom Williamson. The Scottish team was: James Braid, George Duncan, James Hepburn,

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 ...

, John Hunter, Andrew Kirkaldy,

Ben Sayers Bernard "Ben" Sayers (23 June 1856 – 9 March 1924) was a Scottish professional golfer, who later became a distinguished golf teacher, golf course designer and manufacturer of golf clubs and equipment. Sayers had a reputation for making good q ...

, Ben Sayers, Jr., Ralph Smith, Tom Watt, Robert Thomson,

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

. In 1909 there was a dispute about which team

Fred Robson Frederick Robson (25 April 1885 – 3 November 1952) was an English professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. Robson was a frequent competitor in the Open Championship. His best performance was a tie for second with Aubrey Boome ...

would represent. He was born in Wales but apparently had a Scottish father and English mother and was initially selected for both sides. Having learnt his golf in England he eventually chose to represent that country. A meeting of the PGA on the following Monday accepted the principle that the player could choose in such situations. However this account is contradicted by evidence from the 1891 census of Wales which records that his father was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

and mother in

Holywell Holywell may refer to: * Holywell, Flintshire, Wales * Holywell, Swords, Ireland * Holywell, Bedfordshire, England * Holywell, Cambridgeshire, England * Holywell, Cornwall, England * Holywell, Dorset, England * Holywell, Eastbourne, East Susse ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. There was no match in 1911 because a " Coronation Match" had been organised between teams of amateurs and professionals on the Saturday before the Open Championship, 24 June. The match was in celebration of the coronation of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

on 22 June. The match consisted of 9 foursomes matches, each over 36 holes and resulted in an 8–1 win for the professionals. The PGA decided that the 1914 match would not be played at the same time as the Open Championship. The proprietors of Country Life agreed to provide a cup. It was planned to play the 1914 match at

Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club The Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club is a private golf club and golf course comprising two 18-hole courses located in Old Deer Park in Richmond, south west London. Location The course lies in an arc of Crown Estate land on the east bank of the River ...

on 22 October. Even after the outbreak of

it was decided to still hold the event and to raise money for the Prince of Wales' War Fund but the match was eventually cancelled. A charity match was played at

Fulwell Golf Course Fulwell Golf Course, operated by Fulwell Golf Club, is a golf course and centre comprising an 18-hole course located in Fulwell in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, west London. It is adjacent to the 9 hole Twickenham Golf Course, c ...

on 12 December 1914 between English and Scottish members of the Southern section of the PGA in aid of Princess Mary's Christmas Gifts Fund for soldiers and sailors. The match followed the same format as the full international. The English players won by 8 matches to 6 with 4 matches halved. England won all 7 matches played from 1932 to 1938. The closest match was in 1937 when Scotland led 4–0 after the foursomes but England won 9 of the 12 singles to win 9–7. England and Scotland played two matches in 1938 since they also met in the

Llandudno International Golf Trophy The Llandudno International Golf Trophy was a professional team match play golf tournament that was played at the Maesdu Golf Club from 28 to 30 September 1938. The tournament was contested between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. It was int ...

in September. Henry Cotton was selected for the England team in 1932 but declined the invitation and was replaced by George Oke. Cotton never played in any of the matches. The 1939 match was cancelled because of the expense and difficulty of collecting the entrance charges on the Old Course at St Andrews. The PGA has already received permission from the Town Council to charge for entry.

Format

Except in 1907 the teams had 12 players. There were 12 singles matches and 6 foursomes. Matches were over 18 holes. In the earlier period the singles were played in the morning and the foursomes in the afternoon but when the event was revived in 1932 the order was reversed. In 1907 there were 16 in each team who each played a 36-hole singles match. The result was decided by the number of matches won, halved matches were not included in the final score. In the matches before World War I the players went out in ranking order with the best players going out first. The same principle was applied to the foursomes with the two best players on each team playing each other in the first foursomes. Generally the same players contested the singles and the foursomes. However, in 1932

and Peter Robertson played in the foursomes but were replaced by the reserves, Jock Ballantine and

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 ...

in the singles. In 1933 Robertson again missed the singles and Jack McMillan played instead.

Results

Appearances

The following are those who played in at least one of the 16 matches.

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 ...

, George Duncan,

Tom Fernie Thomas Robert Fernie (1 February 1890 – 13 December 1952) was a Scottish professional golfer. He won the Scottish Professional Championship four times and finished in 5th place in the 1923 Open Championship. He was the son of Willie Fernie who ...

and

played for Scotland in both the earlier period (1903–1913) and the later matches (1932–1938). No Englishman played in both periods.

England

1903–1913

* Tom Ball 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

James Batley James Benjamin Batley (1876–1964) was an English professional golfer. His main successes came in foursomes events, winning the 1909 London Professional Foursomes Tournament and the 1914 Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament. He played for Eng ...

1912 *

1906, 1907 * Fred Collins 1903, 1904 *

1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1912, 1913 *

1904, 1905, 1907 * Rowland Jones 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Charles Mayo 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

George Pulford John George Pulford (born 1873) was an English professional golfer. His skill on the links enabled him to place high on the leaderboard in several Open Championships. He finished tied for third in both the 1897 Open Championship and the 1907 Ope ...

1904, 1907 *

Peter Rainford Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

1903 * Ted Ray 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

Wilfrid Reid Wilfrid Ewart "Wilfie" Reid (3 November 1884 – 24 November 1973) was an English professional golfer and golf course designer. Reid was born in Bulwell, Nottingham, England, and died in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. He posted three ...

1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

Thomas Renouf Thomas George Renouf ( – 14 July 1955) was an English professional golfer from Jersey who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. He had multiple top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His best result was fifth in the 1909 Open Champ ...

1903, 1904, 1905, 1910, 1912 *

1909, 1910 *

Jack Rowe John Charles "Jack" Rowe (December 8, 1856 – April 25, 1911) was an American professional baseball player, manager and team owner from 1877 to 1898. He played 12 years in Major League Baseball, as a shortstop (657 games), catcher (298 games), ...

1903, 1906, 1907 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * J.H. Taylor 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

Josh Taylor Josh or Joshua Taylor may refer to: * Josh Taylor (actor) (born 1943), American comedy and dramatic television actor * Josh Taylor (baseball) (born 1993), American professional baseball pitcher * Josh Taylor (boxer) (born 1991), Scottish profession ...

1913 * Albert Tingey, Sr. 1903, 1905 *

Alfred Toogood Alfred Henry Toogood, Sr. (1872 – July 1928) was an English professional golfer who played during the late 19th and early 20th century. Toogood finished fourth in the 1894 Open Championship and won £7. He also tied for ninth place in the 189 ...

1904, 1905, 1906, 1907 * Walter Toogood 1903, 1907 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910 * Tom Williamson 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Reg Wilson 1913

1932–1938

Percy Alliss Percy Alliss (8 January 1897 – 31 March 1975) was one of the leading English professional golfers in the 1920s and 1930s, winning many tournaments in Britain and Continental Europe. He was the father of commentator and former golfer Peter Alli ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 * Bill Branch 1936 *

Sid Brews Sydney Francis Brews (29 May 1899 – 1972) was a South African professional golfer. Brews was born in Blackheath, London, England. He turned pro in 1914 and emigrated to South Africa in 1924. He won the South African Open title a total of eig ...

1934 * Dick Burton 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 *

Harry Busson Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

1938 *

Jack Busson John Joseph Busson (2 November 1910 – 1 February 1989) was an English professional golfer. He played in the 1935 Ryder Cup. He was a professional at Huddersfield and then at Pannal, Harrogate. In 1934, at the age of 23 he won the News of the ...

1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 * Tom Collinge 1937 *

Archie Compston Archibald Edward Wones Compston (1893 – 8 August 1962) was an English professional golfer. Through the 1920s he built a reputation as a formidable match play golfer, in an era when many professionals made more money from "challenge" matches ag ...

1932, 1935 * Bill Cox 1935, 1936, 1937 *

Don Curtis Donald B. Curtis (born Donald Beitelman) (May 22, 1927 – March 6, 2008) was an American professional wrestler, best known for being a member of a tag team with Mark Lewin in the 1950s and 1960s. During his partnership with Lewin, they won the N ...

1934, 1938 * Bill Davies 1932, 1933 * Cecil Denny 1936 * Syd Easterbrook 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938 *

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. ...

1933, 1935 *

Tom Green Michael Thomas Green (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian-American comedian, show host, actor, filmmaker, podcaster, and rapper. After pursuing stand-up comedy and music as a young adult, Green created and hosted ''The Tom Green Show'', which a ...

1935 *

Arthur Havers Arthur Gladstone Havers (10 June 1898 – 27 December 1980)"Mr A.G. Havers. ''The Times'', 29 December 1980; p. 12; Issue 60812."Deaths – Havers. ''The Times'', 31 December 1980; p. 22; Issue 60814. was an English professional golfer. Havers wo ...

1932, 1933, 1934 * Ted Jarman 1935 *

Bob Kenyon Ernest William Henry "Bob" Kenyon (16 March 1905 – 15 March 1988) was an English professional golfer. He won the Irish Open in 1931 and 1933 and finished tied for ninth place in the 1939 Open Championship. He won the World Senior Championsh ...

1932 * Sam King 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938 *

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 ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938 *

Arthur Lees Arthur Lees (21 February 1908 – 26 March 1992) was an English professional golfer who played from the 1930s to 1960s. He was a member of four Great Britain Ryder Cup teams in the late 1940s and 1950s, and won several tournaments in Europe du ...

1938 *

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 ...

1932, 1933, 1934 *

George Oke George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

1932, 1937 *

Alf Padgham Alfred Harry Padgham (2 July 1906 – 4 March 1966) was one of the leading British professional golfers of the 1930s and 1940s. He won the 1936 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Merseyside, England and played for Great Bri ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 * Alf Perry 1933, 1936, 1938 *

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 ...

1932, 1933 * Jack Taylor 1937 * Charles Whitcombe 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 *

Eddie Whitcombe Ernest Edward Whitcombe (31 March 1913 – 16 January 1997) was an English professional golfer. He was the son of Ernest Whitcombe and was always known as Eddie. In the 1937 Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament, Whitcombe was tied after 72 hol ...

1938 *

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 ...

1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938

Scotland

1903–1913

1910, 1912, 1913 * James Braid 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912 * George Coburn 1903, 1904, 1905, 1907 * Frank Coltart 1909 * George Duncan 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

1910, 1912, 1913 * Willie Fernie 1903, 1904 *

Allan Gow Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...

1912 * Tom Grant 1913 * James Hepburn 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Willie Hunter, Sr. 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910 * James Kay 1903 *

James Kinnell James Kinnell (1876 – 22 April 1918) was a Scottish professional golfer who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. Kinnell had five top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His best performance came in the 1905 Open Championship when ...

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1910, 1912 * Andrew Kirkaldy 1904, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1910 *

Jack Kirkaldy John Kirkaldy (1858 – 10 November 1907) was a Scottish professional golfer who played in the late 19th century. Kirkaldy tied for third place in the 1882 Open Championship and placed eighth and T9 in the 1879 and 1884 Open Championships, resp ...

1905, 1906 * Peter McEwan Jr. 1907 * Alex Marling 1913 * Jack Park 1909 *

Willie Park, Jr. William Park Jr. (4 February 1864 – 22 May 1925) was a Scottish professional golfer. He won The Open Championship twice. Park was also a successful golf equipment maker and golf writer. In his later years, Park built a significant career as o ...

1903, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1910 * Willie Ritchie 1913 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Ben Sayers, Jr. 1906, 1907, 1909 *

1904 * Ralph Smith 1903, 1904, 1907, 1909, 1913 * Robert Thomson 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912 * Tom Watt 1907 * Willie Watt 1912, 1913 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1912, 1913 * Tom Yeoman 1905, 1906

1932–1938

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 * Willam Anderson 1937 * Laurie Ayton, Jnr 1937 *

1933, 1934 * Jock Ballantine 1932, 1936 * Hamish Ballingall 1938 * Stewart Burns 1932 *

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 ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938 * William Davis 1937, 1938 * Tom Dobson 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 * John Donaldson 1932, 1935, 1938 * George Duncan 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 * Gordon Durward 1937 * Sydney Fairweather 1933, 1935, 1936 * John Fallon 1936, 1937, 1938 * Walter Fenton 1932 *

1933 * Jim Forrester 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 * Gordon Good 1934, 1936 * Tom Haliburton 1938 *

Willie Hastings Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...

1937, 1938 *

1932 *

George Hutton George Hutton (February 4, 1922 in Winnipeg, Manitoba – April 18, 1976) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1959 to 1966, and was a cabinet minister in ...

1937, 1938 * George Knight 1937 * Bill Laidlaw 1935, 1936, 1938 *

Duncan McCulloch Duncan McCulloch (1893–1968) was one of the leading Scottish-based professional golfers of the inter-war period. He was Scottish Professional Champion in 1929 and 1930. Early life McCulloch was born in Troon, Scotland on 31 January 1893 to Joh ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 * Jimmy McDowall 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 *

Gregor McIntosh Gregor is a masculine given name. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People * Gregor Abel (born 1949), Scottish footballer * Gregor Adlercreutz (1898–1944), Swedish equestrian * Gregor Aichinger (c. 1565–1628), Ger ...

1938 * Jack McMillan 1933, 1934, 1935 * Willie McMinn 1932, 1933, 1934 * Fred Robertson 1938 * Peter Robertson 1932, 1933 * Willie Spark 1935 * Tom Wilson 1933, 1934

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:England-Scotland Professional Match Team golf tournaments Golf in Scotland Golf in England Recurring sporting events established in 1903 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1939