Eric George Lester (14 September 1917 – 18 May 1996) 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 ...

. He won some important tournaments in Britain, including the 1956

Swallow-Penfold Tournament The Penfold Tournament was a golf tournament on the British PGA tournament circuit. Since the circuit later evolved into the European Tour, the tournament is recognised as an official European Tour event from 1972. It was played between 1932 and ...

, and had a number of good finishes in the Open Championship, finishing tied for 8th place in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

. He also had a successful seniors career winning the 1974

PGA Seniors Championship The PGA Seniors Championship is a European Senior Tour golf tournament for men aged fifty and above. It was founded in 1957 and became part of the European Senior Tour on its founding in 1992. It was not held in 2016 or 2017 but returned in 2018 ...

. He played for the British Isles in the 1956

Joy Cup The Joy Cup was an annual men's professional team golf competition between teams representing the British Isles and the Rest of Europe. It was played from 1954 to 1958. The British Isles won all four contests that were played. The trophy was provi ...

but never made 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. At , he was noted as being one of the taller golfers of his generation.

Golf career

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

, his first Open, he started badly with an 83 but then scored 70 and finished tied for 17th place. The 70 won him the

Tooting Bec Cup The Tooting Bec Cup is a trophy currently awarded by the Professional Golfers' Association of Great Britain and Ireland to the association member born in, or with a parent or parents born in, the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland who returns ...

for the lowest single-round score by a British or Irish player, shared with

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 ...

. The 1954 Swallow-Harrogate Tournament was played in two distinct parts with separate prize money. There was a 72-hole stroke-play event with £1500 prize money. The leading 16 then played knockout match-play over the next two days. This second stage had prize money of £600, so that the total prize money was £2100. Lester finished sixth in the stroke-play stage to qualify for the match-play stage. He beat John Fallon 4&3 and

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 ...

5&4 to reach the semi-finals. He beat

5&3 to reach the final and then beat

Antonio Cerdá Antonio Cerdá (10 December 1921 – 28 November 2010) was an Argentine professional golfer. Cerdá finished second in the 1951 Open Championship to Max Faulkner, and second in the 1953 Open Championship to Ben Hogan, among seven consecutive top ...

2 up to win the tournament. Lester was 1 up going to the last hole and when Cerdá put his ball into a muddy patch, he conceded the match. Lester won the 1956

at The Royal Burgess Golfing Society course at

Barnton, Edinburgh Barnton ( gd, Baile an t-Sabhail) is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the north-west of the city, between Cramond and Corstorphine Hill and west of Davidsons Mains. Part of the area was traditionally known as "Cramond Muir" in reference t ...

. His total of 275 put him a stroke ahead of

Max Faulkner Herbert Gustavus Max Faulkner, OBE (29 July 1916 – 26 February 2005) was an English professional golfer who won the Open Championship in 1951. Early life Faulkner was born on 29 July 1916 in Bexhill-on-Sea, the son of Gus (1893–1976), a ...

and earned him the £1,000 first prize. Lester tied with

Harold Henning Harold Henning (3 October 1934 – 1 January 2004) was a South African professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour. Early life Henning was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. His brothers Allan, Brian, and Graham ...

in the 1959

Spalding Tournament The Spalding Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in the United Kingdom. It was played annually from 1946 to 1960. The total prize money was £1500 in 1946, £1250 in 1947 and 1948, £1350 from 1949 to 1959 and £2250 in 1960. Th ...

Moor Park Golf Club Moor Park Golf Club is a country club located in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England. It has two eighteen-hole golf courses, the High Course and the West Course, of which the High Course has hosted many professional and elite amateur tourname ...

. Both players scored 278 and shared the first and second prizes, taking home £250 each. 56-year-old Lester won the 1974

at Lundin Links. His 282 was 4 shots better than

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 ...

and gave him the £750 first prize. Two days later he played

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. ...

for the

World Senior Championship The World Senior Championship was a golf match held between the winners of the American PGA Seniors' Championship (now Senior PGA Championship) and the British PGA Seniors Championship. It was held from 1954 to 1978. It was a 36-hole match-play e ...

but lost 5&4.

Tournament wins

''this list may be incomplete'' *1953 West of England Professional Championship *1954 Swallow-Harrogate Match Play Tournament *1956

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 ...

*1959

(tie with

) *1963 West of England Professional Championship *1974

Results in major championships

''Note: Lester only played in The Open Championship.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

(representing the British Isles): 1956 (winners) * Slazenger Trophy (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1956 (winners) *

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 ...

(representing the Professionals): 1957 (winners), 1959 (winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, Eric English male golfers Sportspeople from West Bromwich 1917 births 1996 deaths