John O'Leary (golfer)
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John Eudes O'Leary (19 August 1949 – 26 March 2020) was an Irish
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 played on the
European Tour The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...
through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1976 he won his first European Tour event, the Greater Manchester Open, and in 1982 he became only the third Irishman to win the
Irish Open Irish Open may refer to: *Irish Open (golf), a golf tournament on the European Tour ** Irish Senior Open, a golf tournament on the European Seniors Tour **Ladies Irish Open, a golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour * Irish Open (darts), annua ...
. He played in a number of team competitions, representing Great Britain and Ireland in the 1975 Ryder Cup, and playing for Ireland three times in the
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
. After retiring as a tournament golfer he was an active administrator, being a director of the European Tour from 1985 to 2019 and being on the Ryder Cup committee.


Amateur career

O'Leary was born in
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
and joined Foxrock Golf Club, situated in the southern part of the city, as a junior member in the 1960s. In 1969, he was runner-up to Vincent Nevin in the Irish Amateur Close Championship and represented Ireland in the
European Amateur Team Championship The European Amateur Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for men organised by the European Golf Association which was introduced in 1959. The championship was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has been ...
. In 1970, he won the South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship and was runner-up in the West of Ireland Amateur Open.


Professional career

O'Leary turned professional in late 1970. In 1971, his first season as a professional, he made the cut 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 ...
, having been just one off the lead after the first round, and was a runner-up in Lord Derby’s Under-23 Professional Tournament. Although Leary played full-time on the European Tour, he played in South Africa in the winter. His first professional successes were on its tour. In December 1972 he took a three-shot lead entering the final round of the
South African Masters The South African Masters was one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour. It was last played in 2011. Before its discontinuation, it had a prize fund of 1.2 million rand and was held at the Wild Coast Sun Country Club on t ...
after shooting a third-round 64 (−6). However he would slip up in the final round and
Gary Player Gary James Player (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 tour and nine ...
would surpass him. Later in the season, at the Western Province Open, he once again held the lead entering the final round but shot a disappointing 75 (+2) to lose to South Africa's
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. Early life Baiocchi was born in Johannesburg. Professional career In 1971, Baiocchi turned ...
by one. Two seasons later, in February 1975, O'Leary finished in third place at the South African Open behind
Gary Player Gary James Player (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 tour and nine ...
. The next week he finally won, winning the Holiday Inns Royal Swazi Sun Open, an official event on the South African Tour which was played in
Swaziland Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where ...
. He shot 271 (−17) to defeat South Africans
Dale Hayes Dale Hayes (born 1 July 1952) is a South African professional golfer. Amateur career Hayes won the 15–17 Boys category at the Junior World Golf Championships in 1969. Professional career In 1970, Hayes turned professional. On December 6, 19 ...
and John Fourie by four shots. Later in 1975, back in Europe, he picked up a runner-up finish at the
Open de France The Open de France is a European Tour golf tournament. Inaugurated in 1906 it is the oldest national open in Continental Europe and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since the tour's inception in 1972. The 100th edition of the event ...
, tying for second with fellow Irishman
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 ...
and in May, playing with Jack Newton, he won the Sumrie-Bournemouth Better-Ball. Also in February 1975, while he was in South Africa, O'Leary received a £500 fine and a one-year ban from representing any PGA team, a ban that would have ruled him out of the 1975 Ryder Cup. The ban followed complaints about his conduct in an event in Jamaica in late 1974. O'Leary appealed and the one-year ban was lifted, although the £500 fine stood. Eight members of the Great Britain and Ireland team for the 1975 Ryder Cup were chosen from the money leaders in
1975 European Tour The 1975 European Tour, titled as the 1975 PGA Tournament Players' Section, was the fourth season of the European Tour, the main professional golf tour in Europe since its inaugural season in 1972. Changes for 1975 There were several changes fr ...
events after the Benson & Hedges Festival on 16 August, with the remaining four members of the 12-man team selected by a committee. His performance in the Open de France, as well as three other top-10 performances, were enough for O'Leary to finish 6th among the automatic qualifiers and gain a place on the team. O'Leary played four matches in the Ryder Cup, losing all four. The next season produced O'Leary's first European Tour win, the Greater Manchester Open. Like his first official win, it was a four-shot victory over South Africa's John Fourie. He finished a career-best 16th on that year's European Tour Order of Merit. Afterwards, O'Leary played solidly but did not move into the upper echelon of European players. He finished in the top 60 on the Order of Merit every season through 1987 but never the top 15. The highlight during this part of his career was undoubtedly at the 1982 Carroll's Irish Open. In difficult conditions at
Portmarnock Portmarnock () is a coastal town in County Dublin, Ireland, north of the city of Dublin, with significant beaches, a modest commercial core and inland residential estates, and two golf courses, including one of Ireland's best-known golf clubs. , ...
, he defeated English veteran
Maurice Bembridge Maurice Bembridge (21 February 1945 – 2 March 2024) was an English professional golfer. Early in his career he had some success on the British PGA, winning the 1969 News of the World Match Play and the 1971 Dunlop Masters. He would go on to w ...
by one shot. This avenged a one-shot defeat to Ken Brown in 1978. He was only the third Irishman to win his national open and he was the last one to win for 25 years,
Pádraig Harrington Pádraig Peter Harrington (born 31 August 1971) is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has won three men's major golf championships, major championships: The Open Championship in 2 ...
being victorious in 2007. During the 1988 and 1989 seasons, O'Leary did not come close to making the top 100 of the Order of Merit. He retired as a touring professional after the 1989 season. From 1985 O'Leary served as one of the directors of the European Tour, leaving the position in 2019. He had also been on the Ryder Cup committee and had been head professional at Buckinghamshire Golf Club.


Death

Following a short illness, O'Leary died in
Esher Esher ( ) is a town in the borough of Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole, Surrey, River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London, close to the London–Surrey border; with Esher Commons at its ...
,
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, United Kingdom on 26 March 2020, aged 70.


Amateur wins

*1970 South of Ireland Amateur Open


Professional wins (5)


European Tour wins (2)

Sources:


Southern Africa Tour wins (1)


Other wins (2)

*1972
Irish Dunlop Tournament The Irish Dunlop Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in Ireland until 1980. It was one of the top events on the professional circuit in Ireland. Prior to World War II, it was a 72-hole stroke play event known as the Dunlop-Irish ...
*1975 Sumrie-Bournemouth Better-Ball (with Jack Newton)


Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1975, 1976 and 1980 Open Championships)
WD = Withdrew
"T" = tied
''Note: O'Leary only played in The Open Championship.'' Source:


Team appearances

Amateur *
European Amateur Team Championship The European Amateur Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for men organised by the European Golf Association which was introduced in 1959. The championship was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has been ...
(representing Ireland):
1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...
Professional *
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
(representing Ireland):
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
,
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
,
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
*
Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
(representing Great Britain & Ireland):
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
* Double Diamond International (representing Ireland): 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 * Marlboro Nations' Cup/Philip Morris International (representing Ireland): 1972, 1973, 1975 * Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1976 (winners), 1978 (winners), 1982 (winners)


References


External links

*
O'Leary and the Ryder Cup
{{DEFAULTSORT:OLeary, John Irish male golfers European Tour golfers Ryder Cup competitors for Europe Golfers from Dublin (city) Sportspeople from Esher 1949 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Irish sportsmen