John D'Ewes Pritchett (1931 – 30 October 1958) 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 was Boys Amateur Champion in 1948 and won the

Daks Tournament The Daks Tournament was an important professional golf tournament held in England from 1950 to 1971 and was generally held in early June. 17 of the 22 events were held at the Wentworth Club. Neil Coles enjoyed considerable success in the event wi ...

in 1955. He was killed in a road traffic accident at the age of 27.

Golf career

Pritchett won the

Boys Amateur Championship The Boys Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. The competition is organised and run by The R&A. History The Boys Amateur Championship was first played at Royal Ascot in 1921. In 1921 boys had to ...

in 1948 beating David Reid, a Scot. Pritchett had been 5 down with 10 holes to play and was dormie-3. However he won the next four holes to win the championship at the 37th hole. Pritchett played for England against Scotland in the Boys International played prior to the championship. He attended

Bishop Vesey's Grammar School Bishop Vesey's Grammar School (BVGS) is a selective state grammar school with academy status in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. Founded in 1527, it is one of the oldest schools in Britain, the oldest state school in the West Midlands and the ...

Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, known locally as Sutton ( ), is a town and civil parish in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south ...

. Pritchett became an assistant professional at

Sunningdale Golf Club Sunningdale Golf Club is a golf club in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, located approximately west-southwest of London. Sunningdale Golf Club was founded in 1900 and has two eighteen hole golf courses: the Old Course, designed by Willie Park ...

in 1949. In 1953, at the age of 21, he was a runner-up in the

Silver King Tournament The Silver King Tournament was a professional golf tournament played at Moor Park Golf Club near Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. The event was promoted by The Silvertown Company, manufacturer of the Silver King golf ball. It was held from 1936 t ...

behind

Flory Van Donck Flory Van Donck (23 June 1912 – 14 January 1992) was a Belgian professional golfer. Van Donck is widely regarded as the greatest ever Belgian golfer. During his career, he won more than fifty tournaments worldwide, including many of the mo ...

. He won the 1955

, which was played at Sunningdale, beating

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 ...

by 2 strokes and winning the first prize of £600. He became full professional at Stoneham Golf Club near

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in late 1957.

Death

Pritchett died in a road traffic accident on 30 October 1958 aged 27. He was in a car being driver by

Philip Scrutton Philip Furse Scrutton (1923 – 30 October 1958) was an English amateur golfer. He played in the Walker Cup in 1955 and 1957. He was killed in a road traffic accident at the age of 35. Golf career Scrutton remains one the few amateur golfers to ...

, a leading amateur golfer, when they were hit by an army lorry on the A30, just west of

Blackbushe Airport Blackbushe Airport is an operational general aviation airport in the civil parish of Yateley in the north-east corner of the English county of Hampshire. Built during the Second World War, Blackbushe is north of the A30 road between Camberley ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. Scrutton was also killed. Pritchett and Scrutton had played together in the 1958 Wentworth Foursomes, losing in the final. Pritchett had married Annie Eirwen Evans in 1956. Annie did not remarry and died in 1989.

Amateur wins

*1948

Professional wins

*1955

Results in major championships

''Note: Pritchett only played in The Open Championship.'' CUT = Missed the cut

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pritchett, John English male golfers Road incident deaths in England People educated at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School 1931 births 1958 deaths