The Silver King Tournament was a professional golf tournament played at

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 tournament ...

near

Rickmansworth Rickmansworth () is a town in southwest Hertfordshire, England, about northwest of central London and inside the perimeter of the M25 motorway. The town is mainly to the north of the Grand Union Canal (formerly the Grand Junction Canal) and t ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. The event was promoted by The Silvertown Company, manufacturer of the Silver King golf ball. It was held from 1936 to 1953. From 1954 Moor Park became the venue of the

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 ...

which had been played at Worthing Golf Club from 1949 to 1953. The Spalding Tournament was moved to April, replacing the Silver King Tournament as the season opening event.

History

The 1936 tournament was played on 22–24 April. Both the High Course and the West Course were used on the first two days, each of the entrants playing one round on each course. The leading 60 made the cut and played 36 holes on the High Course on the final day. In the event of a tie for 60th place there was to be a 9-hole playoff on the West Course on the second evening. The total prize money was £1000.

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 after the first two days on 133, six strokes ahead of the field. 10 players tied on 150 for the last 6 places but it was decided to dispense with the playoff and allow all 64 players to make the cut. On the final morning Lacey, one of the early starters, took 75 and was tied with

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 ...

, one of the late starters, after a 66. These two were three ahead of the rest. Lacey had another poor round in the afternoon, taking 76 and finishing on 284. He was later passed by Alf Perry on 283 who was then passed by Dick Burton on 282. Henry Cotton then took the lead with a score of 281 leaving Padgham needing 11 for the last three holes for victory. Padgham got a good 4 at the long 16th and followed up with a 4 at the 17th and 3 at the short 18th to win by a stroke. The 1937 tournament was played on 21–23 April. The format was the same as used in 1936.

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 ...

led after the first two days on 138. 63 players scoring 152 and better made the cut. As in 1936 the half-way leader had a poor final day, Kenyon scoring 75 and 76 to drop down the field. Four players were tied on 211 after three rounds: Henry Cotton, Bill Cox,

and Alf Perry with

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 ...

a shot behind. Cotton had a final round 68 which the other leaders couldn't match. Mahon got the closest but after taking 5 at the 16th he needed a hole-in-one at the last to tie. His tee shot finished 8 feet from the hole. He holed the putt to finish one behind Cotton but in second place on his own.

Winners

References

{{Reflist Golf tournaments in England