The Amateurs–Professionals Match was an annual men's team

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

competition between teams of golfers from

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and

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representing amateurs and professionals. It was played from 1956 to 1960. The Professionals won four of the five contests but the Amateurs won in 1958. The match was organised by the R&A and the PGA.

History

Two matches between teams of amateurs and professionals had been played in late 1954 and early 1955. The first was a match between the British 1954 Joy Cup team and a team of amateurs in November 1954. The professionals won the foursomes 3–2 but the singles were washed out. The second was a match between the British 1955

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup ...

team and a team of professionals led by Henry Cotton played in March 1955. The professionals won 10½–4½. In both these matches the professionals conceded a 2-hole start. The idea of an official annual match emerged out of these earlier matches. The amateurs recorded their only win in 1958. Trailing 3–2 after the foursomes they won 7 of the 10 singles match and halved another. Of the professionals, only Dai Rees and

Peter Alliss Peter Alliss (28 February 1931 – 5 December 2020) was an English professional golfer, television presenter, commentator, author and golf course designer. Following the death of Henry Longhurst in 1978, he was regarded by many as the "Voice o ...

won their matches while

Harry Weetman Harry Weetman (25 October 1920 – 19 July 1972) was an English professional golfer. Professional career Weetman won many tournaments on the British PGA circuit in the pre-European Tour era and won the Harry Vardon Trophy for lowest stroke av ...

got a half against

Guy Wolstenholme Guy Bertram Wolstenholme (8 March 1931 – 9 October 1984) was an English professional golfer. He had a successful career both as an amateur and then as a professional. Early life and amateur career Wolstenholme was born in Leicester. As an a ...

Format

The match was contested over two days with 36-hole foursomes on the first day and 36-hole singles matches on the second day. There were 5 foursomes and 10 singles. Matches were played on level terms.

Results

Appearances

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

Amateurs

* John Beharrell 1956 * David Blair 1956, 1960 *

Michael Bonallack Sir Michael Francis Bonallack, Order of the British Empire, OBE (31 December 1934 – 26 September 2023) was an English amateur golfer who was one of the leading administrators in world golf in the late 20th century. Early life Bonallack wa ...

1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 * Alan Bussell 1956, 1957, 1959 *

Joe Carr Joseph Benedict Carr (22 February 1922 – 3 June 2004) was an Irish amateur golfer. Early life Carr was born in Inchicore, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, to George and Margaret Mary "Missie" Waters (the fifth of seven children). At 10 days ol ...

1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 * Martin Christmas 1960 * Tom Craddock 1959 *

Frank Deighton Frank William Gordon Deighton (21 May 1927 – 23 February 2018) was a Scottish amateur golfer. He won one of the leading Scottish amateur golfers of the 1950s. As an individual, he won the Scottish Amateur twice, in 1956 and 1959. He represen ...

1956, 1957 * David Frame 1960 *

Reid Jack Robert Reid Jack (17 January 1924 – 25 June 2003) was a Scotland, Scottish amateur golfer. He tied for 5th place in the 1959 Open Championship and played in the Walker Cup in 1957 and 1959. Amateur wins *1955 Scottish Amateur *1957 Amateur Cha ...

1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 * Michael Lunt 1958, 1959 * David Marsh 1959 * Arthur Perowne 1956, 1958 *

Sandy Saddler Joseph "Sandy" Saddler (June 23, 1926 – September 18, 2001) was an American professional boxer. He was a two-time featherweight world champion, having also held the super featherweight title. Over his twelve-year career (1944–56), Saddler s ...

1959, 1960 *

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 ...

1956, 1957 *

Doug Sewell Douglas Norman Sewell (19 November 1929 – 9 September 2017) was an English professional golfer. Before turning professional he had a successful amateur career, playing in the Walker Cup in 1957 and 1959. Amateur career Sewell was a useful am ...

1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 *

Alec Shepperson Alec Edward Shepperson (born April 1936) is an English amateur golfer. He played in the 1957 and 1959 Walker Cup matches. Golf career Shepperson was a successful boy golfer. In 1951 he represented England against Scotland at Prestwick. In the su ...

1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 *

Alan Thirlwell Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Kurdish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name ** List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...

1957, 1958 * James Walker 1958, 1960 *

1956, 1957, 1958, 1960

Professionals

Jimmy Adams James Clive Adams Order of Distinction, OD (born 9 January 1968) is a former Jamaican cricketer, who represented the West Indian cricket team, West Indies as player and Captain (cricket), captain during his career. He was a left-handed batsma ...

1956 *

1957, 1958, 1959 * Fred Boobyer 1960 *

Ken Bousfield Kenneth Bousfield (2 October 1919 – 25 May 2000) was one of the leading British golfers of the immediate post-World War II period. Professional career Bousfield won a number of tournaments on the European circuit in the 1950s and 1960s, inclu ...

1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 * Harry Bradshaw 1956, 1957, 1958 * Eric Brown 1957, 1958 * Peter Butler 1960 * Norman Drew 1959 *

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), ...

1956, 1957 * Tom Haliburton 1960 * Jimmy Hitchcock 1959 * Bernard Hunt 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 * Jack Jacobs 1957 * John Jacobs 1958 *

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 dur ...

1956 * Eric Lester 1957, 1959 *

George Low George Michael Low (born Georg Michael Löw; June 10, 1926 – July 17, 1984) was an administrator at NASA and the 14th president of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Low was one of the senior NASA officials who made decisions as manager ...

1956, 1960 * Peter Mills 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 *

Christy O'Connor Snr Patrick Christopher "Christy" O'Connor (21 December 1924 – 14 May 2016) was an Irish professional golfer. He was one of the leading golfers on the British and Irish circuit from the mid-1950s. O'Connor won over 20 tournaments on the British P ...

1956, 1958, 1959 * John Panton 1956 * Dai Rees 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 *

Syd Scott Sydney Simeon Scott (20 December 1913 – 22 April 1985) was an English professional golfer. He is best known for being runner-up in the 1954 Open Championship and for being a member of the British 1955 Ryder Cup team. He won the PGA Seniors C ...

1956, 1960 * David Snell 1960 * Norman Sutton 1956 *

1958, 1959

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amateurs-Professionals Match Team golf tournaments Recurring sporting events established in 1956