Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament Explained

Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament
Location:Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey, England
Establishment:1951
Course:Coombe Hill Golf Club
Month Played:May
Final Year:1964

The Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament was a professional golf tournament for assistant professionals played from 1951 to 1964.

History

The Coombe Hill Club had held a 36-hole tournament for southern assistants for a few years before 1951. However, in 1951 the P.G.A. cancelled the PGA Assistants' Championship, leading the Coombe Hill Golf Club to open up their tournament to all assistants, and extending the event from 36 to 72 holes. It was later decided that the Gor-Ray Cup at Hartsbourne Golf Club would become the official Assistants' Championship. The Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament acted as one of the two qualifying events for the Championship.

In 1952 the event was not open to foreign assistants.[1] The event acted as the sole qualifying event for the Gor-Ray Cup in 1952 and 1953. With the Gor-Ray Cup becoming a 72-hole stroke-play event in 1954 the Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament used a format similar to that previously used for the Gor-Ray Cup. There was a 36 stroke-play qualification stage, after which the leading 16 played match-play. In the 1954 event, assistants who had finished fourth or higher in a PGA tournament were not eligible to play.[2] The event reverted to 72-hole medal play in 1955.

Coombe Hill hosted the PGA Assistants' Championship in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1987.

Winners

Year Winner Country Score Margin
of victory
Runner(s)-up Winner's
share (£)
Ref
1951 291 11 strokes 100 [3]
1952 283 8 strokes 75 [4]
1953 277 8 strokes [5]
1954 19 holes 100 [6]
1955 284 3 strokes 100 [7]
1956 286 1 stroke 100 [8]
1957 280 1 stroke 100 [9]
1958 286 2 strokes 100 [10]
1959 281 Playoff
(6 holes)
100 [11]
1960 280 1 stroke 100 [12]
1961 280 6 strokes [13]
1962 274 6 strokes [14]
1963 216 2 strokes 100 [15]
1964 285 1 stroke 100 [16]

The 1963 event was held at Selsdon Park Golf Club because of reconstruction work at Coombe Hill. Because of heavy rain on the first day, the tournament was reduced to 54 holes. The 1964 event was held at Hill Barn Golf Club, Worthing.

Notes and References

  1. News: The Times . 9 January 1952 . 4 . Golf – Professional Tournaments.
  2. News: The Times . 13 May 1954 . 4 . Golf assistants at Coombe Hill.
  3. News: The Times . 11 May 1951 . 2 . Assistants' Tournament.
  4. News: Assistant's 64 at Coombe Hill . . 7 . 9 May 1952.
  5. News: Assistant's tournament . . 9 . 24 April 1953.
  6. News: Assistants' fine golf . . 4 . 15 May 1954.
  7. News: Mills leading assistants . . 4 . 13 May 1955.
  8. News: Scot wins assistants' title . . 4 . 11 May 1956.
  9. News: Low wins tournament by one stroke . . 4 . 24 May 1957.
  10. News: Whitehead wins assistants' event . . 7 . 31 May 1958.
  11. News: Assistants' win for P E Gill . . 11 . 29 May 1959.
  12. News: Assistants' win for Coles . . 13 . 27 May 1960.
  13. News: Assistants' event won by Platts . . 13 . 19 May 1961.
  14. News: Assistants' title well won by G M Hunt . . 13 . 11 May 1962.
  15. News: G A Caygill's victory at Selsdon Park . . 6 . 27 September 1963.
  16. News: Jacklin wins by a stroke . . 5 . 23 May 1964.