PGA Assistants' Championship explained

PGA Assistants' Championship
Establishment:1930
Course:Farleigh Golf Club (2024)
Format:Stroke play
54 holes
Current Champion:Matty Lamb (2024)

The PGA Assistants' Championship is a golf tournament for golf club assistant professionals. It is held by the British PGA. The first championship was held in 1930 but earlier national tournaments for assistant professionals had been held since 1910.

History

The Championship traces its origin back to the PGA's first major assistants' tournament at Bushey Hall Golf Club in October 1910. The prizes for this tournament were "presented by the proprietors of Perrier Water", the winner receiving 20 guineas (£21) and a gold watch.[1] The event was organised like the News of the World Match Play with regional qualifying over 36 holes and a knock-out stage for the 16 qualifiers. Willie Ritchie, assistant to James Braid at Walton Heath Golf Club won the Southern section qualifying by a clear 7 strokes. Willie Watt was the Scottish qualifier, although there were only four entries, assistants not being common in Scotland at the time.[2] Ritchie and Watt, both from Scotland, met in the final. Watt was 1 up after five holes but lost the next four holes. Ritchie also won the 11th and 13th and eventually won 5&4.<ref>News: Assistant' tournament for 100 guineas . . 21 October 1910 . 15. Ritchie had played well all year, finishing in a tie for 16th place in the 1910 Open Championship.

Regional qualifying was retained for 1911 but the final stages were decided by 36 holes of stroke play. The Perrier Water tournament continued until World War I. The final stage of the 1914 tournament was cancelled although some of the qualifying competitions had been played. The Perrier Water tournament restarted in 1920 and was won by Percy Alliss, an assistant at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club.

There was no tournament in 1921 but a new event started in 1922. Findlater, Mackie, Todd & Company, wine and spirit merchants, presented a trophy, the Findlater Shield, and prizes of £100 for the tournament. The tournament "which virtually represents the championship of the assistants"[3] was won by Michael Daragon.[4] Alf Perry won the shield in 1924 and 1925. The Findlater Shield continued until 1928.

In 1930 the PGA started the Assistants' Championship. The event was a 36-hole stroke-play event on a single day. The first championship was won by Bill Branch from Henbury Golf Club near Bristol. The 1933 event, planned for July at Hallamshire Golf Club, was cancelled because of a shortage of entries[5] but was replaced by an important new £750 tournament sponsored by the Daily Mirror.

The 1933 Daily Mirror tournament was played from 25 to 28 September at Moor Park Golf Club. The first day consisted of a 36-hole qualifying stage on the High and West courses with the leading 64 playing knock-out match-play on the next three days.[6] Sam King beat Herbert Hardman 3&2 in the final and "gained the unofficial title of 'Champion Assistant'".[7]

The 1934 tournament was played at Wentworth Golf Club and was extended to six days, 28 May to 2 June. The prize money was £800. The 36-hole qualifying stage was over two days on the East and West courses. The match-play stage was played on the East course. The 36-hole final was won by Robert Porter, who beat Dai Rees 3&2 in the final.[8]

In 1935, sectional qualifying was re-introduced. 64 players qualified and the event became a 72-hole stroke-play tournament. The tournament was over 3 days, 30 July to 1 August, with 18 holes on the first two-day and the leading 32 playing 36 holes on the final day. Dai Rees won the tournament with a score of 284 a shot ahead of Bill Cox.[9] Rees won again in 1936, by three strokes from Herbert Osborne.[10]

As winners of major tournaments, Sam King and Dai Rees were excluded from the 1937 tournament, despite still being assistants.[11] After 72 holes Albert Chevalier and Eddie Whitcombe were tied on 289.[12] In the 36-hole playoff the following day Chevalier beat Whitcombe by a shot, scoring 145. Whitcombe had a yard putt at the last to tie but missed.[13]

Bill Laidlaw won the 1938 tournament by 9 strokes from Geoff White and Alan Waters.[14] White, runner-up in 1938, won the 1939 event by 7 strokes from RJ Taylor.[15]

For financial reasons the championship was not played again until 1949. Harry Weetman won the championship by 5 strokes from Peter Alliss and Harry Gould.[16] Weetman won again in 1950, this time by 7 strokes from Dennis Smalldon.[17] The leading 16 players in the 1950 championship qualified for the Gor-Ray match-play tournament at Hartsbourne Golf Club, with prize money of £580. Weetman lost in the quarter-final and the event was won by Brian Shelton.[18] [19]

Having made large losses from the previous two Championships, the P.G.A. initially cancelled the Assistants' Championship for 1951.[20] Because of this the Coombe Hill Golf Club, who had been running a southern section assistants' tournament for a few years, decided to open up the Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament to all assistants, while extending the event from 36 to 72 holes.[21] This tournament and another held at Fairhaven Golf Club, acted as qualifying events for the Gor-Ray Cup at Hartsbourne which became the official Assistants' Championship, although now a match-play event. Unlike the Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament, the Gor-Ray Cup was restricted to P.G.A. members. In 1952 and 1953 the Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament was the only qualifying event, with the leading 16 and ties qualifying for the Gor-Ray Cup. From 1954 the Gor-Ray Cup became a 72-hole stroke-play event. In 1968 the assistants event was changed to an age-restricted event, the Gor-Ray Under-24 Championship. This new event was reduced to 54 holes in 1969 and was not contested again.

Since the championship restarted in 1981 it has been sponsored by Dorset Foods (1981–1982), Footjoy (1983–1984), Wilson Sporting Goods. (1985), Peugeot Talbot (1986–1987), Peugeot (1988–1992), Standard Life (1994), Reebok (1995–97), Maxfli (1999–2001), Powerade (2004), Powerade in association with FootJoy (2005–2014), Galvin Green (2015–2017), Birdietime (2019) and Coca-Cola (2020–2024).[22]

Winners

Year Champion Venue Score
Coca-Cola PGA Assistants' Championship
2024 200
2023 202
2022 212
2021 201 PO
2020 212
Birdietime PGA Assistants' Championship
2019 205 PO
PGA Assistants' Championship
2018 209
Galvin Green PGA Assistants' Championship
2017 212
2016 204
2015 203
Powerade PGA Assistants' Championship
2014 207 PO
2013 203
2012 211
2011 211
2010 208
2009 206
2008 210
2007 213
2006 206
2005 211
2004 208
PGA Assistants' Championship
2003 204
2002 271
Maxfli PGA Assistants' Championship
2001 207
2000 273
1999 274
PGA Assistants' Championship
1998 280
Reebok PGA Assistants' Championship
1997 273
1996 281
1995 284
Standard Life PGA Assistants' Championship
1994 278
PGA Assistants' Championship
1993 280
Peugeot PGA Assistants' Championship
1992 285
1991 288
1990 213
1989 291
1988 284
Peugeot Talbot PGA Assistants' Championship
1987 282
1986 280
Wilson PGA Assistants' Championship
1985 284
Footjoy PGA Assistants' Championship
1984 286
1983 287
Dorset Foods PGA Assistants' Matchplay Championship
1982 4&3
1981 3&1
1968–80: No tournament
Gor-Ray Cup
1967 277
1966 277
1965 283
1964 216
1963 282
1962 277
1961 277
1960 280
1959 282
1958 285
1957 280
1956 277
1955 282
1954 284
1953 2&1
1952 5&4
1951 9&7
PGA Assistants' Championship
1950 287
1949 295
1940–48: No tournament
Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament
1939 290
1938 289
1937 289 PO
1936 278
1935 284
1934 3&2
1933 3&2
PGA Assistants' Championship
1932 139 PO
1931 145
1930 144
Assistant Professionals' Tournament
1929 145[23]
Findlater Shield
1928 147
1927 144
1926 146 PO
1925 151
1924 155 PO
1923 144
1922 150
1921: No tournament
Perrier Water Assistant Professionals' Tournament
1920 149
1914-19: No tournament
1913 142
1912 150
1911 155
1910 5&4

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: The Times . 19 October 1910 . 21 . Golf – Assistant Professionals' Tournament.
  2. News: Assistant Professionals' Championship . . 28 July 1910 . 12.
  3. News: The Times . 21 March 1922 . 6 . The Findlater Shield.
  4. News: The Times . 31 March 1922 . 6 . Assistants' Tournament.
  5. News: The Times . 11 July 1933 . 5 . Assistants' Championship.
  6. News: The Times . 26 September 1933 . 5 . Golf – Assistants' Tournament at Moor Park.
  7. News: Champion assistant professional – Farmer's son wins at Moor Park . . 6 . 29 September 1933.
  8. News: Porter wins assistants tournament – Farmer's son wins at Moor Park . . 9 . 4 June 1934.
  9. News: Golf – Young Welshman wins £800 tournament – W J Cox and F Jowle break course record . . 19 . 2 August 1935.
  10. News: Winner leads in every round – Rees's brilliant scoring in assistants' tourney . . 20 . 31 July 1936.
  11. News: The Times . 21 July 1937 . 6 . Golf – Assistants' Tournament.
  12. News: Tie in assistants' tournament – Scot equals course record to finish third . . 2 . 24 July 1937.
  13. News: Assistants' replay won by A M Chevalier – Missed yard putt decides at Fulwell . . 4 . 26 July 1937.
  14. News: Scot clear of the field – Laidlaw wins by nine strokes – Assistant professionals' tourney ends . . 19 . 29 July 1938.
  15. News: G M White clear of the field – Assistants' championship for local player . . 20 . 28 July 1939.
  16. News: The Times . 8 April 1949 . 2 . Assistants' Championship.
  17. News: The Times . 8 April 1950 . 6 . Assistants' Golf Championship.
  18. News: Other golf events . . 7 . 16 June 1950.
  19. News: Perry beats Weetman . . 3 . 16 June 1950 . Newspapers.com.
  20. News: The Times . 10 January 1951 . 3 . Golf.
  21. News: The Times . 11 May 1951 . 2 . Assistants' Tournament.
  22. Web site: The PGA | National and International Tournaments.
  23. News: Assistant Professionals' Tournament . 7 February 2023 . The Manchester Guardian . 3 October 1929 . 3 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
  24. Web site: The PGA | National and International Tournaments.