Henry Cotton (golfer) explained

Sir Henry Cotton
MBE
Fullname:Thomas Henry Cotton
Birth Date:28 January 1907
Birth Place:Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England
Death Place:London, England
Yearpro:1924
Prowins:37
Majorwins:3
Masters:T13: 1957
Usopen:T17: 1956
Open:Won: 1934, 1937, 1948
Pga:DNP
Wghofid:sir-henry-cotton
Wghofyear:1980
Award1:Harry Vardon Trophy
Year1:1938
Award2:Member of the Order
of the British Empire
Year2:1946
Award3:Knight Bachelor
Year3:1988

Sir Thomas Henry Cotton, MBE (28 January 1907 – 22 December 1987) was an English professional golfer. He won the Open Championship in 1934, 1937 and 1948, becoming the leading British player of his generation.[1] The Rookie of the Year award in European Tour is named after him.

Early life

Cotton was born in Holmes Chapel, then known as Church Hulme, near Congleton, Cheshire on 28 January 1907.[2] He had an older brother, Leslie (born 1905), who also became a professional golfer. Cotton was brought up in Crystal Palace Road, East Dulwich, London. He later went to Reigate Grammar School, and then won a scholarship to Alleyn's School in Dulwich, South London.[2] He was a useful cricketer, good enough to bat at number 3 for the school against Surrey Club and Ground, a team containing 5 professionals, at the age of 15.[3] Cotton and his brother had already taken up a second sport, golf, at the Aquarius Golf Club in Honor Oak from 1920.[4] In September 1921 the Cotton brothers played in the first Boys Amateur Championship, then limited to boys under 16. Henry played the eventual winner, Donald Mathieson, on the first day, losing by 2 holes,[5] Cotton was all square after 16 holes but lost the 17th after being incorrectly penalised for placing his bag in a bunker.[6] Cotton also played in the 1922 Boys Championship, again losing in the first round.[7] In June 1923 Cotton won the Hutchings Trophy, the Championship of the Aquarius Club.[4]

Career

Cotton left school in the summer of 1923 and soon started his career as a professional golfer, joining his older brother Leslie as assistant teaching professional at Fulwell Golf Club under Fulwell's professional, George Oke, who had been at Honor Oak since 1921.[4] [8] [9] Within a year Cotton had left and become an assistant at Rye Golf Club near Rye, East Sussex.[2] During his time at Rye, Cotton travelled to Scotland to try to qualify for the 1925 Open Championship. However scores of 85 and 82 left him well outside the qualifying mark of 158.[10] In March 1926, aged 19, he became the professional at Langley Park Golf Club near Beckenham in Kent, replacing Frank Ball who emigrated to America later the same year.[11]

Cotton remained at Langley Park until the end of 1932 when he moved to the Waterloo Golf Club near Brussels, Belgium. While there, Cotton improved his game and by the time he left he was one of Britain's leading golfers. In 1926, Cotton again failed to qualifying for the Open Championship but later in the year qualified for the knock-out stages of the Yorkshire Evening News Tournament and the News of the World Match Play and ended the season by winning the Kent Professional Championship.[12]

He achieved fame during the 1930s and 1940s, with three victories in The Open Championship (1934, 1937, and 1948). His record round of 65, made during the 1934 Open Championship, led to the Dunlop golf company issuing the famous 'Dunlop 65' ball. Cotton placed 17 times in the top-10 at the Open. Cotton also succeeded in winning many titles on the European circuit during the 1930s. During this period he was a professional at the Ashridge Golf Club.

Cotton was trained as a pilot since at least 1930.[13] During World War II he served with the Royal Air Force, and raised money for the Red Cross by playing exhibition matches and shows. This earned him an MBE. At this time he was stationed at RAF Halton and was closely involved with what is now the Chiltern Forest Golf club. He added three holes to the course (taking it from six to nine) and made other improvements.

Cotton was a playing member of three British Ryder Cup teams, in 1929, 1937 and 1947, serving as captain of the team in 1947, and was a non-playing captain in 1953. He competed only occasionally in the United States, without notable success.[14]

Personal life and retirement

On 11 December 1939[15] Cotton married Isabel-Maria Estanguet de Moss, the daughter of a Buenos Aires beef merchant, who was taking golf lessons from Cotton and was known by her nickname 'Toots'. She supported Cotton during his golf competitions and affected the way he would dress for them.[16]

Following his retirement from competitive golf in the early 1950s, Cotton became a successful architect of golf courses, including designing the Penina Golf and Resort and Pestana Alto Golf on the Algarve, Portugal.[17] He was hired by Baron Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild to design the golf course in Megève, Haute-Savoie, France.[18] Cotton wrote 10 books, and established the Golf Foundation, which helped thousands of young boys and girls get started in golf.

Cotton loved the high life, including champagne and bespoke tailored clothes. He lived for a while in a suite in a 5-star hotel, and later bought an estate complete with butler and full staff, traveling everywhere in a Rolls-Royce. Cotton stated in his book "This Game Of Golf" that his hero was Walter Hagen who was a flashy dresser and a high-roller. Cotton marveled at how Hagen would stay up all night playing cards for money on the eve of a tournament and how Hagen would go straight to the first tee without even warming up beforehand..

Cotton was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1980. He was knighted in the New Year's Day Honours of 1988, named a Knight Bachelor. This was reported in some media as a "posthumous knighthood" because he had died by the time it was publicly announced. However, the Queen had approved the award and he had accepted it, before his death.[19]

Tournament wins (37)

Important wins (30)

DateTournamentVenueWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
29 Jun 1930Belgian OpenRoyal Golf Club of Belgium73-68-74-66=28111 strokes Archie Compston
15 May 1931Dunlop-Southport TournamentSouthport and Ainsdale Golf Club70-77-68-72=2872 strokes Archie Compston
14 May 1932Dunlop-Southport TournamentHesketh Golf Club68-69-72-72=281Playoff Bill Twine
23 Sep 1932News of the World Match PlayMoor Park Golf Club10 & 8 in final Alf Perry
29 Jun 1934The Open ChampionshipRoyal St George's Golf Club67-65-72-79=2835 strokes Sid Brews
14 Aug 1934Belgian OpenRoyal Waterloo Golf Club67-71-73-68=2793 strokes Percy Alliss
8 Jun 1935Yorkshire Evening News TournamentSand Moor Golf Club3 & 2 in final Percy Alliss
3 Aug 1936Italian OpenSestrieres Golf Club68-67-67-66=2686 strokes Joe Ezar
24 Sep 1936Dunlop-Metropolitan TournamentWentworth Club72-68-70-71=2813 strokes Arthur Lacey, Reg Whitcombe
23 Apr 1937Silver King TournamentMoor Park Golf Club73-68-70-68=2791 stroke Paddy Mahon
9 Jul 1937The Open ChampionshipCarnoustie Golf Links74-72-73-71=2902 strokes Reg Whitcombe
15 Aug 1937German OpenBad Ems Golf Club63-70-69-72=27417 strokes Auguste Boyer
21 Aug 1937Czechoslovak OpenMarienbad Golf Club70-72-69-68=2795 strokes Arthur Lees
13 Jul 1938Belgian OpenRoyal Waterloo Golf Club66-70-69-72=27713 strokes Arthur Lacey
21 Aug 1938German OpenFrankfurter Golf Club71-68-70-76=28515 strokes Arthur Lees
26 Aug 1938Czechoslovak OpenCarlsbad Golf Club71-67-72-72=28211 strokes Bill Laidlaw
1 Apr 1939Daily Mail TournamentQueens Park Golf Club69-75-77-71=292Playoff Archie Compston
17 Jun 1939Penfold Professional Golf LeagueLittle Aston Golf Club18 pointsTie Charles Whitcombe
20 Aug 1939German OpenBad Ems Golf Club67-71-72-70=28011 strokes Georg Bessner
3 May 1940News of the World Match PlayRoyal Mid-Surrey Golf Club37th hole in final Alf Padgham
24 Aug 1945News Chronicle TournamentHollingbury Park Golf Club74-77-76-74=3014 strokes Percy Alliss, Arthur Havers
27 Apr 1946The Star TournamentWentworth Club4 & 3 in final Arthur Lees
11 Jul 1946French OpenSaint-Cloud Golf Club70-66-67-66=26915 strokes Flory Van Donck
28 Sep 1946News of the World Match PlayRoyal Liverpool Golf Club8 & 7 in final Jimmy Adams
6 Jun 1947Spalding TournamentOld Course at St Andrews74-69-71-74=2885 strokes Dai Rees
13 Jun 1947Yorkshire Evening News TournamentMoortown Golf Club66-72-70-69=277Tie Norman Von Nida
16 Jul 1947French OpenChantilly Golf Club68-71-73-73=2853 strokes John Knipe
2 Jul 1948The Open ChampionshipMuirfield71-66-75-72=2845 strokes Fred Daly
13 Jun 1953Dunlop TournamentWentworth Club72-65-70-72-74=3535 strokes Dai Rees
22 May 1954Penfold TournamentMaesdu Golf Clubalign=center colspan=25 & 4 in final John Jacobs

Other wins (7)

Note: This list may be incomplete.

Major championships

Wins (3)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1934 10 shot lead 67-65-72-79=283 5 strokes Sid Brews
1937 The Open Championship (2)3 shot deficit 74-72-73-71=290 2 strokes Reg Whitcombe
1948 The Open Championship (3)2 shot lead 71-66-75-72=284 5 strokes Fred Daly

Results timeline

Tournament192719281929
Masters TournamentNYFNYFNYF
U.S. Open
The Open Championship9T18T32
Tournament1930193119321933193419351936193719381939
Masters TournamentNYFNYFNYFNYF
U.S. OpenCUT
The Open Championship8T10T10T71T7T313T13
Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
Masters TournamentNTNTNTT25
U.S. OpenNTNTNTNT
The Open ChampionshipNTNTNTNTNTNTT4T61
Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
Masters TournamentT68T13
U.S. OpenT17
The Open Championship4CUTT32T6T9T8T41
Tournament1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open ChampionshipT32
Tournament19701971197219731974197519761977
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open ChampionshipCUT
Note: Cotton never played in the PGA Championship.
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cotton, Sir Henry . The Open . 10 December 2016.
  2. 40144. Cotton, (Thomas) Henry.
  3. News: The Times . 11 July 1922 . 6 . Alleyn's School V. Surrey C. And G..
  4. Web site: Henry Cotton . Aquarius Golf Club . 14 July 2015.
  5. News: The Boys Championship . . 3 . 6 September 1921.
  6. News: Boy golfers at Ascot . The Sphere . 17 September 1921 . 10 December 2016 . . subscription .
  7. News: Boys Championship . . 10 . 7 September 1922.
  8. Web site: Professionals . . 14 July 2015.
  9. Henry . Cotton . Henry Cotton (golfer) . This Game of Golf . . 1948.
  10. News: The Open Golf Championship . . 5 . 24 June 1925.
  11. News: The Times . 25 March 1926 . 7 . H Cotton.
  12. News: The Times . 1 October 1926 . 7 . Kent Professional Championship.
  13. https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/license/79660959 The picture shows Great Britain's Henry Cotton dressed in early aviators outfit at Croydon Airport where he was learning to fly
  14. Web site: Henry Cotton – 3 times Open Champion . www.raf.mod.uk . 26 September 2017.
  15. https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/license/79661644 The picture shows Henry Cotton on his wedding day, with his wife 'Toots', at the Savoy Hotel
  16. Glover, Tim (15 December 1992) Golf / Books for Christmas: Cotton the flamboyant obsessive: Tim Glover on the drive of a great Briton and other memorable golfing tales. The Independent
  17. https://www.pestanagolf.com/en/golf/alto-golf/ Alto Golf
  18. News: Viguie-Desplaces . Philippe . Chalet du Mont d'Arbois : et Rothschild créa Megève… . 19 June 2016 . Le Figaro . 22 December 2015.
  19. News: The Times . 31 December 1987 . 32 . Cotton awarded posthumous knighthood.

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