The Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament was a professional golf tournament for assistant professionals played from 1951 to 1964.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey, England |
| Established | 1951 |
| Course(s) | Coombe Hill Golf Club |
| Month played | May |
| Final year | 1964 |
| Final champion | |
 Tony Jacklin (ENG) | |
History
editThe 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
edit| Year | Winner | Country | Score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share (£) |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Peter Mills | England |
291 | 11 strokes |  Arthur Devulder |
100 | [3] |
| 1952 | Bernard Hunt | England |
283 | 8 strokes | Peter Mills |
75 | [4] |
| 1953 | Bernard Hunt | England |
277 | 8 strokes | Fred Boobyer |
[5] | |
| 1954 | Jimmy Martin |  Ireland |
19 holes | Peter Mills |
100 | [6] | |
| 1955 | Peter Mills | England |
284 | 3 strokes | Peter Butler Len Roberts |
100 | [7] |
| 1956 | Alex Fox |  Scotland |
286 | 1 stroke | David Beard |
100 | [8] |
| 1957 | George Low | Scotland |
280 | 1 stroke | Neil Coles |
100 | [9] |
| 1958 | Ross Whitehead | England |
286 | 2 strokes | A H Freeman Geoffrey Hunt |
100 | [10] |
| 1959 | Peter Gill | England |
281 | Playoff (6 holes) |
Billy Bingham |
100 | [11] |
| 1960 | Neil Coles | England |
280 | 1 stroke | Lionel Platts |
100 | [12] |
| 1961 | Lionel Platts | England |
280 | 6 strokes | Len Roberts |
[13] | |
| 1962 | Geoffrey Hunt | England |
274 | 6 strokes | Len Roberts |
[14] | |
| 1963 | Alex Caygill | England |
216 | 2 strokes | Malcolm Gregson Tony Jacklin |
100 | [15] |
| 1964 | Tony Jacklin | England |
285 | 1 stroke | Adrian Sadler |
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.
References
edit- ^ "Golf – Professional Tournaments". The Times. 9 January 1952. p. 4.
- ^ "Golf assistants at Coombe Hill". The Times. 13 May 1954. p. 4.
- ^ "Assistants' Tournament". The Times. 11 May 1951. p. 2.
- ^ "Assistant's 64 at Coombe Hill". The Glasgow Herald. 9 May 1952. p. 7.
- ^ "Assistant's tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 24 April 1953. p. 9.
- ^ "Assistants' fine golf". The Glasgow Herald. 15 May 1954. p. 4.
- ^ "Mills leading assistants". The Glasgow Herald. 13 May 1955. p. 4.
- ^ "Scot wins assistants' title". The Glasgow Herald. 11 May 1956. p. 4.
- ^ "Low wins tournament by one stroke". The Glasgow Herald. 24 May 1957. p. 4.
- ^ "Whitehead wins assistants' event". The Glasgow Herald. 31 May 1958. p. 7.
- ^ "Assistants' win for P E Gill". The Glasgow Herald. 29 May 1959. p. 11.
- ^ "Assistants' win for Coles". The Glasgow Herald. 27 May 1960. p. 13.
- ^ "Assistants' event won by Platts". The Glasgow Herald. 19 May 1961. p. 13.
- ^ "Assistants' title well won by G M Hunt". The Glasgow Herald. 11 May 1962. p. 13.
- ^ "G A Caygill's victory at Selsdon Park". The Glasgow Herald. 27 September 1963. p. 6.
- ^ "Jacklin wins by a stroke". The Glasgow Herald. 23 May 1964. p. 5.