Brian Marchbank (born 20 April 1958)[1] is a Scottish professional golfer. He had a successful amateur career in which he won Boys Amateur Championship and the British Youths Open Championship and played in the 1979 Walker Cup. He made over 400 appearances on European Tour without winning, his best finish being when he was runner-up in the 1982 State Express English Classic

Brian Marchbank
Personal information
Born (1958-04-20) 20 April 1958 (age 66)
Perth, Scotland
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb; 12.0 st)
Sporting nationality Scotland
Career
Turned professional1979
Former tour(s)European Tour
European Seniors Tour
Professional wins4
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT8: 1986

Amateur career

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Marchbank was a successful amateur golfer. In 1975 he won the Boys Amateur Championship at Bruntsfield Links, beating Sandy Lyle by one hole in the 36-hole final, making a 12-foot birdie putt at the final hole.[2] In 1978 Marchbank won the Lytham Trophy. He led by 5 strokes after three rounds and, despite a final round of 77, won by three strokes from Peter Thomas.[3] Later in the year he won the British Youths Open Championship, with two rounds of 68 on the final day giving him the championship by three strokes from Hugh Evans.[4] Marchbank played in the 1979 Walker Cup. He won two of his four matches, winning his singles on the opening day but losing to Hal Sutton in the final-day singles.[5]

Professional career

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Marchbank turned professional in 1979, making his debut in the Scottish PGA Championship in early September.[6] He made his debut on the European Tour in late 1979 and was a regular competitor until the end of the 1996 season, making over 400 appearances.[7] He never won an official European Tour event although he won the Equity & Law Challenge, an unofficial-money event on the tour, two years in succession.[8][9] His best finish in an official event was second in the 1982 State Express English Classic at The Belfry, one stroke behind Greg Norman. On the final day Marchbank finished with three birdies in the last four holes for a round of 67, the lowest of the day.[10] Marchbank played in 12 Open Championships, with a best finish in 1986 at Turnberry, when he finished in a tie for 8th place. He had an opening round of 78 but his final three rounds of 70, 72 and 69 were better than anyone else, except the winner Greg Norman.

Personal life

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Marshbank's father Ian (1931–2019) was also a golfer and was the professional at Gleneagles for many years.

Amateur wins

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Professional wins (4)

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Results in major championships

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Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
The Open Championship CUT CUT CUT CUT T8 T44 T38 T30 T92 T45 T38 CUT

Note: Marchbank only played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = Missed the cut (3rd round cut in 1980 and 1984 Open Championships)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

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Amateur

References

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  1. ^ "Brian Marchbank". Scottish Golf Museum. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  2. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (23 August 1975). "Birdie putt gives Marchbank title". The Glasgow Herald. p. 14.
  3. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (8 May 1978). "Brian leads form start to finish". The Glasgow Herald. p. 15.
  4. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (14 August 1978). "Marchbank outlasts rivals with two final 68s". The Glasgow Herald. p. 14.
  5. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (1 June 1979). "Britain's Walker Cup singles flop". Glasgow Herald. p. 32.
  6. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (1 September 1979). "Sam plays it again". The Glasgow Herald. p. 16.
  7. ^ "Brian Marchbank". European Tour. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  8. ^ "A house-warming present for a man on the move". The Times. 26 September 1990.
  9. ^ "Richardson's 58 not enough to pip Marchbank". The Times. 18 September 1991.
  10. ^ "Marchbank confirms talent and multiplies his earnings". The Glasgow Herald. 12 July 1982. p. 14.
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