Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament

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

Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament
Tournament information
LocationKingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey, England
Established1951
Course(s)Coombe Hill Golf Club
Month playedMay
Final year1964
Final champion
 Tony Jacklin (ENG)
Coombe Hill Golf Club is located in England
Coombe Hill Golf Club
Coombe Hill Golf Club

History

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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

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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

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