Yorkshire Evening News Tournament

The Yorkshire Evening News Tournament was a professional golf tournament that was held in the Leeds area of Yorkshire, England between 1923 and 1963. It was a fixture on the British PGA tournament circuit, which would later become the European Tour. Before World War II, it was a knockout match play tournament preceded by a 36-hole stroke play qualifying round; when it was revived following the war it was a pure stroke play tournament, except for 1949 when it was played as knockout match play.

Yorkshire Evening News Tournament
Tournament information
LocationLeeds, Yorkshire, England
Established1923
FormatMatch play (1923–1939, 1949)
Stroke play (1944–1948; 1950–1963)
Final year1963
Final champion
Tom Haliburton

In the early years, the Yorkshire Evening News Tournament was considered a British major golf tournament. "The first tournament, in 1923, was billed as the unofficial ‘Championship of the World’ between American superstars Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen. Hagen triumphed, but lost in the final by a two-hole margin to Ryder Cup star Herbert Jolly."[1]

Format

From its founding in 1923 until 1939, the Yorkshire Evening News Tournament was contested as match play knockout by the leading players after 36 holes of stroke play.[2][3] When it was revived in 1944, during World War II, it was a 36-hole stroke play tournament. Following the end of the war, in 1946, it was extended to 72 holes. The 72-hole stroke play format was retained except for 1949, when it was played as knockout match play in order to provide British players with practice in advance of the Ryder Cup.[4]

Winners
YearWinnerScoreMargin
of victory		Runner(s)-upWinner's
share (£)		VenueRef
1963 Tom Haliburton2801 stroke Peter Thomson1,000Sand Moor[5]
1962 Peter Butler2734 strokes Ken Bousfield1,000Moortown[6]
1961 Peter Thomson2821 stroke Dai ReesSand Moor[7]
1960 Peter Thomson2685 strokes Bernard Hunt500Moortown[8]
1959 Norman Drew2814 strokes Peter Alliss
Harold Henning
Peter Thomson		500Sand Moor[9]
1958 Eric Brown &
Harold Henning		280TieShared title500 & 250
(shared)		Moortown[10]
1957 Peter Thomson26415 strokes Harry Bradshaw500Sand Moor[11]
1956 Ken Bousfield &
Dai Rees		281TieShared title500 & 250
(shared)		Moortown[12]
1955 Antonio Cerdá2763 strokes Harry Weetman500Sand Moor[13]
1954 John Panton2841 stroke Ken Bousfield
Bernard Hunt		500Moortown[14]
1953 Flory Van Donck2781 stroke Harry Bradshaw500Sand Moor[15]
1952 Dai Rees2831 stroke Henry Cotton
Syd Scott		Moortown[16]
1951 Dai Rees &
Norman Von Nida		281TieShared title300 & 150
(shared)		Moortown[17]
1950 Dai Rees2768 strokes Arthur LeesSand Moor[18]
1949 Sam King6 & 5 Walter LeesMoortown[19]
1948 Charlie Ward2753 strokes Norman Von NidaMoortown[20]
1947 Norman Von Nida &
Henry Cotton		277TieShared title200 & 100
(shared)		Moortown[21]
1946 Bobby Locke2837 strokes A G Matthews
Dai Rees		Moortown[22]
1945 Archie Compston1485 strokes Bill CoxMoortown[23]
1944 Sam King1336 strokes Bill ShanklandRoundhay[24]
1940–43: No tournament due to World War II
1939 Dai Rees37 holes Jack Hargreaves150Temple Newsam[25]
1938 Alf Perry8 & 6 Vernon GreenhalghLeeds[26]
1937 Arthur Lacey2 & 1 John FallonMoortown[27]
1936 Dick Burton3 & 2 A G MatthewsTemple Newsam[28]
1935 Henry Cotton3 & 2 Percy Alliss150Sand Moor[29]
1934 Alf Padgham37 holes Sid BrewsMoortown[30]
1933 Arthur Lacey2 & 1 Alf PadghamTemple Newsam[31]
1932 Bert Hodson39 holes Fred RobsonMoortown[32]
1931 Ernest Whitcombe39 holes Tom BarberSand Moor[33]
1930 Herbert Jolly3 & 1 Owen Sanderson200Headingley[34]
1929 Joe Turnesa37 holes Herbert Jolly200Moortown[35][36]
1928 Charles Whitcombe3 & 2 Herbert JollyMoortown[37]
1927 Ernest Whitcombe9 & 8 Herbert JollyHeadingley[38]
1926 Charles Whitcombe9 & 8 Moses O'NeillMoortown[39]
1925 Len Holland3 & 2 James OckendenMoortown[40]
1924 Fred Robson37 holes Archie CompstonHeadingley[41]
1923 Herbert Jolly2 up Walter Hagen200Headingley[42][43]

Records
  • Lowest aggregate score (72-hole stroke play):
    264 – Peter Thomson (1957)
  • Largest margin of victory (72-hole stroke play):
    15 strokes – Peter Thomson (1957)

Venues
CourseTimes hostedFirst yearLast year
Moortown Golf Club1919251963
Sand Moor Golf Club919311962
Headingley Golf Club419231930
Temple Newsham Golf Club319331939
Leeds Golf Club119381938
Roundhay Golf Club119441944

References
  1. "Headingley Golf Club: Club History". Headingley Golf Club. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  2. "World golf champions in Leeds". The Yorkshire Evening Post. 15 May 1923. p. 10. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "British golf victory". News Chronicle. 6 June 1939. p. 18. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. "Match Play For Ryder Cup Men". Bristol Evening Post. 28 January 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Horne, Cyril (24 June 1963). "Surprise Victory For Haliburton". The Glasgow Herald. p. 9.
  6. "Butler Wins Moortown Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 25 June 1962. p. 9.
  7. "First Success For Thomson". The Glasgow Herald. 24 June 1961. p. 5.
  8. "Thomson Wins By 5 Strokes". The Glasgow Herald. 18 June 1960. p. 5.
  9. "Drew's First Victory In Major Event". The Glasgow Herald. 20 June 1959. p. 9.
  10. "Brown And Henning Tie At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 21 June 1958. p. 7.
  11. "Thomson Goes For Aggregate Record And Succeeds". The Glasgow Herald. 22 June 1957. p. 9.
  12. "D.J. Rees and K. Bousfield Tie At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 23 June 1956. p. 7.
  13. "Argentine Golfer Wins At Sand Moor". The Glasgow Herald. 25 June 1955. p. 9.
  14. "Panton Surprise Winner At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 12 June 1954. p. 9.
  15. "Astonishing Finish In Golf At Sandmoor". The Glasgow Herald. 20 June 1953. p. 9.
  16. "Rees Wins At Moortown". The Glasgow Herald. 21 June 1952. p. 9.
  17. "Von Nida And Rees Tie". The Glasgow Herald. 9 June 1951. p. 6.
  18. "Rees Wins By Eight Strokes". The Glasgow Herald. 10 June 1950. p. 6.
  19. "King Wins £1350 Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 13 June 1949. p. 3.
  20. "Remarkable Finish By Von Nida". The Glasgow Herald. 11 June 1948. p. 2.
  21. "Cotton and von Nida Tie for First Place". The Glasgow Herald. 14 June 1947. p. 2.
  22. "Locke's decisive victory". The Glasgow Herald. 27 May 1946. p. 7.
  23. "Compston wins Leeds golf tourney". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 4 June 1945. Retrieved 29 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  24. "Sam King". The Glasgow Herald. 22 May 1944. p. 5.
  25. "Golf Struggle At Leeds". The Glasgow Herald. 12 June 1939. p. 20.
  26. "Perry's Easy Win At £750 Final". The Glasgow Herald. 6 June 1938. p. 18.
  27. "Scot beaten in Tourney Final". The Glasgow Herald. 7 June 1937. p. 6.
  28. "Burton wins £735 Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 15 June 1936. p. 6.
  29. "Cotton defeats Alliss". The Glasgow Herald. 10 June 1935. p. 4.
  30. "£750 Tournament final". The Glasgow Herald. 11 June 1934. p. 17.
  31. "Lacey wins at Leeds". The Glasgow Herald. 5 June 1933. p. 3.
  32. "Hodson beats Robson". The Glasgow Herald. 23 May 1932. p. 3.
  33. "The 1000 Guineas Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 25 May 1931. p. 5.
  34. "Jolly wins 1000 Guineas Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 2 June 1930. p. 6.
  35. "Golf – Turnesa wins Leeds tournament". The Times. 20 May 1929. p. 5.
  36. "Turnesa Wins In England". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. 19 May 1929. p. 9 (Sporting section).
  37. "One Thousand Guineas Tournament – C A Whitcombe's success". The Times. 21 May 1928. p. 6.
  38. "Golf – Leeds Tournament – Ernest Whitcombe's wins". The Glasgow Herald. 1 August 1927. p. 15.
  39. "Golf – The Leeds Tournament – Charles Whitcombe's big win". The Glasgow Herald. 23 August 1926. p. 7.
  40. "One Thousand Guineas Tournament – Holland beats Ockenden in final". The Glasgow Herald. 13 July 1925. p. 11.
  41. "The Thousand Guineas Tournament – Fred Robson wins". The Glasgow Herald. 2 June 1924. p. 17.
  42. "Golf – The Leeds Tournament – Jolly's great win over Hagen". The Glasgow Herald. 21 May 1923. p. 15.
  43. "Britisher Defeats Hagen For Professional Title". The Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. 20 May 1923. p. 17.
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