The 1911 News of the World Match Play was the ninth News of the World Match Play tournament, played from 3 to 5 October 1911 at the Walton Heath Golf Club. 32 players competed in a straight knock-out competition, with each match contested over 18 holes, except for the final which was over 36 holes. The winner received £100 out of a total prize fund of £400. James Braid defeated Ted Ray by 1 hole in the final to win the tournament.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 3–5 October 1911 |
| Location | Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, England |
| Course(s) | Walton Heath Golf Club |
| Organised by | The PGA |
| Format | Match play – 18 holes (Final 36 holes) |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 32 players |
| Prize fund | £400 |
| Winner's share | £100 |
| Champion | |
 James Braid | |
| def. Ted Ray 1 up | |
Qualification edit
Entry was restricted to members of the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA). Qualification was by a series of 36-hole stroke-play competitions; one for each of the eight PGA sections. The Southern section had 12 qualifiers, the Northern section 7, the Midland section 5, the Scottish, Welsh and Western sections 2 and the Eastern and Irish sections 1. Because of the large number of entries in the Southern section, two events were run with 6 qualifiers at each venue. Compared to 1910, the number of qualifiers from the Southern section was reduced by one with the Midland section increasing by one. In the event of a tie for places there was a playoff.
The qualifiers were:
- Eastern section: Ernest Riseborough
- Irish section: Charlie Pope
- Midland section: James Adwick, Jack Bloxham, Len Holland, George Tuck, Tom Williamson
- Northern section: Jack Gaudin, Walter Hambleton, Cyril Hughes, Bill Leaver, Ted Ray, Thomas Renouf, Sam Whiting
- Southern section at Acton Golf Club: James Braid, George Duncan, Fred Leach, James Sherlock, Josh Taylor, Harry Vardon
- Southern section at West Drayton Golf Club: Laurie Ayton, Snr, James Batley, Arthur Catlin, Sandy Herd, Charles Mayo, Fred Robson
- Scottish section: Tom Fernie, Willie Watt
- Western section: Ernest Firstbrook, Herbert Osborne
- Welsh section: Syd Ball, Peter Rainford
Format edit
The format was unchanged. Matches were over 18 holes except for the final which was over 36 holes. Extra holes were played in the event of a tied match. Two rounds were played on the first day, two more on the second day with the final on the third day.
Results edit
w/o = Walk over
Prize money edit
Prize money was increased to £400. The winner still received £100 and a gold medal, but the runner-up now received £40 and a silver medal, losing semi-finalists £20 and a bronze medal, losing quarter-finalists £15, second round losers £10 and first round losers £5. The new distribution meant that all 32 qualifiers for the final stages received at least £5.
References edit
- ^ "Golf – Professional tournament for £400". The Times. 3 October 1911. p. 10.
- ^ "Golf – The £400 tourney – Last year's winner beaten". The Glasgow Herald. 4 October 1911. p. 14.
- ^ "Golf – The £400 tournament – Defeat of the Open Champion". The Glasgow Herald. 5 October 1911. p. 15.
- ^ "Golf – The £400 tournament – Braid beats Ray". The Glasgow Herald. 6 October 1911. p. 15.