U.S. Professional Match Play Championship

The U.S. Professional Match Play Championship was a PGA Tour event that was played in North Carolina in the early 1970s.

U.S. Professional Match Play Championship
Tournament information
LocationCary, North Carolina
Established1971
Course(s)MacGregor Downs Country Club
Par71
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatMatch play
Prize fundUS$200,000
Month playedAugust
Final year1973
Tournament record score
Aggregate71 DeWitt Weaver (1971)
To par−1 as above
Score2 and 1 Jack Nicklaus (1972)
Final champion
United States John Schroeder
Location map
MacGregor Downs CC is located in the United States
MacGregor Downs CC
MacGregor Downs CC
Location in United States
MacGregor Downs CC is located in North Carolina
MacGregor Downs CC
MacGregor Downs CC
Location in North Carolina

The event was first played as the Liggett & Myers Open Match Play Championship in 1971[1] at The Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst. The field of 64 players in 1971 consisted of the winners of tour events from the previous 12 months and the leaders from the 1971 money list. The tournament was played in medal match play. The purse in 1971 was $267,500 with $35,000 going to the winner.

For 1972, the tournament, now called the U.S. Professional Match Play Championship, was held in conjunction with the Liggett & Myers Open.[2] Eight players were exempt into the field of 16 with the other eight players being the leaders after the first two rounds of the Liggett & Myers Open. The tournament was played on Saturday and Sunday, two rounds each day, concurrently with the final two rounds of the Liggett & Myers Open. The tournament was played at normal match play. The purse in 1972 was $150,000 with $40,000 going to the winner. Losers in the first round received $5,000, or more than the fourth-place finisher in the Liggett & Myers Open.

In 1973, the format and purse remained the same but the events shifted to MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, North Carolina.[3]

Winners

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Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner-up Ref.
U.S. Professional Match Play Championship
1973   John Schroeder 2 up   DeWitt Weaver [4]
1972   Jack Nicklaus 2 and 1   Frank Beard [5]
Liggett & Myers Open Match Play Championship
1971   DeWitt Weaver 71 −1 6 strokes   Phil Rodgers [6]

References

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  1. ^ "Career Milestones from DeWitt Weaver Golf Solutions LLC". Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  2. ^ "Golfers Slated For Doubleheader". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. AP. August 24, 1972. p. 4C.
  3. ^ Green, Bob (August 24, 1973). "Match Play could decide who wins golfer of the year". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. AP. p. 6.
  4. ^ "Schroeder Captures Pro Match Play Title". The Spartanburg Herald. Spartanburg, South Carolina. AP. August 27, 1973. p. B!.
  5. ^ Green, Bob (August 28, 1972). "Nicklaus Wins Match Title". The Argus-Press. Owosso, Michigan. AP. p. 14.
  6. ^ "DeWitt Weaver wins Match Play title". Wilmington Morning Star. Wilmington, North Carolina. UPI. August 30, 1971. p. 13.