1964 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship

The 1964 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship was the first World Match Play Championship. It was played from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October on the West Course at Wentworth. Eight players competed in a straight knock-out competition, with each match contested over 36 holes. The champion received £5,000 out of a total prize fund of £16,000. Arnold Palmer defeated Neil Coles 2&1 in the final to win the tournament.

1964 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship
Tournament information
Dates9–11 October 1964
LocationVirginia Water, Surrey, England
Course(s)West Course, Wentworth
FormatMatch play – 36 holes
Statistics
Par75
Length6,936 yards (6,342 m)
Field8 players
Prize fund£16,000
Winner's share£5,000
Champion
United States Arnold Palmer
def. Neil Coles 2 & 1
1965 →
Wentworth is located in England
Wentworth
Wentworth

The tournament was sponsored by Carreras Tobacco Company the manufacturer of Piccadilly cigarettes.[1]

In the final, Palmer led by two after nine holes but Coles won the 11th, 12th, 13th and the 18th to reach lunch two holes up. Coles was round in 72 to Palmer's 74. In the afternoon Palmer went 2–3–3 from the 5th to the 7th to lead by one, reaching the turn in 32. Palmer won the 15th with a three and eventually won 2&1, having completed the 17 holes in the afternoon in 61 strokes.[2]

The match play championship concluded a week of golf at Wentworth which had started with the Piccadilly Tournament, a 72-hole stroke play competition, which was played on the East Course from 5 to 7 October. The winner was Jimmy Martin who took home £750 of the total prize fund of £4,000.[3]

Course

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Source:[4]

Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Yards 470 156 444 505 186 342 402 398 453 3,356 186 379 480 440 176 479 380 556 504 3,580 6,936
Par 5 3 5 5 3 4 4 4 4 37 3 4 5 4 3 5 4 5 5 38 75

Scores

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Source:[2][4]

Quarter-finals
9 October
Semi-finals
10 October
Final
11 October
      
  Arnold Palmer 1 up
  Peter Butler
  Arnold Palmer 8 & 6
  Gary Player
  Ken Venturi
  Gary Player 4 & 2
  Arnold Palmer 2 & 1
  Neil Coles
  Neil Coles 4 & 3
  Tony Lema
  Neil Coles 2 & 1
  Bruce Devlin
  Bruce Devlin 3 & 2
  Jack Nicklaus

Prize money

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The winner received £5,000, the runner-up £3,000, the losing semi-finalists £2,000 and the first round losers £1,000, making a total prize fund of £16,000.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "£20,000 For Golf.". The Times, Friday, 14 February 1964; pg. 4; Issue 55935.
  2. ^ a b "Palmer's Supreme Golf Under Pressure". The Times, Monday, 12 October 1964; pg. 3; Issue 56140.
  3. ^ "Martin Welcomes Rain And First Prize". The Times, Thursday, 8 October 1964; pg. 3; Issue 56137.
  4. ^ a b "Palmer Alone Survives To Carry U.S. Challenge". The Times, Saturday, 10 October 1964; pg. 4; Issue 56139.

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