Alf Padgham
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Alfred Harry Padgham (2 July 1906 – 4 March 1966) was one of the leading British professional golfers of the 1930s and 1940s. He won the 1936 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in
Hoylake Hoylake () is a coast, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee, Wales, River Dee meets the Irish Sea. At the 2021 United K ...
,
Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...
, England and played for Great Britain in the
Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
in 1933, 1935 and 1937. He was captain of the Professional Golfers Association in 1936.


Early life

Padgham was born in
Caterham Caterham () is a town in the Tandridge (district), Tandridge district of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valle ...
, Surrey. His family had close ties to Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club in Sussex, where he served his apprenticeship under head professional Jack Rowe.


Career

As a tournament player, he came into prominence in 1931 when he won the
News of the World Match Play The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the '' News of the World'', and was commonly known ...
at
Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club The Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club is a private Country club, golf club and golf course comprising two 18-hole courses located in Old Deer Park in Richmond, London, Richmond, south west London. Location The course lies in an arc of Crown Estate l ...
, beating Mark Seymour in the final and receiving £300 in prize money. On 20 May 1933, Padgham took part in an exhibition match against Percy Alliss, as the main event at the opening of the reconstructed West course at Sundridge Park Golf Club, in the south east suburbs of London, near Sevenoaks in Kent. Members of the management committee at the Sundridge Park were impressed with Padgham's skill, so he was approached and he agreed to become the club professional, on a five-year contract, working as senior partner with present club pro Jack Randall, working in tandem. Padgham's many successes in tournament golf in the years to come, beside his work at the club, were of great delight of the club. He will be remembered most for his remarkable sequence of five victories between the autumn of 1935 and the summer of 1936. They included the News of the World Match Play for the second time, beating Percy Alliss in the final, and The Open Championship. He also captured the championships of Ireland, Germany and Holland. He built up slowly towards his Open Championship victory in 1936. He was fourth in 1932, seventh the following year, then third behind Henry Cotton at Sandwich and second to Alf Perry at Muirfield in 1935 before the title became his at Royal Liverpool. On the longest course yet used for The Open at 7,708 yards, he came from behind with a last round of 71 to beat Jimmy Adams by a single stroke and Cotton by another stroke. On that final day, he had to break into the locked Hoylake pro shop to retrieve his clubs for an early tee time, but seemed completely unperturbed by the incident. On the final green he holed from 12 feet for a 3 to win. Despite seeming to be a good match-play competitor, winning the News of the World Match Play twice and once being beaten in the final by Cotton, he failed to win a single point in his three
Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
appearances in 1933, 1935 and 1937.


Personal life and retirement

Padgham was a tall and thin man with a natural smooth swing, a lot similar to that of the great Harry Vardon, but sometimes his putter let him down. Vardon, winner of six Open titles, had one word for Padgham's swing. He thought it "perfect". From a short, three-quarter backswing the club seemed to flow effortlessly into the ball and yet he was one of the longest hitters of his day. Padgham was not a charismatic person, usually dressed in dark clothes, often a raincoat. He was shy and quiet and only showed his sense of humour with close friends. He lost what might have been some of his best competitive years due to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. During the war, Padgham joined the full-time Special Police and part of the club house and golf course at Sundridge Park was used for military purpose. Nevertheless, in June 1940, Padgham took part in a 72-hole tournament at Sundridge Park, with gate receipts going to the Red Cross. During the 1950s and early 1960s, Padgham took part in many exhibition matches, the money going to good causes. In 1959, he was presented with a gold watch by Sundridge Park, for 25 years of service to the club. Unfortunately the watch did not go over his hand. Whilst Padgham was absent from the club through sickness in the beginning of the 1960s, his eldest son died, which added to his suffering. He retired from the club in 1965, with failing health, and was succeeded by George Will. Padgham died on 4 March 1966 at age 59 at his home in West Wickham, Greater London, Kent.


Professional wins (21)

*1931
News of the World Match Play The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the '' News of the World'', and was commonly known ...
*1932 Irish Open *1933 Sussex Professional Championship *1934 German Open, Dunlop-Southport Tournament, Yorkshire Evening News Tournament, Kent President's Cup *1935
News of the World Match Play The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the '' News of the World'', and was commonly known ...
*1936
The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
,
Daily Mail Tournament The Daily Mail Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in the United Kingdom. The ''Daily Mail'' sponsored the St Andrews Tournament in 1919 and in 1920 continued their sponsorship with the start of the Daily Mail Tournament. The even ...
, Silver King Tournament, Dunlop-Southport Tournament, Western Province Open *1938 Dutch Open, Kent Professional Championship *1939 Silver King Tournament, News Chronicle Tournament *1946
Daily Mail Tournament The Daily Mail Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in the United Kingdom. The ''Daily Mail'' sponsored the St Andrews Tournament in 1919 and in 1920 continued their sponsorship with the start of the Daily Mail Tournament. The even ...
*1947 Silver King Tournament *1948 Kent President's Cup *1954 Kent Professional Championship


Major championships


Wins (1)


Results timeline

''Note: Padgham only played in
The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
''
NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place


Team appearances

*
Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
(representing Great Britain):
1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...
(winners),
1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...
, 1937 * England–Scotland Professional Match (representing England): 1932 (winners), 1933 (winners), 1934 (winners), 1935 (winners), 1936 (winners), 1937 (winners), 1938 (winners) * England–Ireland Professional Match (representing England): 1932 (winners), 1933 (winners) *Coronation Match (representing the Ladies and Professionals): 1937 * Llandudno International Golf Trophy (representing England): 1938 (winners)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Padgham, Alf English male golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Ryder Cup competitors for Europe People from Caterham 1906 births 1966 deaths 20th-century English sportsmen