William John Branch (20 February 1911 – 25 February 1985) was an English

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

. He finished 9th in the

1935 Open Championship The 1935 Open Championship was the 70th Open Championship, played 26–28 June at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Alf Perry won his only Men's major golf championships, major title, four strokes ahead of runner-up Alf Padgham. Qu ...

and won the Belgian Open 10 days later. His last major success was in the 1954 Gleneagles-Saxone Foursomes Tournament.

Golf career

Branch's father, Jack was a golf professional. Jack had been at Woolacombe Bay Golf Club in Devon and Stafford Castle but was professional at Alsager Golf Club in 1911 when Branch was born. Jack moved to Henbury Golf Club near Bristol soon after Branch's birth and was professional there for 37 years until his death in 1949 aged 64. After leaving school Branch became an assistant to his father where he stayed until becoming an assistant at Leicestershire Golf Club in 1937. He left the Leicestershire club at the end of 1945 and was unattached for some time until joining Berkhamstead Golf Club in 1949 and then moving to

Ganton Golf Club Ganton Golf Club is a golf club in Ganton, North Yorkshire, England. It has an 18-hole golf course that has hosted many major tournaments, including the 1949 Ryder Cup. Ganton has been widely rated as one of the best golf courses in England a ...

in 1951. He was professional at Scarborough South Cliff Golf Club in the 1960s eventually moving to Fulford Golf Club in 1971. Branch won the 1954 Gleneagles-Saxone Foursomes Tournament, in partnership with Donald Cameron. He was runner-up in the 1950 Daily Telegraph Foursomes Tournament and joint runner-up in the 1953 Silver King Tournament.

Tournament wins

*1930 PGA Assistants' Championship *1932 West of England Professional Championship *1935 Belgian Open *1936 Dunlop-Midland Professional Championship *1954 Gleneagles-Saxone Foursomes Tournament (with Donald Cameron)

Results in major championships

''Note: Branch only played in The Open Championship.''
NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

England–Scotland Professional Match The England–Scotland Professional Match was an annual men's professional golf competition between teams representing England and Scotland. It was played from 1903 to the start of World War I and was then revived in 1932 and played until the star ...

(representing England): 1936 (winners) *

Slazenger Trophy The Slazenger Trophy was a men's professional team golf competition; one team representing Great Britain and Ireland, the other team representing the British Commonwealth and Empire. It was played just once, in 1956. Format The cup was contested ...

(representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1956 (winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Branch, Bill English male golfers People from Alsager 1911 births 1985 deaths 20th-century English sportsmen