Ernest William Henry "Bob" Kenyon (16 March 1905 – 15 March 1988) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

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 won the

Irish Open Irish Open may refer to: *Irish Open (golf), a golf tournament on the European Tour ** Irish Senior Open, a golf tournament on the European Seniors Tour **Ladies Irish Open, a golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour * Irish Open (darts), annua ...

in 1931 and 1933 and finished tied for ninth place in the

1939 Open Championship The 1939 Open Championship was the 74th Open Championship, held 5–7 July at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. Dick Burton won his only major title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Johnny Bulla. The purse was £500 with a winner's sha ...

. He won the

World Senior Championship The World Senior Championship was a golf match held between the winners of the American PGA Seniors' Championship (now Senior PGA Championship) and the British PGA Seniors Championship. It was held from 1954 to 1978. It was a 36-hole match-play e ...

in 1956.

Early life

Kenyon, who was born in

Exmouth Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort situated on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe, southeast of Exeter. In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of settl ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on 16 March 1905, was the son of Ernest Kenyon (1879–1958), the professional at Exmouth Golf Club from 1903 to 1938.

Golf career

Kenyon was at

Whitchurch Golf Club Whitchurch Golf Club ( Welsh: ''Clwb Golff Yr Eglwys Newydd'') is a golf club based in Rhiwbina in Cardiff, Wales. It is an 18-hole parkland course. The club record is held by Ian Woosnam with a par of 62. In 2005, 2006, and 2008 the club won the ...

and

Creigiau Creigiau is a dormitory settlement in the north-west of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The village currently has about 1,500 houses and a population of approximately 5,000 people. Prior to 2022 The Cardiff electoral ward covering the village w ...

Golf Club in Wales and was then professional at West Lancashire Golf Club from late 1929 to 1935 where he was replaced by Ted Jarman. In 1936 Kenyon moved to Beaconsfield Golf Club, replacing

Percy Alliss Percy Alliss (8 January 1897 – 31 March 1975) was one of the leading English professional golfers in the 1920s and 1930s, winning many tournaments in Britain and Continental Europe. He was also the father of commentator and former golfer Peter ...

. After

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 ...

, he joined

Worsley Worsley () is a village in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which in 2014 had a population of 10,090. It lies along Worsley Brook, west of Manchester. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county ...

Golf Club and, from 1956,

Letchworth Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2021 census was 33,990. Letchworth ...

Golf Club.

Irish Open

He won the

in 1931 and again in 1933.

1939 Open Championship

The

was held 5–7 July at the

Old Course at St Andrews The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course in the world. It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links ...

in St Andrews, Scotland. Kenyon played solid, consistent golf and carded rounds of 73-75-74-74=296 finishing +4 for the tournament. He tied with

Bobby Locke Arthur D'Arcy "Bobby" Locke (20 November 1917 – 9 March 1987) was a South African professional golfer. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won The Open Championship four times and 15 PGA Tour events in total ...

and

for ninth place and won £11 13s 4d.

World Senior Championship

Kenyon won the

in 1956. He played at Prenton Golf Club against the Pete Burke who had won the American

PGA Seniors' Championship The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA ...

, winning the 36-hole match 4 & 3. From 1957 the British representative in this match was given to the winner of the British

PGA Seniors Championship The PGA Seniors Championship is a European Senior Tour golf tournament for men aged fifty and above. It was founded in 1957 and became part of the European Senior Tour on its founding in 1992. It was not held in 2016 or 2017 but returned in 201 ...

but in 1956 four leading senior golfers played to decide the British entry.

Death and legacy

Kenyon died on 15 March 1988 in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

.Calendar
probatesearch.service.gov.uk He is remembered for twice winning the Irish Open.

Tournament wins (4)

*1931

*1932

Leeds Cup The Leeds Cup is a golf tournament that has been played annually in northern England since 1902. The event is organised by the north region of the Professional Golfers' Association (Great Britain & Ireland), Professional Golfers' Association. It ...

*1933

*1956

Results in major championships

''Note: Kenyon 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): 1932 (winners) *

England–Ireland Professional Match The England–Ireland Professional Match was an annual men's professional golf competition between teams representing England and Ireland. It was played in 1932 and 1933 before the Irish Open. The matches followed the same form as the England– ...

(representing England): 1932 (winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenyon, Bob English male golfers People from Exmouth 1905 births 1988 deaths 20th-century English sportsmen