Charles Harold Ward (16 September 1911 – August 2001) was a prominent English golfer of the 1940s, winner of the British Order of Merit in both 1948 and 1949, and twice finishing third 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 t ...

, in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

and

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

. He would add his name, at some stage, to the roll of honour of almost every leading event in British professional golf, with the exception of the Open. Ward was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, England. Like many players his age, Ward's best years were denied to him by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, so it was fitting that he should win the first professional event played after VE Day, the Daily Mail Victory Tournament at

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's four ...

. After his victory he returned late to his posting at an RAF base and as a punishment, was confined to barracks. Ward would win three events in 1948 (one of them in a tie), and gained more recognition for his 1949 season, his three wins that year including the rich Spalding and North British-Harrogate Tournaments and then the British Masters, also played that year at St Andrews. Further victories followed in 1950 (the Daily Mail Tournament at Walton Heath, which Ward won in a playoff against Bobby Locke and Australian Ossie Pickworth) and 1951 (the Dunlop Tournament and the Lotus Tournament) before Ward's final victory on the British circuit in 1956, the British PGA Championship at Maesdu. Ward represented Great Britain on three occasions in the

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

, in 1947, 1949 and 1951, although he only enjoyed one victory in his six matches, losing twice to

Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead (pronounced sni:d">English_phonology.html" ;"title="nowiki/>English phonology">sni:d May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for the better part of four ...

and once to Ben Hogan. Ward died after a short illness in August 2001, a month short of his 90th birthday.

Tournament wins

*1934

Dunlop-Midland Professional Championship The Midland Professional Championship is an annual golf tournament played in the English Midlands. The event is organised by the Midlands Region of the Professional Golfers' Association. It is the oldest tournament in professional golf having be ...

*1937 West of England Professional Championship *1945 Daily Mail Tournament *1947 Daily Telegraph Foursomes Tournament (with Ronnie White) *1948 Silver King Tournament (tie with

Jimmy Adams James Clive Adams OD (born 9 January 1968) is a former Jamaican cricketer, who represented the West Indies as player and captain during his career. He was a left-handed batsman, left-arm orthodox spin bowler and fielder, especially in th ...

), Yorkshire Evening News Tournament, R A Brand Tournament, Daily Telegraph Foursomes Tournament (with Gerald Micklem) *1949 Spalding Tournament, North British-Harrogate Tournament, Dunlop Masters *1950 Daily Mail Tournament *1951 Dunlop Tournament, International Professional Mixed Foursomes, Lotus Tournament *1956 PGA Close Championship *1965 PGA Seniors Championship

Results in major championships

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

Team appearances

(representing Great Britain):

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January– February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the count ...

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – ...

* England–Ireland Professional Match (representing England): 1932 (winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Charlie English male golfers Ryder Cup competitors for Europe Sportspeople from Birmingham, West Midlands 1911 births 2001 deaths