The England–Scotland Professional Match was an annual men's professional

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

competition between teams representing

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. It was played from 1903 to the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and was then revived in 1932 and played until the start of

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 ...

. The match was played on a single day, generally a few days before 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 ...

. Except on one occasion, there were 12 players in each team who played 12 singles matches and 6 foursomes. Scotland won the inaugural match in 1903 but didn't win another match, although three matches were tied. The event was organised by the

PGA PGA is an acronym or initialism that may stand for: Aviation * IATA code for Page Municipal Airport, Coconino County, Arizona * ICAO designator for Portugália, regional airline based in Lisbon, Portugal * Abbreviation for Prince George Airport ...

and only members of the PGA were eligible to play.

History

In 1902 an international match between English and Scottish amateur golfers was played at

Royal Liverpool Golf Club The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a golf club in Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club. It received the "Royal" designation in 1871 due to the patronage of the Duke of ...

prior to the Amateur Championship there. The match consisted of 10 singles matches played over 36 holes. The following year the Professional Golfers' Association decided to organise a similar match for professionals at Prestwick, before the

1903 Open Championship The 1903 Open Championship was the 43rd Open Championship, held 10–11 June at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Harry Vardon won the Championship for the fourth time, six strokes ahead of runner-up Tom Vardon, his ...

. It was originally planned to play 36-hole singles but it was later decided to play both singles and foursomes. Because only members of the PGA were eligible to play, a number of Scottish golfers were not available for selection, including

William Auchterlonie William "Willie" Auchterlonie (7 August 1872 – 27 February 1963) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was a native of St Andrews. He won the 1893 Open Championship at the age of and he remains the second youngest Open Champion after Tom M ...

, Andrew Kirkaldy and

Archie Simpson Archibald Simpson (14 March 1866 – January 1955) was an American professional golfer. He was also a golf course designer and a golf club maker. He was runner-up in The Open Championship in 1885 (won by Bob Martin), and 1890 (won by John Ball) ...

. Tom Williamson was originally selected for the England team but was replaced by Fred Collins. The 1908 match was abandoned because of bad weather. The England team was:

Tom Ball Thomas or Tom Ball may refer to: * Thomas Ball (priest, born 1590) (1590–1659), English divine * Thomas Ball (archdeacon of Chichester) (1697–1770), Church of England clergyman * Thomas Ball (New Zealand politician) (1809–1897), represented ...

, George Cawsey,

Phil Gaudin Phillip John Gaudin (born 4 March 1879) was a professional golfer from Jersey who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. He had three top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His best result was a tie for eighth place in the 1914 Ope ...

, Ernest Gray,

Rowland Jones Rowland Jones (1722–1774) was a Welsh lawyer and philologist of radical linguistic views. Life He was the second son of John Williams of Bachellyn, Llanbedrog, Carnarvonshire, where he was born. He spent some time as clerk in the office of hi ...

, Charles Mayo, Ted Ray, James Sherlock,

J.H. Taylor John Henry "J.H." Taylor (19 March 1871 – 10 February 1963) was an English professional golfer and one of the pioneers of the modern game of golf. Taylor is considered to be one of the best golfers of all time. He was a significant golf ...

Harry Vardon Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the ...

Tom Vardon Thomas Alfred Vardon (11 October 1874 – 13 October 1938) was a professional golfer from Jersey, Channel Islands, and the brother of golfer Harry Vardon, whom he sometimes played against professionally. From 1892 to 1909 he played in 18 Open Cham ...

, Tom Williamson. The Scottish team was: James Braid, George Duncan, James Hepburn, Sandy Herd, John Hunter, Andrew Kirkaldy, Ben Sayers,

Ben Sayers, Jr. Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( he, � ...

, Ralph Smith,

Tom Watt Thomas Watt may refer to: *Thomas Watt (politician), South African politician *Tom Watt (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey scout and coach *Tom Watt (actor), English actor, writer and broadcaster * Tommy Watt, Scottish jazz bandleader *Thomas Watt, p ...

, Robert Thomson,

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

. In 1909 there was a dispute about which team Fred Robson would represent. He was born in Wales but apparently had a Scottish father and English mother and was initially selected for both sides. Having learnt his golf in England he eventually chose to represent that country. A meeting of the PGA on the following Monday accepted the principle that the player could choose in such situations. However this account is contradicted by evidence from the 1891 census of Wales which records that his father 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 ...

and mother in Holywell,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. There was no match in 1911 because a " Coronation Match" had been organised between teams of amateurs and professionals on the Saturday before the Open Championship, 24 June. The match was in celebration of the coronation of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Q ...

on 22 June. The match consisted of 9 foursomes matches, each over 36 holes and resulted in an 8–1 win for the professionals. The PGA decided that the 1914 match would not be played at the same time as the Open Championship. The proprietors of Country Life agreed to provide a cup. It was planned to play the 1914 match at

Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club The Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club is a private golf club and golf course comprising two 18-hole courses located in Old Deer Park in Richmond, south west London. Location The course lies in an arc of Crown Estate land on the east bank of the River ...

on 22 October. Even after the outbreak of

it was decided to still hold the event and to raise money for the Prince of Wales' War Fund but the match was eventually cancelled. A charity match was played at Fulwell Golf Course on 12 December 1914 between English and Scottish members of the Southern section of the PGA in aid of Princess Mary's Christmas Gifts Fund for soldiers and sailors. The match followed the same format as the full international. The English players won by 8 matches to 6 with 4 matches halved. England won all 7 matches played from 1932 to 1938. The closest match was in 1937 when Scotland led 4–0 after the foursomes but England won 9 of the 12 singles to win 9–7. England and Scotland played two matches in 1938 since they also met in the Llandudno International Golf Trophy in September. Henry Cotton was selected for the England team in 1932 but declined the invitation and was replaced by George Oke. Cotton never played in any of the matches. The 1939 match was cancelled because of the expense and difficulty of collecting the entrance charges on the Old Course at St Andrews. The PGA has already received permission from the Town Council to charge for entry.

Format

Except in 1907 the teams had 12 players. There were 12 singles matches and 6 foursomes. Matches were over 18 holes. In the earlier period the singles were played in the morning and the foursomes in the afternoon but when the event was revived in 1932 the order was reversed. In 1907 there were 16 in each team who each played a 36-hole singles match. The result was decided by the number of matches won, halved matches were not included in the final score. In the matches before World War I the players went out in ranking order with the best players going out first. The same principle was applied to the foursomes with the two best players on each team playing each other in the first foursomes. Generally the same players contested the singles and the foursomes. However, in 1932 Sandy Herd and Peter Robertson played in the foursomes but were replaced by the reserves,

Jock Ballantine Jock may refer to: Common meanings * Jock (stereotype), a North American term for a stereotypical male athlete * Jock, a derogatory term for Scottish people mostly used by the English * Short for jockstrap, an item of male protective undergarmen ...

and

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 ...

in the singles. In 1933 Robertson again missed the singles and Jack McMillan played instead.

Results

Appearances

The following are those who played in at least one of the 16 matches. Laurie Ayton, Snr, George Duncan, Tom Fernie and Sandy Herd played for Scotland in both the earlier period (1903–1913) and the later matches (1932–1938). No Englishman played in both periods.

England

1903–1913

1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * James Batley 1912 * George Cawsey 1906, 1907 * Fred Collins 1903, 1904 *

1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1912, 1913 * Ernest Gray 1904, 1905, 1907 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Charles Mayo 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * George Pulford 1904, 1907 * Peter Rainford 1903 * Ted Ray 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Wilfrid Reid 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Thomas Renouf 1903, 1904, 1905, 1910, 1912 * Fred Robson 1909, 1910 *

Jack Rowe John Charles "Jack" Rowe (December 8, 1856 – April 25, 1911) was an American professional baseball player, manager and team owner from 1877 to 1898. He played 12 years in Major League Baseball, as a shortstop (657 games), catcher (298 games), ...

1903, 1906, 1907 * James Sherlock 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Josh Taylor 1913 *

Albert Tingey, Sr. Albert Tingey Sr. (1869 – February 1953) was an English professional golfer. Tingey finished tied for ninth in the 1899 Open Championship. He was a club maker, specializing in the production of putters. He served in World War I in a pals batta ...

1903, 1905 *

Alfred Toogood Alfred Henry Toogood, Sr. (1872 – July 1928) was an English professional golfer who played during the late 19th and early 20th century. Toogood finished fourth in the 1894 Open Championship and won £7. He also tied for ninth place in the 1895 ...

1904, 1905, 1906, 1907 *

Walter Toogood Walter George Toogood (1874 – 13 October 1914) was an English professional golfer who played in the late 19th century into the early 20th century. He was a consistent performer in the The Open Championship, Open Championships where he posted a ...

1903, 1907 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910 * Tom Williamson 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

Reg Wilson Reg Wilson (born 26 January 1948 in Sheffield, England)Oakes, P.(2004). ''British Speedway Who's Who''. is a retired professional speedway rider who was team manager of the Sheffield Tigers until 2011. Wilson spent 18 years riding at the O ...

1913

1932–1938

* Percy Alliss 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 *

Bill Branch William John Branch (20 February 1911 – 25 February 1985) was an English professional golfer. He finished 9th in the 1935 Open Championship and won the Belgian Open 10 days later. His last major success was in the 1954 Gleneagles-Saxone Fourso ...

1936 * Sid Brews 1934 * Dick Burton 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 *

Harry Busson Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

1938 * Jack Busson 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 *

Tom Collinge Thomas Collinge (1898–1960) was an English footballer, the younger brother of Ernest Collinge Ernest Collinge (5 December 1895 – 15 December 1960) was an English footballer who played as a half-back for Port Vale in the 1920s. He w ...

1937 * Archie Compston 1932, 1935 * Bill Cox 1935, 1936, 1937 *

Don Curtis Donald B. Curtis (born Donald Beitelman) (May 22, 1927 – March 6, 2008) was an American professional wrestler, best known for being a member of a tag team with Mark Lewin in the 1950s and 1960s. During his partnership with Lewin, they won the N ...

1934, 1938 * Bill Davies 1932, 1933 * Cecil Denny 1936 *

Syd Easterbrook Sydney John Philip Easterbrook (22 January 1905 – 30 January 1975) was an English professional golfer. He won the Irish Open in 1934 and was a member of the Great Britain Ryder Cup team in 1931 and 1933. In 1933, he won the deciding match for ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938 * Bert Gadd 1933, 1935 *

Tom Green Michael Thomas Green (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian-American comedian, show host, actor, filmmaker, podcaster, and rapper. After pursuing stand-up comedy and music as a young adult, Green created and hosted ''The Tom Green Show'', which a ...

1935 * Arthur Havers 1932, 1933, 1934 *

Ted Jarman Edward William George Jarman (2 July 1907http://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVZJ-JJKC – 9 May 2003) was an England, English professional golfer. He played in the 1935 Ryder Cup. Jarman had four brothers who were also professional golfers, ...

1935 * Bob Kenyon 1932 * Sam King 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938 * Arthur Lacey 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938 * Arthur Lees 1938 * Abe Mitchell 1932, 1933, 1934 * George Oke 1932, 1937 *

Alf Padgham 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, Merseyside, England and played for Great ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 * Alf Perry 1933, 1936, 1938 *

Mark Seymour Mark Jeremy Seymour (born 26 July 1956) is an Australian musician and vocalist. He was the frontman and songwriter of rock band Hunters & Collectors from 1981 until 1998. Seymour has carved a solo career, releasing his debut solo album in 199 ...

1932, 1933 * Jack Taylor 1937 * Charles Whitcombe 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 *

Eddie Whitcombe Ernest Edward Whitcombe (31 March 1913 – 16 January 1997) was an English professional golfer. He was the son of Ernest Whitcombe and was always known as Eddie. In the 1937 Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament, Whitcombe was tied after 72 holes ...

1938 * Reg Whitcombe 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938

Scotland

1903–1913

* Laurie Ayton, Snr 1910, 1912, 1913 * James Braid 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912 *

George Coburn George Coburn (4 March 1920 – 25 February 2009) was an Irish politician. Coburn was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency at a by-election on 3 March 1954 caused by the death of his father J ...

1903, 1904, 1905, 1907 *

Frank Coltart Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang ...

1909 * George Duncan 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Tom Fernie 1910, 1912, 1913 * Willie Fernie 1903, 1904 * Allan Gow 1912 * Tom Grant 1913 * James Hepburn 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1910, 1912, 1913 * Sandy Herd 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

Willie Hunter, Sr. Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and sc ...

1906, 1907, 1909, 1910 * James Kay 1903 * James Kinnell 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1910, 1912 * Andrew Kirkaldy 1904, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1910 * Jack Kirkaldy 1905, 1906 *

Peter McEwan Jr. Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a ...

1907 * Alex Marling 1913 *

Jack Park John Archibald Park (1879–1935) was a Scottish professional golfer. Park placed sixth in the 1899 U.S. Open, held 14–15 September 1899, at Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, Maryland. Park also finished tied for ninth place in the 1901 ...

1909 * Willie Park, Jr. 1903, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1910 *

Willie Ritchie Willie Ritchie (born Gerhardt Anthony Steffen, February 13, 1891 – March 24, 1975), was the World lightweight champion from 1912 to 1914. Gerhardt Anthony Steffen was born in San Francisco, California on February 13, 1891. He began his bo ...

1913 * Ben Sayers 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913 *

1906, 1907, 1909 *

1904 * Ralph Smith 1903, 1904, 1907, 1909, 1913 * Robert Thomson 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912 *

1907 * Willie Watt 1912, 1913 *

1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1912, 1913 * Tom Yeoman 1905, 1906

1932–1938

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 * Willam Anderson 1937 *

Laurie Ayton, Jnr Laurence Buddo Ayton Jnr (1914 – 21 February 1989) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was the son of golfer Laurie Ayton Snr and was born in Bishop's Stortford where his father was the professional.https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH- ...

1937 * Laurie Ayton, Snr 1933, 1934 *

1932, 1936 *

Hamish Ballingall Hamish is a Scottish masculine given name. It is the anglicized form of the vocative case of the Gaelic name ''Seamus'' or ''Sheumais''. It is therefore, the equivalent of James. People Given name * Hamish Bennett, retired New Zealand crickete ...

1938 *

Stewart Burns Robert Stewart Burns (born 11 May 1899) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was in the team for the 1929 Ryder Cup but did not play in any matches. He was Scottish Professional Champion three times. Early life Burns was born on 11 May 1899 ...

1932 * Allan Dailey 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938 * William Davis 1937, 1938 * Tom Dobson 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 * John Donaldson 1932, 1935, 1938 * George Duncan 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 *

Gordon Durward Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordo ...

1937 *

Sydney Fairweather Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountai ...

1933, 1935, 1936 * John Fallon 1936, 1937, 1938 * Walter Fenton 1932 * Tom Fernie 1933 *

Jim Forrester James Summers Forrester (1908 – 23 June 1938) was a Scottish professional golfer. He won the Northern Open in 1934 and the Scottish PGA Championship, Scottish Professional Championship in 1936. In 1937 he replaced Henry Cotton (golfer), Henry ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 * Gordon Good 1934, 1936 * Tom Haliburton 1938 * Willie Hastings 1937, 1938 * Sandy Herd 1932 *

George Hutton George Hutton (February 4, 1922 in Winnipeg, Manitoba – April 18, 1976) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1959 to 1966, and was a cabinet minister in ...

1937, 1938 * George Knight 1937 *

Bill Laidlaw William Laidlaw (1914 – 20 October 1941) was a Scottish professional golfer. He finished tied for 7th place in the 1937 Open Championship and won the 1938 Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament. He was killed during an RAF bombing raid on Bremen, ...

1935, 1936, 1938 *

Duncan McCulloch Duncan McCulloch (1893–1968) was one of the leading Scottish-based professional golfers of the inter-war period. He was Scottish Professional Champion in 1929 and 1930. Early life McCulloch was born in Troon, Scotland on 31 January 1893 to Joh ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 *

Jimmy McDowall James McDowall (1896 – 5 November 1944) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was one of the leading Scotland-based professionals of the inter-war period, winning the Northern Open, the Dunlop-Scottish Tournament and the Scottish Professional ...

1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 * Gregor McIntosh 1938 * Jack McMillan 1933, 1934, 1935 * Willie McMinn 1932, 1933, 1934 *

Fred Robertson Frederick Alexander Robertson (October 22, 1911 – September 16, 1997) was a British-born Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 28 games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings between 1 ...

1938 * Peter Robertson 1932, 1933 *

Willie Spark Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scr ...

1935 * Tom Wilson 1933, 1934

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:England-Scotland Professional Match Team golf tournaments Golf in Scotland Golf in England Recurring sporting events established in 1903 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1939