Frank Molloy (born 1 March 1938) is a

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

n-born

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

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 Fiji Open in 1971 and the Samoan Open in 1972 and 1974. He is notable for being one of the first Polynesian professional golfers. He is believed to have been the first

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

to compete 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 ...

. He also played

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

for

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in 1962.

Early life

Molloy was born in the village of Moataʻa just to the east of

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

. He is a member of the ''Sā Talavou'' branch of the Sā Malietoa, one of Samoa's four paramount chiefly dynasties. As a child, Frank caddied for his father, an amateur golfer who had a three handicap at the makeshift golf course at the Apia racecourse. Growing up, Molloy spent time around the New Zealand administration. This was due to his family's high societal standing and his father's job in the Samoan Police. The New Zealand administrator recognised Molloy's aptitude for the sport. He challenged him to a game, offering his set of clubs as a prize if Molloy were to win the game. Molloy won and the administrator kept his word and gave him his first set of clubs. Around 1955, Molloy's father died of

elephantiasis Elephantiasis, often incorrectly called elephantitis, is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling (edema). It is characterised by edema, hypertrophy, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstru ...

. Following his father's death, he and his family emigrated to Auckland, New Zealand in 1956.

Golf career

In 1957, Molloy joined the Akarana Golf Club and was selected for the club's top team within a year. He was later chosen to represent Auckland at the Freyburg Rosebowl and Gerrad Shield Golf competitions over a period of four years and he was ranked number one in the team for two of those years. In 1965, Molloy lost his finger in a work accident. He was told by doctors he would not be able to play for six months, however, he was back playing again after just one. He was able to quickly adapt to the loss of his finger, and in 1966 was granted entry to the NZPGA. In 1968, Molloy was appointed club professional at Maungakiekie Golf Club, a club with which he has a long standing association. In 1971, Molloy won the second Fiji Open. He competed again a number of times, placing highly but never winning again. In 1972 and 1974 he won the Samoan Open. Frank Malloy Fiji Open

1972 Open Championship

While they were on tour in New Zealand, Molloy tutored and played with

Roy Phillips Roy Godfrey Phillips (5 May 1941 – 24 April 2025) was a British musician. He was a member of The Soundtracks (a backing group of The Dowlands), The Saints and The Peddlers. Background Phillips was known as the voice and keyboard sound of ...

, lead vocalist of the British pop group

The Peddlers The Peddlers were a British jazz/soul trio of the 1960s and 1970s. Led by organist Roy Phillips, they had hits with "Birth" and " Girlie". They were very popular in New Zealand during the 1970s. History The Peddlers formed in Manchester in A ...

. Philips and the group liked Molloy so much that they decided to sponsor him to attend

1972 Open Championship The 1972 Open Championship was the 101st Open Championship, held 12–15 July at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Lee Trevino won his second straight Claret Jug, the first to successfully defend his title since Arnold P ...

. They paid for his airfares, picked him up from the airport and even lent him one of their Rolls Royces to drive. At the Open, Molloy initially performed well, easily passing the pre-qualifying rounds. During the second round he seriously injured his hand striking a rock while attempting to hit his ball out from the rough. The injury hampered his performance but despite this he missed the 36-hole cut by only three strokes.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molloy, Frank New Zealand male golfers Sportspeople from Tuamasaga 1938 births Living people 20th-century Samoan sportsmen