Frank Stafford Phillips (24 July 1932 – 2 May 2023) was an Australian

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 was rated one of the best ball strikers of his era winning the 1957 and 1961

Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...

s. He was a Life Member of the PGA of Australia from 2002. Phillips was born in

Moss Vale, New South Wales Moss Vale is a town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. Moss Vale is the administrative centre of Wingecarribee Shire local government area. It is located south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. The Illawarra Hi ...

on 24 July 1932. In Jack Pollard's book, ''Australian Golf: The Game and the Players'', Phillips is described as "a tall Sydney professional who built an outstanding record in Australian golf in the 1950s and 1960s". Phillips was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

(OAM) in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to golf. Phillips died at a nursing home in

Bowral Bowral () is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. It is south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It is the main business and entertainment precinct of the Wingecarribee Shire and the Southern Highl ...

on 2 May 2023, at the age of 90.

Professional wins (35)

Asia Golf Circuit wins (5)

Australia and New Zealand wins (26)

*1955 New Zealand PGA Championship *1956 New South Wales Close *1957 New South Wales PGA,

*1959 Lakes Open *1960 New South Wales Open,

North Coast Open The North Coast Open was a professional golf tournament in Australia from 1951 to 1975. History It was always held at Coffs Harbour Golf Club in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. It was a PGA Tour of Australia event from 1973 to 1975. The name ...

, Lakes Open *1961

*1962 New South Wales Open, Tasmanian Open,

, West End Tournament *1963

Adelaide Advertiser Tournament The Adelaide Advertiser Tournament was a golf event played in Adelaide, Australia between 1948 and 1967. Up to 1960 the event was played in March or April but was later played in September or October. The venue generally alternated between Royal ...

(tie with

Bruce Devlin Bruce William Devlin (born 10 October 1937) is an Australian professional golfer, sportscaster and golf course designer. Early life Devlin was born in 1937 in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia. His parents, Jess and Artie, moved to Gou ...

) *1964 Victorian Open,

, West End Tournament (tie with

Walter Godfrey Walter Hindes Godfrey, CBE, FSA, FRIBA (1881–1961), was an English architect, antiquary, and architectural and topographical historian. He was also a landscape architect and designer, and an accomplished draftsman and illustrator. He w ...

) *1966 New South Wales Open, Victorian Open, Lakes Open *1967 Aeron Tournament *1969 Aeron Tournament *1970 New South Wales Open, West End Tournament *1971 Tasmanian Open *1976 Ben Guzzardi Classic

European circuit wins (1)

* 1968 Woodlawn International Invitational

Other wins (3)

*1960 Philippine Open *1961 Singapore Open *1975 Air New Zealand Fiji Open

Results in major championships

''Note: Phillips never played in the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...

.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1968 Open Championship)
"T" = tied

Team appearances

Canada Cup The Canada Cup () was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world championship that a ...

(representing Australia):

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

* Slazenger Trophy (representing British Commonwealth and Empire): 1956 * Vicars Shield (representing New South Wales): 1954 (winners), 1956 (winners)

References

Australian male golfers PGA Tour of Australasia golfers Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia People from the Southern Highlands (New South Wales) Sportsmen from New South Wales 1932 births 2023 deaths 20th-century Australian sportsmen {{Australia-golf-bio-stub