Norman Vico Drew (25 May 1932 – 13 August 2023) was a Northern Irish

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 had a successful amateur career, winning a number of Irish championships and playing in the 1953 Walker Cup. In the 1959 season, he won the

Yorkshire Evening News Tournament The Yorkshire Evening News Tournament was a professional golf tournament that was held in the Leeds area of Yorkshire, England between 1923 and 1963. It was a fixture on the British PGA tournament circuit, which would later become the European To ...

and played in the

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...

. Drew later represented Ireland in the

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 ...

(later known as the World Cup), becoming the first golfer to play in the

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup ...

and Canada Cup. He was renowned for his short game.

Early life

Drew was born on 25 May 1932 in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. He started his golfing career at

Balmoral Golf Club Balmoral Golf Club is located on Lisburn Road, in south Belfast, three miles south of the city centre. It is an 18-hole course with a par of 69. The course was founded in 1914. The course is comparatively flat in nature and has a number of intent ...

in Belfast, before the family moved to

Bangor, County Down Bangor ( ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to whic ...

in 1948. In 1947 and 1948, he won an open boys event at Donaghadee, and in 1948 he reached the last-16 of the

Boys Amateur Championship The Boys Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. The competition is organised and run by The R&A. History The Boys Amateur Championship was first played at Royal Ascot in 1921. In 1921 boys had to ...

at Kilmarnock (Barassie). In 1949, he won the inaugural Ulster Boys' Amateur Open Championship at Royal Belfast, beating John Glover at the 38th hole of the final. In the same year, he reached the final of the Boys Amateur Championship at

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ 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 fourth-largest settleme ...

, losing to Harry MacAnespie 3&2 in the 36-hole final.

Amateur career

Drew reached the semi-finals of the 1950 Irish Amateur Close Championship, losing to Brendan Herlihy, and soon afterwards won the North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at

Portrush Portrush () is a small seaside resort town on the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It neighbours the resort of Portstewart in County Londonderry. The main part of the old town, including the Portrush railway station, railway stati ...

, beating Jackson Taggart at the 19th of the final. Taggart was 4 up with 8 holes to play and then dormie two, but Drew won the next three holes. Drew qualified for the

1951 Open Championship The 1951 Open Championship was the 80th Open Championship, held 4–6 July at Royal Portrush Golf Club in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Until 2019, it was the only time the championship was played outside England or Scotland. In it, Max Faulkn ...

at Portrush. A first round 75 put him well up the field but a second round 88 meant he missed the cut by 9 strokes. Drew had a remarkable run of success in 1952. In April, he reached the final of the West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Rosses Point, losing to Joe Brown in the 36-hole final. Drew was 5 down after 6 holes and although he made a good recovery, he lost 2&1. In early June, he won the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at County Louth, was a score of 306, three ahead of the field. Later in June, he won the Irish Amateur Open Championship at

, beating Cecil Beamish 5&4 in the final. In July, he won the North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Portrush, beating Billy Meharg 8&7 in the 36-hole final. The following month, he reached the final of the South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Lahinch, but lost to Michael Power by one hole in the 36-hole final. His one failure came in September at the Irish Amateur Open Championship at Royal Belfast, where he lost at the last-16 stage. In late September he made his debut in the

Men's Home Internationals The Men's Home Internationals were an amateur team golf championship for men between the four Home Nations. Ireland was represented by the whole island of Ireland.The event was organised by The R&A. The inaugural event was held in 1932 and the ve ...

Troon Troon (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Truthail'') is a town and sea port in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with ferry and freight serv ...

. In 1953 the

were moved to an earlier date than usual, in June, at

Killarney Killarney ( ; , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Killar ...

, the week before the Irish Amateur Open Championship which was also played there. In the Home Internationals, Drew won all his three singles matches and was undefeated in the foursomes. He then won the Irish Amateur Open beating Billy O'Sullivan 4&3 in the final. His second success in the championship came immediately before the selection of the final five players for the 1953 Walker Cup team. Drew was selected and at 21, he was the youngest member of the side. Before the match, Drew played in the

Canadian Amateur Championship The Canadian Amateur Championship, begun in 1895, is the men's amateur golf championship of Canada. It is staged annually by Golf Canada. It was played at match play until 1968, went to stroke play beginning in 1969, and reverted to match play i ...

at Kanawaki,

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, losing in the quarter-finals to

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. He played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins. After concluding a playing career in the A ...

. The Walker Cup match was played at the Kittansett Club in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, the United States winning 9–3. Drew was not selected for the foursomes and lost his singles match 9&7 against Don Cherry, having been 7 down after the first 18 holes. He also played in the

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

but lost in the first round. Drew turned professional in November 1953, becoming an assistant to Sam Bacon at County Armagh.

Professional career

In 1954, Sam Bacon moved to Knock Golf Club and Drew also left County Armagh, moving to Rossmore, before becoming an assistant at the North West Golf Club, Lisfannon, later in the year. In early 1956, Drew became the professional at Strabane golf club, which was in the process of moving to a new course. The move was to cause problems for Drew, since he had failed to serve a full three years as an assistant professional, although he satisfied Irish PGA rules which only required two years. He therefore became ineligible to play in British PGA events. In 1957, Drew became an assistant again, to Sam Bacon at Knock, but it was only in early 1958 that he was reinstated as a member of the British PGA. In 1958, Drew was a joint winner, with Harry Bradshaw, of the

Irish Dunlop Tournament The Irish Dunlop Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in Ireland until 1980. It was one of the top events on the professional circuit in Ireland. Prior to World War II, it was a 72-hole stroke play event known as the Dunlop-Irish ...

. 1959 was Drew's first full season on the British circuit and was to be his most successful, culminating with the

at Eldorado Golf Club,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, in November. Seven members of the 10-man British team were chosen using a Ryder Cup points system based on performances during the 1959 season. The first event was the

PGA Close Championship The BMW PGA Championship is an annual men's professional golf tournament on the European Tour. It was founded in 1955 by the Professional Golfers' Association, and originally called the British PGA Championship. History The BMW PGA Championship ...

starting on 8 April with the final event being the

Irish Hospitals Tournament The Irish Hospitals Tournament was a professional golf tournament played from 1958 to 1962. Total prize money was £5000 from 1958 to 1960 and £5,555 in 1961 and 1962. It was sponsored by the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake The Irish Hospitals ...

finishing on 12 July. The remaining three members of the team were selected by the P.G.A. tournament committee in late September, after the Dunlop Masters. Drew started with top-10 finishes in the PGA Close Championship, the

Spalding Tournament The Spalding Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in the United Kingdom. It was played annually from 1946 to 1960. The total prize money was £1500 in 1946, £1250 in 1947 and 1948, £1350 from 1949 to 1959 and £2250 in 1960. Th ...

and the Dunlop Tournament and then finished fourth in the Swallow-Penfold Tournament. After winning the

, he missed the cut at the

Daks Tournament The Daks Tournament was an important professional golf tournament held in England from 1950 to 1971 and was generally held in early June. 17 of the 22 events were held at the Wentworth Club. Neil Coles Neil Chapman Coles, MBE (born 26 Septem ...

but then has his first major British success, winning the

, four strokes ahead of

Peter Alliss Peter Alliss (28 February 1931 – 5 December 2020) was an English professional golfer, television presenter, commentator, author and golf course designer. Following the death of Henry Longhurst in 1978, he was regarded by many as the "Voice o ...

Harold Henning Harold Henning (3 October 1934 – 1 January 2004) was a South African professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour. He won professional tournaments on the highest level in Africa, Australia, Asia, North America and Eu ...

and Peter Thomson. Drew was then 35th 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 ...

and 14th in the Irish Hospitals Tournament to finish in sixth place in the rankings and gain his place in the team. The season continued with Drew playing in the

Amateurs–Professionals Match The Amateurs–Professionals Match was an annual men's team golf competition between teams of golfers from Great Britain and Ireland representing amateurs and professionals. It was played from 1956 to 1960. The Professionals won four of the five c ...

, winning the Irish Professional Championship and finishing joint runner-up in the Dunlop Masters behind

Christy O'Connor Snr Patrick Christopher "Christy" O'Connor (21 December 1924 – 14 May 2016) was an Irish professional golfer. He was one of the leading golfers on the British and Irish circuit from the mid-1950s. O'Connor won over 20 tournaments on the British P ...

and level with

Joe Carr Joseph Benedict Carr (22 February 1922 – 3 June 2004) was an Irish amateur golfer. Early life Carr was born in Inchicore, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, to George and Margaret Mary "Missie" Waters (the fifth of seven children). At 10 days ol ...

. The 1959 Ryder Cup was the last in which 36-hole matches were played. Drew became the first British ex-

golfer to play in the

. He did not play in the foursomes on the first day but halved his singles match against

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2018. He represents the Toronto rid ...

. Drew was four down after nine holes but recovered and was only one down at lunch. In the afternoon, he was one down playing the last. At the 470-yard par-4, he hit a wood to 15 feet and holed the putt. Drew represented Ireland in the

Portmarnock Portmarnock () is a coastal town in County Dublin, Ireland, north of the city of Dublin, with significant beaches, a modest commercial core and inland residential estates, and two golf courses, including one of Ireland's best-known golf clubs. , ...

in 1960 and at

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

in 1961. Playing with Christy O'Connor, they finished in fourth place in both events. He became the first golfer to play in the

, Ryder Cup and Canada Cup. He had some success in Irish events. He lost in a three-way playoff for the 1965 Irish Professional Championship, O'Connor winning the title. He won the Ulster Professional Championship for the first time in 1966. In 1969, he was a joint runner-up in the Gallaher Ulster Open, again behind O'Connor. His second win in the Ulster championship came in 1972 and he won the Benson & Hedges (Ulster) match-play championship in 1983. Drew held a number of professional positions. In 1960 he left Knock to become the professional at Ralston Golf Club near

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. During his time there, he was runner-up in the 1964 Cutty Sark Tournament, seven strokes behind

John Panton John Panton, MBE (9 October 1916 – 24 July 2009) was a Scottish professional golfer, who represented Great Britain three times in the Ryder Cup. Panton was born in Pitlochry. He turned professional in 1935 and took up a job in the local go ...

. He left Ralston in 1964 and was briefly at Rossmore before moving to Bradshaws Brae Range near

Newtownards Newtownards (; ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtow ...

in 1966. In 1973, he moved to Malone Golf Club and then to Bangor Golf Club in 1983. Later Drew competed on the

European Seniors Tour The European Senior Tour, currently branded as the Legends Tour, is a professional golf tour for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was titled as the Staysure Tour for the 2018 and 2019 seasons after UK-based i ...

for a number of years from the start of the tour in 1992 even though, at sixty, he was ten years past the minimum age. His best finish was a tie for fourth place in the 1992 Collingtree Homes Seniors Classic. He tied for ninth place in the 1993

Senior British Open The Senior Open Championship, or simply The Senior Open (and originally known as the Senior British Open), is a professional golf tournament for players aged 50 and over. It is jointly owned and run by The R&A, the same body that organises The O ...

despite a last round 80.

Personal life

Drew was married to Valerie and had two children, Heather and Gordon. Gordon Drew is also a professional golfer, currently at Donaghadee Golf Club,

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, Northern Ireland. Drew died in August 2023 at age 91.

Amateur wins

*1949 Ulster Boys' Open Championship *1950 North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship *1952 East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Irish Amateur Open Championship, North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship *1953 Irish Amateur Open Championship

Professional wins (7)

*1958

(tie with Harry Bradshaw) *1959

Irish PGA Championship The Irish PGA Championship, formerly the Irish Professional Championship and colloquially known as the Irish Professional Close or National Championship, is a golf tournament that is played annually in Ireland since 1907. It is one of the oldest ...

*1966 Ulster Professional Championship *1972 Ulster Professional Championship *1983 Ulster Matchplay Professional Championship

Results in major championships

''Note: Drew only played in The Open Championship.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1970 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place Source:

Team appearances

Amateur *

(representing Great Britain & Ireland):

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

(representing Ireland): 1952, 1953 Professional *

(representing Great Britain):

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

(representing Ireland):

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

(representing the Professionals): 1959 (winners)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, Norman Male golfers from Northern Ireland European Senior Tour golfers Ryder Cup competitors for Europe Sportspeople from Belfast Sportspeople from Bangor, County Down Golfers from County Down 1932 births 2023 deaths