Percy Alliss (8 January 1897 – 31 March 1975) was one of the leading English

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 ...

s in the 1920s and 1930s, winning many tournaments in Britain and Continental Europe. He was also the father of commentator and former golfer

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 ...

Biography

Alliss was born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

. He became an assistant professional at the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in South Wales in 1919, and his first notable professional wins came in September 1920 when he won the Assistant Professionals Tournament and the Welsh Professional Championship in successive weeks. Alliss was professional at Clyne Golf Club from 1921 to 1923, at

Wanstead Wanstead () is an area in East London, England, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It borders South Woodford to the north, Redbridge to the east and Manor Park to the south, with Leytonstone and Walthamstow to the west. It is located 8 m ...

Golf Club from 1923 to 1925,

Wannsee Wannsee () is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger '' Großer Wannsee'' (Greater Wannsee) and the '' Kleiner Wannse ...

Golf Club,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

from 1926 to 1931, Beaconsfield Golf Club from 1932 to 1936 and Temple Newsam Golf Club from 1936 to 1938. He then became the professional at

Ferndown Ferndown is a town and civil parish in Dorset in southern England, immediately to the north of Bournemouth and Poole. The parish, which until 1972 was called ''Hampreston'', includes the communities of Ameysford, Hampreston, Longham, Stapehill ...

Golf Club in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

in early 1939, where he stayed until his retirement in 1967. Alliss finished in the top six at

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 ...

in 1928, 1929, 1931, 1932 and 1936. He 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 ...

in 1929, 1933, 1935 and 1937. He was not eligible in 1931 as he was employed in Germany at that time and the Ryder Cup rules had changed to require British players to be living in Great Britain. His son

Peter 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 su ...

was also a professional golfer, golf writer and broadcaster, and played in the Ryder Cup eight times. The Allisses were the first father and son pair to play in the

, and so far

Antonio Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top ...

and

Ignacio Garrido Ignacio Garrido (born 27 March 1972) is a Spanish professional golfer who won twice on the European Tour. Garrido was born in Madrid. He is the eldest son of Antonio Garrido who won five times on the European Tour and also played in the 1979 R ...

are the only other. In 1935, Alliss shot a 262 aggregate on his way to winning the Italian Open. The total established the lowest 72-hole total ever. Alliss had limited play in North America, but did finished regulation tied for the lead at the 1931 Canadian Open. He ultimately lost an 18-hole playoff to

Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional Men's major golf championships, majors is third behin ...

Personal life

Alliss was the father of golfer and broadcaster

. Alliss died in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

at the age of 78.

Professional wins

''this list may be incomplete'' *1920 Perrier Water Assistant Professionals' Tournament, Welsh Professional Championship *1921 Welsh Open Championship *1923 Essex Professional Championship *1925 Essex Professional Championship *1926 German Open *1927 German Open, Italian Open, German PGA Championship *1928 German Open, German PGA Championship *1929 German Open *1931

Båstad Båstad () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden, with approximately 5,000 permanent residents. It is however one of Sweden's most typical summer resorts. The population is presumably mor ...

Open Invitation Tournament *1932 Penfold-Porthcawl Tournament *1933 German Open,

News of the World Match Play The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the '' News of the World'', and was commonly known ...

*1935 Italian Open, Scottish Open Championship *1936 Morecambe-Penfold Northern Open Championship, Yorkshire Open *1937 Northern Professional Championship, Yorkshire Open, Yorkshire Professional Championship,

*1938 Penfold Professional Golf League Source:

Results in major championships

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

Team appearances

(representing Great Britain):

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

(winners),

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

(winners),

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

*France–Great Britain Professional Match (representing Great Britain): 1929 (winners) * England–Scotland Professional Match (representing England): 1932 (winners), 1933 (winners), 1934 (winners), 1935 (winners), 1936 (winners), 1937 (winners) * England–Ireland Professional Match (representing England): 1932 (winners) *

Llandudno International Golf Trophy The Llandudno International Golf Trophy was a professional team match play golf tournament that was played at the Maesdu Golf Club from 28 to 30 September 1938. The tournament was contested between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. It was int ...

(representing England): 1938 (captain, winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alliss, Percy English male golfers Ryder Cup competitors for Europe Golfers from Sheffield 1897 births 1975 deaths 20th-century English sportsmen