Peter Michael Paul Townsend (born 16 September 1946) is an 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 ...

. After a very successful amateur career he turned professional in 1966. He had a number of wins in the early part of his professional career including the Piccadilly PGA Close Championship in 1968. He represented Great Britain twice 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

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

and

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

Amateur career

Townsend had a very successful amateur career. He won 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 ...

in 1962 and 1964, the Carris Trophy in 1964 and the

British Youths Open Amateur Championship The British Youths Open Championship was a youths golf tournament that was played from 1954 to 1994. It was 72-hole stroke-play event for golfers under 22. From 1954 to 1962, it was organised by a committee led by Sam Bunton, a Glasgow architect, ...

in 1965. In 1966 he won both the Brabazon Trophy and the Lytham Trophy and made the cut 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 ...

finishing as the second-best amateur to

Ronnie Shade Ronald David Bell Mitchell Shade, MBE (18 October 1938 – 10 September 1986) was a Scottish professional golfer. Life and career Shade was born in Edinburgh and grew up playing golf at Duddingston Golf Club in that city. He enjoyed unrivalle ...

. He was selected for Great Britain & Ireland in the 1965 Walker Cup and the 1966 Eisenhower Trophy. He turned professional in December 1966 under the management of

Mark McCormack Mark Hume McCormack (November 6, 1930 – May 16, 2003) was an American lawyer, sports agent and writer. He was the founder and chairman of International Management Group, now IMG (company), IMG, an international management organization ser ...

Professional career

Townsend won the 1967 Dutch Open in his first season as a professional. In 1968 he won two British tournaments, the

Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship The Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship was a golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. G ...

and the Piccadilly PGA Close Championship. He was also runner-up in the

Open de France The Open de France is a European Tour golf tournament. Inaugurated in 1906 it is the oldest national open in Continental Europe and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since the tour's inception in 1972. The 100th edition of the event ...

and the R.T.V. International Trophy. These good performances gained him an entry to the

Alcan Golfer of the Year Championship The Alcan Golfer of the Year Championship, also known as the Alcan Open, was an international golf tournament played from 1967 to 1970. It was sponsored by Rio Tinto Alcan, Alcan Aluminum of Canada, a long-time corporate sponsor of professional go ...

Royal Birkdale Royal Birkdale Golf Club is a golf course in the United Kingdom in North West England, located in Southport, Merseyside. It is one of the clubs in the rotation for both the Open Championship and Women's British Open and has hosted the Open Cham ...

where he finished second to

Gay Brewer Gay Robert Brewer Jr. (March 19, 1932 – August 31, 2007) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and won the 1967 Masters Tournament. Career Brewer turned professional in 1956 and made his first cut, at the Agua Calie ...

, winning over £6,000. At the end of the year he travelled to Australia. He won The Western Australian Ten Thousand and finished runner-up at the

Wills Masters The Wills Masters was a golf tournament held in Australia and played annually from 1963 to 1975. The Wills Classic had been held in Australia from 1960 and 1962. Total prize money from 1963 to 1965 was A£4,000. In 1966 and 1967 it was A$8,000 ...

(where he lost in a playoff to

Gary Player Gary James Player (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine ...

) and the

Dunlop International The Dunlop International was a golf tournament held in Australia and played annually from 1965 to 1972. Prize money in 1965 was A£4,000, A$8,000 in 1966 in 1967, A$15,000 in 1968 and A$25,000 from 1969 to 1972. A few weeks after the conclusion ...

. After this promising start to his career, Townsend played a number of events on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

in 1968, 1969, and 1970. He did not, however, enjoy the same degree of success although he did have four top-10 finishes in 1969, including a solo fourth place in the

Western Open The Western Open was a professional golf tournament in the United States, for most of its history an event on the PGA Tour. The tournament's founding in 1899 actually pre-dated the start of the Tour, which is generally dated from 1916, the ye ...

. As well as playing in a number of

events, Townsend was runner-up to

Tony Jacklin Anthony Jacklin CBE (born 7 July 1944) is an English golfer. He was the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, the 1969 Open Championship and the 1970 U.S. Open. He was also Ryder Cup captain from ...

in the 1970 W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament. He had more success in 1971, winning the Walworth Aloyco Tournament in Italy and the Swiss Open and finishing 5th in the Order of Merit. Townsend played on the

European Tour The European Tour, currently titled as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons, and legally the PGA European Tour or the European Tour Group, is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European ...

from its founding in 1972 to 1982. He never won on the tour although he came close to winning in the 1972

Lancia d'Oro The Lancia d'Oro was a men's professional golf tournament held in Italy from 1962 to 1976. It was hosted at Golf Club Biella every year except for 1974, which was hosted by Turin Golf Club, during the club's 50th anniversary year. Generally, it was ...

. José María Cañizares led after each of the first three rounds with scores of 69, 70 and 75. However, after a final round 73 (E) he was tied with Townsend at 287 (−5). Cañizares won the playoff at the fifth extra hole with a birdie 3, after hitting a 4-iron to 2 feet from the pin. Townsend was also a runner-up in the 1974

French Open The French Open (), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam ...

and the 1979 European Open Championship. He finished in the top-10 of the Order of Merit twice: 4th in 1972 and 9th in 1974. Townsend represented Great Britain twice in the

, in

and

. He won his first three matches in 1969, playing twice with

and once with

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 ...

. However he lost in the next two sessions and was not selected for the final singles matches. In 1971 he played in all six sessions but lost each time, although four of the matches went to the final hole. He twice played for England in the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

, playing with Peter Butler in 1969 and Maurice Bembridge in 1974. On turning professional, Townsend became the touring professional at Porters Park Golf Club, south of

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, where he had played as an amateur. In 1970 he became the touring professional at

Portmarnock Golf Club Portmarnock Golf Club is a Links (golf), links golf club in Portmarnock, County Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, located close to Dublin Airport. The golf course is often rated as one of the top courses in the UK and Ireland and is also oft ...

where he stayed until 1990, having replaced Harry Bradshaw as the club professional. Townsend was elected Captain of the Professional Golfers' Association in 1994. After turning 50, Townsend played on the

European Senior 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 ...

from 1996 to 2006, winning the Royal Westmoreland Barbados Open in March 2002.

Personal life

Townsend married Irish model Lorna Hogan, a niece of golfer

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 ...

, in 1969. They had three children—sons

Stuart Stuart may refer to: People *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) * Clan Stuart of Bute, a Scottish clan *House of Stuart, a royal house of Scotland and England Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, ...

, an actor, Dylan, a writer, and daughter Chloe, a jewellery designer. His wife, Lorna, died of a brain haemorrhage in 1994. Townsend and his Swedish second wife, Sofia, have two children, Hugo and Ella. Hugo played for the International team at the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup. He represented Sweden at the 2022 European Amateur Team Championship, finishing second with his team at

Royal St George's Golf Club The Royal St George's Golf Club is a golf club located in Sandwich, Kent, England. It is one of the courses on The Open Championship rota, and the only one in South East England. It has hosted 15 Open championships, the first in 1894 when it b ...

, England, the course where his father finished tied 19th at the

, 41 years earlier.

Amateur wins

*1962

*1964 Carris Trophy, Boys Amateur Championship *1965

*1966 Brabazon Trophy, Lytham Trophy,

Golf Illustrated Gold Vase The Golf Illustrated Gold Vase was a prestigious amateur golf tournament in England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it cover ...

(tie with Bobby Cole)

Professional wins (18)

Southern Africa Tour wins (1)

''*Note: The 1976 ICL International was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.''

Safari Circuit wins (1)

European circuit wins (5)

Caribbean Tour wins (2)

* 1969 Caracas Open * 1972 Los Lagartos Open

Other wins (8)

*1968 The Western Australian Ten Thousand *1971 Carroll's Irish Match Play Championship *1976 Carroll's Irish Match Play Championship *1977 Irish Dunlop Tournament *1978

Hassan II Golf Trophy The Hassan II Golf Trophy is a golf tournament in Morocco hosted by Prince Moulay Rachid. The tournament was founded by, and is now named for, his father, Hassan II, who served as King of Morocco. The tournament is currently played on PGA Tou ...

, Los Lagartos Open, Caribbean Open (Colombia) *1981 Laurent-Perrier Trophy (Belgium)

European Seniors Tour wins (1)

Playoff record

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

Results in major championships

''Note: Townsend 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

Amateur *

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 ...

(representing Great Britain & Ireland):

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

(tied) *

Eisenhower Trophy The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958 Eisenhower Trophy, 1958, it is nam ...

(representing Great Britain & Ireland):

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

St Andrews Trophy The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial men's team golf tournament contested between teams of amateur golfers representing Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. It takes its name from St Andrews in Scotland. It was first played in 19 ...

(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1966 (winners) *

European Amateur Team Championship The European Amateur Team Championship is a European amateur team golf championship for men organised by the European Golf Association which was introduced in 1959. The championship was played in odd-numbered years from 1959 to 2007 and has been ...

(representing England):

Professional *

(representing Great Britain):

(tie),

(representing England):

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

* Double Diamond International (representing England): 1971 (winners), 1972 (winners), 1974 (winners) * Marlboro Nations' Cup/Philip Morris International (representing England): 1972, 1975 * Sotogrande Match (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1974 (winners)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Peter English male golfers European Tour golfers European Senior Tour golfers PGA Tour golfers Ryder Cup competitors for Europe Sportspeople from Cambridge 1946 births Living people

Amateur career

Professional career

Personal life

Amateur wins

Professional wins (18)

Southern Africa Tour wins (1)

Safari Circuit wins (1)

European circuit wins (5)

Caribbean Tour wins (2)

Other wins (8)

European Seniors Tour wins (1)

Playoff record

Results in major championships

Team appearances

See also

References

External links