Stuart William Thomas Murray (10 November 1933 – 23 January 2023) was a Scottish

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 success as an amateur, winning the

Scottish Amateur The Scottish Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of Scotland. It has been played since 1922 and is organised by the Scottish Golf Union. It is a "closed" event with entry currently restricted to those who were either bo ...

in 1962 and playing in the

1963 Walker Cup The 1963 Walker Cup, the 19th Walker Cup Match, was played on 24 and 25 May 1963, at Turnberry (golf course), Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland. The event was won by the United States 12 to 8 with 4 matches halved. This was the first Walker Cup in wh ...

. A change in the rules relating to amateur status pushed him into turning professional in late 1963. He won the Midland Professional Championship three times between 1964 and 1968 and also the

Strong Country Tournament Strong may refer to: Education * The Strong, an educational institution in Rochester, New York, United States * Strong Hall (Lawrence, Kansas), an administrative hall of the University of Kansas * Strong School, New Haven, Connecticut, United St ...

in 1965.

Amateur career

Murray qualified for the

1955 Open Championship The 1955 Open Championship was the 84th Open Championship, played 6–8 July at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. Peter Thomson won the second of three consecutive Open titles, two strokes ahead of runner-up John Fallon. Thomson won a ...

at St Andrews, although he failed to make the cut. In 1958 he won the West of Scotland championship at Barassie, beating Lindsay Renfrew in the final. In the 1961

at Western Gailes, Murray lost in the final to James Walker. Walker was seven up after 13 holes of the morning round and eventually won 4 and 3. Murray won the 1962 Scottish Amateur at Muirfield, beating

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 ...

2 and 1 in the final. Shade won the event for the following five years. Murray played for Great Britain & Ireland against the rest of Europe in France in 1958 and in Sweden in 1962. In 1959 he made his debut for Scotland 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 ...

, and played each year until he turned professional. Murray played in the

at Turnberry. Playing with

Michael Bonallack Sir Michael Francis Bonallack, Order of the British Empire, OBE (31 December 1934 – 26 September 2023) was an English amateur golfer who was one of the leading administrators in world golf in the late 20th century. Early life Bonallack wa ...

they won their foursomes match on the first morning and Murray beat

Deane Beman } Deane R. Beman (born April 22, 1938) is an American professional golfer, golf administrator. He was the second commissioner of the PGA Tour, serving from 1974 to 1994. Early life Beman was born in Washington, D.C.. He attended the University o ...

3 and 1 in the afternoon, as the home team took a 6–3 lead. However he lost both his matches on the second day and the US won the match 12–8.

Professional career

Murray turned professional towards the end of 1963 following a change in the rules on amateur status. Murray was a sales representative for John Letters, a firm of golf club makers. Murray was initially a professional at Northamptonshire golf club, before moving to Hendon golf club from 1972. While at Northamptonshire Murray had some success in regional events. He won the Midland Professional Championship three times, in 1964, 1967 and 1968. He also won the Northamptonshire Professional Championship four times, in 1964, 1966, 1969 and 1971. In Scotland he was a runner-up in the 1965

Northern Open The Northern Open is a golf tournament played annually in Scotland since 1931. For some years it was one of only two 72-hole tournaments on the "Tartan Tour", the PGA Tour in Scotland's schedule, the other being the Scottish PGA Championship, bu ...

behind

Jock Brown John Winton Brown (born in May 1946) is a Scottish football commentator. He also served as general manager of Scottish club Celtic from 1997 to 1998. Early life Brown was born in Kilmarnock in May 1946. He is the younger brother of former Scotl ...

, and in the Pringle of Scotland Tournament later in the year, behind

Cobie Legrange Cobie Legrange (born 1942) is a South African professional golfer. He was one of the best South African golfers of the 1960s and reached a peak ranking of #15 in the world. Early life Legrange was born in Boksburg, South Africa. Professional ...

. Murray was a regular competitor in the

, a 36-hole event generally played in the

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

area.

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 ...

had won the tournament from 1961 to 1964 but Murray won in 1965. He had a final round 62 to win by 10 strokes. In 1968 he lost in a sudden-death playoff to

Doug Sewell Douglas Norman Sewell (19 November 1929 – 9 September 2017) was an English professional golfer. Before turning professional he had a successful amateur career, playing in the Walker Cup in 1957 and 1959. Amateur career Sewell was a useful am ...

. Murray also won a qualifying round in the Shell Winter Tournament in late 1967, taking the first prize of £250. Murray qualified for 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 1964, 1965 and 1966. He made the cut in 1964 and finished in a tie for 40th place. Despite being nearly 60 when the tour started in 1992, Murray 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 1992 to 1994.

Personal life

Murray died on 23 January 2023, at the age of 89. He was widowed and had two sons.

Amateur wins

*1958 West of Scotland Amateur Championship, Renfrewshire Amateur Championship *1959 Renfrewshire Amateur Championship *1960 Edward Trophy, Glasgow Amateur Championship *1961 Edward Trophy *1962

*1963 Hampshire Amateur Championship, Tennant Cup Source:

Professional wins

*1964 Midland Professional Championship, Northamptonshire Professional Championship *1965

*1966 Northamptonshire Professional Championship *1967 Midland Professional Championship *1968 Midland Professional Championship *1969 Northamptonshire Professional Championship *1971 Northamptonshire Professional Championship *1972 Middlesex Open *1973 Middlesex Open *1978 Middlesex Professional Championship Source:

Results in major championships

''Note: Murray only played in The Open Championship.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place Source:

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 and Ireland):

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

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): 1958 (winners), 1962 (winners) *

(representing Scotland): 1959 (joint winners), 1960, 1961 (winners), 1962 (joint winners), 1963 (joint winners)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Stuart Scottish male golfers Sportspeople from Paisley, Renfrewshire 1933 births 2023 deaths