Tooting Bec Cup

The Tooting Bec Cup is a trophy currently awarded by the Professional Golfers' Association of Great Britain and Ireland to the association member born in, or with a parent or parents born in, the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland who returns the lowest single-round score in The Open Championship.^[1][2][3]

Inaugurated in 1901 the Tooting Bec Challenge Cup was originally a separate competition. From 1910 it was awarded to the winner of a southern section qualifying competition for a major tournament and then since 1924 it has been awarded to the best round in The Open Championship by a British or Irish member of the PGA. It is the PGA's oldest trophy, predating the northern section's Leeds Cup which was first contested in 1902.^[4]

History

The Tooting Bec Challenge Cup was originally a 36-hole stroke play tournament organised by the London and Counties Professional Golfers' Association, the forerunner of the Professional Golfers' Association. The tournament was held on 15 October 1901 at the Tooting Bec Golf Club, Furzedown and the cup was donated by the Tooting Bec club. Of the 50 members who entered 46 played. J.H. Taylor won the event and was presented with the cup by the club captain, Norman Bailey.^[5] With the formation of the PGA in late 1901, the cup became an event organised by the southern section of the PGA.

Since 1924, it has not been a standalone tournament, and the trophy has been awarded to the PGA member from the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland who records the lowest single-round score in the Open. The precise qualification rule has varied. Henry Cotton did not receive it in 1934, despite his rounds of 65 and 67, because at the time the award went "to the member of P.G.A. living in Great Britain who accomplishes the best single round during the championship" and Cotton was then living in Belgium.^[6]

Winners

Year	Player(s)	Score
2016	Rory McIlroy	67
2015	Pádraig Harrington	65
2014	Rory McIlroy	66
2013	Ian Poulter	67
2012	Paul Lawrie	65
2011	Darren Clarke Graeme McDowell	68
2010	Andrew Coltart	66
2009	Luke Donald	67
2008	David Howell	67
2007	Pádraig Harrington Paul McGinley	67
2006	Greg Owen	67
2005	Colin Montgomerie	66
2004	Lee Westwood	67
2003	Nick Faldo	67
2002	Colin Montgomerie	64
2001	Colin Montgomerie Des Smyth	65
2000	Darren Clarke Pádraig Harrington Dean Robertson	68
1999	Paul Lawrie	67
1998	Andrew Coltart Philip Walton	68
1997	Stephen Ames Darren Clarke David Tapping	66
1996	Paul Broadhurst Paul McGinley	65
1995	Nick Faldo	67
1994	Nick Faldo	64
1993	Nick Faldo	63
1992	Nick Faldo	64
1991	Roger Chapman Eamonn Darcy	66
1990	Paul Broadhurst	63
1989	Wayne Stephens	66
1988	Sandy Lyle	67
1987	Ross Drummond	66
1986	Gordon J. Brand	68
1985	Christy O'Connor Jnr	64
1984	Sam Torrance	66
1983	Denis Durnian	66
1982	Sandy Lyle	66
1981	Gordon J. Brand	65
1980	Ken Brown Eamonn Darcy Bill McColl	68
1979	Bill Longmuir	65
1978	Gary Cullen	67
1977	Tommy Horton	65
1976	Mark James	66
1975	Maurice Bembridge Neil Coles Bernard Gallacher David Huish	67
1974	John Garner John Morgan Peter Townsend	69
1973	Neil Coles	66
1972	Harry Bannerman Guy Hunt Tony Jacklin	67
1971	Peter Oosterhuis	66
1970	Neil Coles	65
1969	Christy O'Connor Snr	65
1968	Brian Barnes Gordon Cunningham	70
1967	Hugh Boyle Lionel Platts	68
1966	Peter Butler	65
1965	Brian Huggett	68
1964	Malcolm Gregson Bernard Hunt	67
1963	Tom Haliburton Christy O'Connor Snr	68
1962	Syd Scott	68
1961	Christy O'Connor Snr	67
1960	Bernard Hunt	66
1959	Peter Alliss	67
1958	Eric Brown	65
1957	Laurie Ayton, Jnr Eric Brown John Fallon	67
1956	Dennis Smalldon	68
1955	John Fallon	67
1954	Jack Hargreaves Syd Scott	67
1953	Dai Rees Eric Lester	70
1952	Fred Daly	67
1951	Jimmy Adams Charlie Ward	68
1950	Fred Daly	66
1949	Jimmy Adams Ken Bousfield	67
1948	Henry Cotton	66
1947	Laurie Ayton, Jnr Henry Cotton	69
1939	Dick Burton Jack Busson Max Faulkner	70
1938	Dick Burton Jack Busson	69
1937	Reg Whitcombe	70
1936	Bill Branch	68
1935	Alf Perry	67
1934	Bill Davies	68
1933	Abe Mitchell	68
1932	Arthur Havers	68
1931	Held in abeyance
1930	Archie Compston	68
1929	Percy Alliss	69
1928	Held in abeyance
1927	Fred Robson	69
1926	Held in abeyance
1925	Ted Ray	73
1924	Ernest Whitcombe	70

Tournament winners

This table gives details of the tournament winners from 1901 to 1923. From 1910 the cup was awarded to the winner of a qualifying competition for a major tournament.

Year	Winner	Country	Venue	Score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share (£)	Ref
1901	J.H. Taylor	England	Tooting Bec Golf Club	149	3 strokes	James Hepburn Rowland Jones		[5]
1902	James Braid	Scotland	Romford Golf Club	148	6 strokes	Ralph Smith		[7]
1903	James Braid	Scotland	Hanger Hill Golf Club	148	3 strokes	Harry Vardon Jack White		[8]
1904	James Braid	Scotland	West Middlesex Golf Club	147	Playoff (18 holes)	John McLaren		[9]
1905	Alfred Toogood	England	Northwood Golf Club	150	1 stroke	J.H. Taylor		[10]
1906	William Lonie	Scotland	Ashford Manor Golf Club	152	4 strokes	Wilfrid Reid		[11]
1907	James Braid	Scotland	South Herts Golf Club	151	3 strokes	J.H. Taylor		[12]
1908	Rowland Jones	England	Neasden Golf Club	153	Playoff (18 holes)	Ernest Gray		[13]
1909	James Sherlock	England	Maidenhead Golf Club	149	4 strokes	James Braid		[14]
1910	James Sherlock	England	Stoke Poges Golf Club	148	4 strokes	Tom Ball Ernest Gaudin Charles Mayo Tom Vardon		[15]
1911	Harry Vardon	Jersey	Banstead Downs Golf Club	154	Playoff (18 holes)	Wilfrid Reid		[16][17]
1912	Phil Gaudin	Jersey	Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club	147	Playoff (18 holes)	James Braid		[18][19]
1913	Ted Ray	Jersey	Old Fold Manor Golf Club	145	Playoff (18 holes)	James Batley		[20][21][22]
1914–19: No tournament
1920	Ted Ray	Jersey	Worplesdon Golf Club	149	1 stroke	Abe Mitchell	10	[23]
1921	Arnaud Massy	France	Cooden Beach Golf Club	147	1 stroke	Fred Robson Ted Ray	25	[24]
1922: No tournament
1923	George Duncan	Scotland	Purley Downs Golf Club	142	2 strokes	Ted Ray		[25]

In 1904 the PGA experimented with handicaps and John McLaren, a new professional, was one of six professionals to receive strokes. Vardon won the playoff, played the same evening, scoring 76 to McLaren's 81−3=78.^[26] The 1908 playoff was also played in the evening after the tournament.

The 1910 event was planned for 11 May at Banstead Downs but was cancelled because of the death of Edward VII. The cup was awarded to the winner of the southern section qualifying competition for the News of the World Match Play.

In 1911 it was to be awarded to the winner of the southern section qualifying competition for the Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament. Vardon and Reid tied in the qualifying event and had a playoff two days later to determine the winner of the cup. Vardon won with a score of 76 to Reid's 78.

Because of congestion during the 1911 qualifying, the 1912 southern section qualifying competition for the Sphere and Tatler tournament was played on two courses. Half played at West Herts Golf Club and half at Purley Downs Golf Club. Phil Gaudin and James Braid led their respective events, both scoring 147, and a playoff between them would determine the winner of the cup. The playoff did not take place for nearly a year, being played on 31 March 1913 at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club. Gaudin scored 76 to Braid's 81.

The same system was used in 1913. Half played at Fulwell Golf Club and half at Denham Golf Club. At Fulwell, Rowland Jones and Ted Ray tied on 145 while at Denham, James Batley and Harry Vardon led on 152. A playoff between the four players would determine the winner of the cup. As in 1912, the playoff did not take place for nearly a year, being played on 14 April 1914 at Thorpe Hall Golf Club. 18 holes were played and resulted in another tie. Batley and Ray scoring 74, with Jones on 77 and Vardon on 78. There was then a further playoff on 20 April 1914 at Old Fold Manor Golf Club. Again 18 holes were played, Ray winning with a score of 74 to Batley's 76.

In 1920, 1921 and 1923 the trophy was awarded to the winner of the southern section qualifying competition for the Daily Mail Tournament.

References

1. "Tooting Bec Cup". PGA. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
2. "Tooting Bec Cup". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
3. "The Open's prized silverware". PGA. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
4. "Another PGA medal haul for Rory". PGA. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
5. "London and Counties Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 16 October 1901. p. 9.
6. "Awards for Cotton and Davies". The Times. 2 August 1934. p. 4.
7. "Professional competition at Romford". The Times. 18 September 1902. p. 10.
8. "Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 13 May 1903. p. 9.
9. "Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 5 May 1904. p. 12.
10. "Professional Golfers' Association's tournament". The Times. 4 May 1905. p. 12.
11. "Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 26 April 1906. p. 11.
12. "Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 16 May 1907. p. 12.
13. "Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 14 May 1908. p. 19.
14. "Tooting Bec Cup competition". The Times. 13 May 1909. p. 18.
15. "The £240 competition – Southern section". The Times. 21 July 1910. p. 18.
16. "Southern professional tournament". The Times. 4 May 1911. p. 15.
17. "The Tooting Bec cup". The Times. 6 May 1911. p. 15.
18. "Professional foursomes tournament – Qualifying competitions". The Times. 25 Apr 1912. p. 13.
19. "The Tooting Bec cup". The Times. 1 April 1913. p. 16.
20. "Professional golfers association – Southern qualifying competition". The Glasgow Herald. 8 May 1913. p. 14.
21. "Professionals at Thorpe Hall". The Glasgow Herald. 15 April 1914. p. 15.
22. "Ray wins the "Tooting Bec" cup". The Glasgow Herald. 21 April 1914. p. 14.
23. "Worplesdon tournament – Ray's great round". The Glasgow Herald. 16 April 1920. p. 13.
24. "The £600 tournament – Southern section qualifying play". The Glasgow Herald. 22 April 1921. p. 4.
25. "Great round by Duncan". The Times. 20 April 1923. p. 6.
26. "Club Makers, Professionals and Course Designers: Alexander and John McLaren". North Berwick. Retrieved 11 June 2015.

External links

• List of winners