Frinton Invitation Tournament

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Frinton Invitation Tournament
Tournament information
Location Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England
Established1927
Course(s) Frinton Golf Club
Final year1929
Final champion
George Duncan
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Frinton Golf Club

The Frinton Invitation Tournament was a professional golf tournament played at Frinton Golf Club in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England. It was invitation event held in early 1927 and 1929, before the Ryder Cup, and provided competition for most of the British Ryder Cup team. It was a 36-hole stroke play event held on a single day.

Frinton Golf Club

Frinton Golf Club is a coastal golf club, located on the suburbs of Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England.

Frinton-on-Sea seaside town in the Tendring District of Essex, England

Frinton-on-Sea is a small seaside town in the Tendring district of Essex, England. It is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton.

Essex County of England

Essex is a county in the south-east of England, north-east of London. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and London to the south-west. The county town is Chelmsford, the only city in the county. For government statistical purposes Essex is placed in the East of England region.

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Detail

The 1927 event was held on 21 April with 30 professionals competing. The field included 5 of the 9 British Ryder Cup team that had recently been selected. The event was won by Ted Ray with rounds of 75 and 70, finishing two ahead of Charles Whitcombe, both being in Ryder Cup team. Of the other Ryder Cup players, George Duncan and George Gadd were tied for third while Arthur Havers was in a tie for sixth place. Herbert Jolly, who would later become a replacement in the Ryder Cup team, was also tied for sixth. [1]

1927 Ryder Cup 1927 edition of the Ryder Cup

The 1st Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts. The very first competition was dominated by the United States who won by the then landside score of 9½–2½ points. USA Captain Walter Hagen became the first winning captain to lift the Ryder Cup. Samuel Ryder, the competition's founder was unable to be present at Worcester Country Club for the inaugural event due to ill health at the time. Ted Ray was the first captain to represent the Great Britain team.

Ted Ray (golfer) professional golfer

Edward Rivers John "Ted" Ray was a British professional golfer, one of the leading players of the first quarter of the 20th century. He won two major championships, the Open Championship in 1912 and the U.S. Open in 1920, and contended in many others. He was captain of the British team in the inaugural Ryder Cup, in 1927.

Charles Albert Whitcombe was an English golfer. He was born in Berrow, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, the second of the three Whitcombe brothers who were all successful English professional golfers in the 1920s and 1930s and – despite never winning The Open Championship like his younger brother Reg – could be considered the most prominent of the three, winning the British PGA Matchplay Championship twice and captaining the Ryder Cup side four times.

The 1929 event was held on 4 April with 18 players competing. It took place 3 weeks before the 1929 Ryder Cup and was one of a number of events designed to provide practice for the British team. 9 of the 10 members of the team took part, the missing player being Percy Alliss, who was then attached to a German club. [2] George Duncan won with a score of 143, two ahead of Abe Mitchell and Charles Whitcombe. The event was a success for the Ryder Cup players with 7 being in the leading 9 and only Stewart Burns and Henry Cotton being in the bottom half of the field. [3]

The 2nd Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Moortown Golf Club in Leeds, England. It was very cold, with hail and at one point heavy snow on the greens. About two thousand spectators saw America gain a narrow lead after the foursome matches before the Great Britain team won singles on the final day and thus the competition by a score of 7–5 points. George Duncan of Scotland became the first of only three British captains to lift the Ryder Cup which was given to him by Samuel Ryder who was in attendance after missing the 1927 matches.

Percy Alliss professional golfer

Percy Alliss was one of the leading English professional golfers in the 1920s and 1930s, winning many tournaments in Britain and Continental Europe. He was the father of commentator and former golfer Peter Alliss.

George Duncan (golfer) professional golfer

George Duncan was a Scottish professional golfer. He was also a golf course designer. His much sought-after professional teaching and swing analysis skills lead to him being referred to as "the pro's pro." He won the 1920 Open Championship.

Winners

YearWinnersCountryVenueScoreMargin
of victory
Runner(s)-upWinner's
share (£)
Ref
1927 Ted Ray Flag of Jersey.svg  Jersey Frinton Golf Club 1452 strokes Flag of England.svg Charles Whitcombe [1]
1928: No tournament
1929 George Duncan Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Frinton Golf Club 1432 strokes Flag of England.svg Abe Mitchell
Flag of England.svg Charles Whitcombe
[3]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Fine Play by Ryder Cup representatives". The Glasgow Herald . 22 April 1927. p. 15.
  2. "Ryder Cup players at Frinton". The Glasgow Herald . 4 April 1929. p. 12.
  3. 1 2 "Golf in Earnest". The Glasgow Herald . 5 April 1929. p. 6.