Tommy Horton

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Tommy Horton
MBE
Tommy4.jpg
Personal information
Full nameThomas Alfred Horton
Born(1941-06-16)16 June 1941
St Helens, Lancashire, England
Died7 December 2017(2017-12-07) (aged 76)
Jersey, Channel Islands
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight148 lb (67 kg; 10.6 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of England.svg  England
ResidenceJersey, Channel Islands
PartnerHelen Horton
Children2
Career
Turned professional1957
Former tour(s) European Tour
European Senior Tour
Professional wins41
Number of wins by tour
European Tour4
European Senior Tour23 (2nd all-time)
Other10 (regular)
4 (senior)
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament CUT: 1968, 1969, 1971, 1977
PGA Championship DNP
U.S. Open DNP
The Open Championship T5: 1976
Achievements and awards
European Seniors Tour
Order of Merit winner
1993, 1996, 1997,
1998, 1999

Thomas Alfred Horton, MBE (16 June 1941 – 7 December 2017) was an English professional golfer. He finished in the top ten of the Open Championship four times, won a number of important tournaments both before and after the founding of the European Tour in 1972 and played in the Ryder Cup in 1975 and 1977. He reached 50 just before the founding of the European Seniors Tour and won 23 times on the tour between 1992 and 2000.

Contents

Early life

Horton was born in St Helens, Merseyside; he moved to Jersey in 1945 and was brought up and educated on the island.

Professional career

Horton was an assistant at Ham Manor Golf Club near Worthing, Sussex from 1959, later becoming the professional there. In 1974 he moved to Royal Jersey Golf Club. [1] He celebrated 25 years there as professional before his retirement in 1999. [2]

Horton was one of the "Butten boys", a group of British professional golfers who were part of a training programme, funded by Ernest Butten, an entrepreneur and joint founder of PA Consulting Group. Starting in 1963, Butten funded a residential golf school at Sundridge Park in Bromley, Kent. Max Faulkner was employed as the teaching professional. [3]

Horton was runner-up a number of times before his first important win, the R.T.V. International Trophy at Cork Golf Club in August 1968. [4] He had been runner-up in the Carroll's International in 1965 and 1967 and the Martini International earlier in 1968. He was also close to winning the Silentnight Tournament in 1965. Dave Thomas had taken the clubhouse lead. Playing with Jimmy Martin, they reached the final hole with Horton needed a par 4 to beat Thomas while Martin needed a par to tie with Thomas. Martin missed a birdie putt from 10 feet and finished level with Thomas. Horton, however, drove into a bunker, missed a 5-foot putt and took a double-bogey 6 to finish one behind in third place. [5]

Horton won two important tournaments in 1970, the South African Open in February and the Long John Scotch Whisky Match Play Championship in August. He became the first non-South African resident to win the South African Open since it had been first played in 1903, with a three stroke win over Terry Westbrook. [6] In the match play championship he beat Bobby Walker 5&4 in the semi-final before beating another Scot, Ronnie Shade, 3&2 in the final, winning the first prize of £2,000. [7] Horton had been four down against Neil Coles after 10 holes in their quarter-final match but came back to win on the 18th. [8]

Horton played on the European Tour for many years with moderate success, winning four titles and finishing fifth on the Order of Merit in 1976 and tenth in both 1974 and 1978. His biggest win on the tour came in the 1978 Dunlop Masters. Needing a par-3 on the 245-yard final hole at St Pierre, Horton missed the green but holed a 10-foot putt for a one stroke win over Dale Hayes, Graham Marsh and Brian Waites, taking the first prize of £8,000. [9]

Horton had been in contention for a Ryder Cup place as early as 1965. That year he was 11th in the Ryder Cup points list before the final qualifying event, the Esso Golden Tournament, with the leading 10 making the team. [10] However he finished last in the tournament and dropped to 14th place. [11] From 1969 the Ryder Cup team was partly chosen by a selection committee. Horton was a strong candidate in 1969 and 1971 but was not selected until 1975 at Laurel Valley Golf Club. [12] [13] [14] Four members of the 12-man team were selected by committee and with two US-based players chosen, Tony Jacklin and Peter Oosterhuis, there were only two places for the remaining players. Despite finishing 15th in the points list, Horton was selected, making his debut at the age of 34. [13] Horton lost his three pairs matches but on the final day he halved his match against Hale Irwin in the morning singles and beat Lou Graham in the afternoon. Horton played again in 1977 at Royal Lytham. He was 5th in the Ryder Cup points list and gained an automatic spot for the first time. [15] He lost the three matches he played, all by the same score, 5&4.

The European Seniors Tour was founded shortly after he reached its minimum age of fifty, and Horton was the dominant player in its early seasons, topping the money list in 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. [1] He was top of the tour's career money list for many years, before being overtaken by Carl Mason in 2007. [16] Mason equalled Horton total of 23 victories in 2010 and had his 24th win the following year. [17] [18] Horton's career winnings on the senior tour exceeded £1,000,000 and he remains second on the list of most wins of the tour.

Horton was captain of the PGA in 1978, captaining the PGA Cup team the same year at St Mellion. [1]

Honours

In the 2000 New Year Honours, Horton was awarded an MBE for services to golf, and he was made an honorary life member of the European Tour in 2012. [19]

Death

Horton was taken ill at the Annual General Meeting of the Royal Jersey Golf Club on 7 December 2017 and died later that evening in hospital. [19] [20]

Professional wins (41)

European Tour wins (4)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
127 Apr 1972 Piccadilly Medal +13 (80-77=157)1 stroke Flag of England.svg Guy Hunt
211 May 1974 Penfold Tournament −8 (70-68-67-67=272)1 stroke Flag of England.svg Peter Tupling
326 Jun 1976 Uniroyal International −11 (69-72-67-69=277)1 stroke Flag of England.svg Martin Foster
47 Oct 1978 Dunlop Masters −5 (71-70-67-71=279)1 stroke Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg Dale Hayes, Flag of Australia (converted).svg Graham Marsh,
Flag of England.svg Brian Waites

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 1977 Callers of Newcastle Flag of England.svg Peter Butler, Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg John Fourie,
Flag of Spain.svg Ángel Gallardo
Fourie won with par on second extra hole
Butler and Horton eliminated by par on first hole

Safari Circuit wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runners-up
127 Mar 1977 Zambia Open −8 (70-74-70-70=284)2 strokes Flag of Scotland.svg Brian Barnes, Flag of Scotland.svg Ken Brown,
Flag of England.svg Gary Cullen, Flag of Ireland.svg Christy O'Connor Snr,
Flag of England.svg Brian Waites

Swedish Golf Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runners-up
130 Jun 1984 PLM Open E (73-72-69-74=288)4 strokes Flag of England.svg Denis Durnian, Flag of Sweden.svg Anders Starkman

Other Great Britain and Ireland wins (4)

No.DateTournamentVenueWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
127 Aug 1968 R.T.V. International Trophy Cork Golf Club 66-68-68-69=2713 strokes Flag of England.svg Peter Townsend
224 Aug 1969Tyneside Festival of Golf Northumberland Golf Club 70-73-73=2161 stroke Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Dave Thomas, Flag of Australia (converted).svg Peter Thomson
329 Aug 1970 Long John Scotch Whisky
Match Play Championship
Moor Park Golf Club 3 & 2 in final Flag of Scotland.svg Ronnie Shade
426 Jun 1971 Gallaher Ulster Open Malone Golf Club 67-70-70-67=2741 stroke Flag of England.svg Neil Coles

Other wins (4)

European Seniors Tour wins (23)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
19 Aug 1992 Forte PGA Seniors Championship +2 (74-68-74-74=290)Playoff Flag of England.svg Tony Grubb, Flag of Ireland.svg Christy O'Connor Snr
24 Jul 1993 Shell Scottish Seniors Open −2 (69-71-68=208)5 strokes Flag of England.svg Neil Coles, Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Brian Huggett
35 Sep 1993 Collingtree Seniors −4 (69-72-71=212)3 strokes Flag of England.svg Roger Fidler, Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Brian Huggett
49 Oct 1993 Senior Zurich Lexus Trophy E (74-67-75=216)Playoff Flag of South Africa (1982-1994).svg John Fourie, Flag of Puerto Rico (1952-1995).svg David Jimenez
515 May 1994 St Pierre Seniors Classic −4 (71-71-70=212)3 strokes Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Brian Huggett
613 Aug 1994 Belfast Telegraph Irish Senior Masters −5 (68-71-69=208)Playoff Flag of Italy.svg Renato Campagnoli
710 Sep 1995 De Vere Hotels Seniors Classic −3 (71-69-73=213)1 stroke Flag of Spain.svg Antonio Garrido
816 Jun 1996 Castle Royle European Seniors Classic −11 (68-69-69=205)Playoff Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Brian Huggett
914 Jul 1996 Stella Senior Open −15 (66-67-68=201)2 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Noel Ratcliffe
1018 Aug 1996 Northern Electric Seniors −7 (67-67-75=209)4 strokes Flag of Spain.svg Antonio Garrido, Flag of Australia (converted).svg Noel Ratcliffe
1120 Oct 1996 The Players Championship −10 (68-69-69=206)2 strokes Flag of England.svg Malcolm Gregson, Flag of South Africa.svg Gary Player
1210 May 1997 Beko Turkish Seniors Open −8 (69-70-69=208)2 strokes Flag of England.svg Maurice Bembridge
1318 May 1997 AIB Irish Seniors Open −8 (71-69-68=208)2 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Noel Ratcliffe
148 Jun 1997 Jersey Seniors Open −12 (69-67-68=204)6 strokes Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Craig Defoy
157 Sep 1997 Scottish Seniors Open (2)−12 (70-62=132)*9 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jim Delich
1614 Sep 1997 Clubhaus Seniors Classic −13 (68-71-64=203)2 strokes Ulster Banner.svg David Jones
1719 Oct 1997 Senior Tournament of Champions (2)−12 (69-67-68=204)3 strokes Flag of Spain.svg José María Cañizares
183 May 1998 El Bosque Seniors Open −15 (66-67-68=201)9 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Noel Ratcliffe
1914 Jun 1998 De Vere Hotels Seniors Classic (2)−5 (68-76-67=211)1 stroke Flag of England.svg Ian Richardson
2031 Aug 1998 The Belfry PGA Seniors Championship −11 (69-71-66-71=277)2 strokes Flag of Italy.svg Renato Campagnoli, Flag of England.svg Jim Rhodes
219 May 1999 Beko Classic −5 (72-70-69=211)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Alan Tapie
2211 Sep 1999 Monte Carlo Invitational E (69-70-68=207)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Bill Brask, Flag of the United States.svg Jerry Bruner,
Flag of the United States.svg Ray Carrasco
231 Apr 2000 Royal Westmoreland Barbados Open −8 (70-70-68=208)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jerry Bruner

*Note: The 1997 Scottish Seniors Open was shortened to 36 holes due to the Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.

European Seniors Tour playoff record (4–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1992 Forte PGA Seniors Championship Flag of England.svg Tony Grubb, Flag of Ireland.svg Christy O'Connor Snr Won with birdie on first extra hole
21992 Gary Player Anvil Senior Classic Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Brian Huggett Lost to par on fourth extra hole
3 1993 Senior Zurich Lexus Trophy Flag of South Africa (1982-1994).svg John Fourie, Flag of Puerto Rico (1952-1995).svg David Jimenez Won with birdie on first extra hole
4 1994 Belfast Telegraph Irish Senior Masters Flag of Italy.svg Renato Campagnoli Won with par on second extra hole
5 1996 Castle Royle European Seniors Classic Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Brian Huggett Won with birdie on first extra hole

Other senior wins (4)

Results in major championships

Tournament19651966196719681969
Masters Tournament CUTCUT
The Open Championship T17CUTT8T13T11
Tournament1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
Masters Tournament CUTCUT
The Open Championship T9T37T40T31T31T19T5T9CUTCUT
Tournament1980198119821983198419851986
Masters Tournament
The Open Championship T32T35CUTCUT74

Note: Horton only played in the Masters Tournament and the Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1979 and 1982 Open Championships)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament 00000040
U.S. Open 00000000
The Open Championship 0001482015
PGA Championship 00000000
Totals0001482415

Team appearances

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tributes paid to Tommy Horton MBE". The Professional Golfers' Association. 12 December 2017.
  2. "Tommy Horton awarded Honorary Tour Life Membership". Golf Business News. 6 June 2012.
  3. "European Tour hosts Butten Boys' 50th Reunion". PGA European Tour. 20 January 2014.
  4. "Golf – Horton carries off Cork prize". The Times. 26 August 1968. p. 10.
  5. Jacobs, Raymond (21 June 1965). "Martin and Thomas in Tie at Moortown". Glasgow Herald . p. 4.
  6. "S. African Open for Horton". The Glasgow Herald . 23 February 1970. p. 6.
  7. "Match-play victory ends Horton's string of second places". The Glasgow Herald . 31 August 1970. p. 5.
  8. "Shade and Walker reach last four in bid to emulate Eric Brown's 1962 success". The Glasgow Herald . 29 August 1970. p. 4.
  9. "Horton a winner all round". The Glasgow Herald . 9 October 1978. p. 16.
  10. "Eight fight for three places". The Times. 22 July 1965. p. 3.
  11. "British team for Ryder Cup match". Glasgow Herald . 26 July 1965. p. 4.
  12. "Gallacher nosed out by 1/2 point". The Daily Telegraph . 16 July 1969. p. 14 via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 "Horton chosen for Ryder Cup but is centre of controversy again". The Times. 19 August 1975. p. 6.
  14. "British Ryder Cup team completed". Glasgow Herald . 19 August 1975. p. 21.
  15. Jacobs, Raymond (15 August 1977). "Britain's 3 Ryder Cup newcomers". Glasgow Herald . p. 14.
  16. "Mason makes history at Woburn". PGA European Tour. 2 September 2007.
  17. "Ace Mase equals record with victory in Switzerland". PGA European Tour. 4 July 2010.
  18. "Record-breaker Mason makes history in Spain". PGA European Tour. 20 May 2011.
  19. 1 2 Jackson, Keith (8 December 2017). "European Senior Tour legend Tommy Horton dies aged 76". Sky Sports . Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  20. "Island golfing great Tommy Horton dies". Jersey Evening Post . Retrieved 8 December 2017.