U.S. Professional Match Play Championship

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U.S. Professional Match Play Championship
Tournament information
Location Cary, North Carolina
Established1971
Course(s)MacGregor Downs Country Club
Par71
Tour(s) PGA Tour
Format Match play
Prize fund US$200,000
Month playedAugust
Final year1973
Tournament record score
Aggregate71 DeWitt Weaver (1971)
To par−1 as above
Score2 and 1 Jack Nicklaus (1972)
Final champion
Flag of the United States.svg John Schroeder
Location map
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Icona golf.svg
MacGregor Downs CC
Location in United States
USA North Carolina relief location map.jpg
Icona golf.svg
MacGregor Downs CC
Location in North Carolina

The U.S. Professional Match Play Championship was a PGA Tour event that was played in North Carolina in the early 1970s.

The event was first played as the Liggett & Myers Open Match Play Championship in 1971 [1] at The Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst. The field of 64 players in 1971 consisted of the winners of tour events from the previous 12 months and the leaders from the 1971 money list. The tournament was played in medal match play. The purse in 1971 was $267,500 with $35,000 going to the winner.

For 1972, the tournament, now called the U.S. Professional Match Play Championship, was held in conjunction with the Liggett & Myers Open. [2] Eight players were exempt into the field of 16 with the other eight players being the leaders after the first two rounds of the Liggett & Myers Open. The tournament was played on Saturday and Sunday, two rounds each day, concurrently with the final two rounds of the Liggett & Myers Open. The tournament was played at normal match play. The purse in 1972 was $150,000 with $40,000 going to the winner. Losers in the first round received $5,000, or more than the fourth-place finisher in the Liggett & Myers Open.

In 1973, the format and purse remained the same but the events shifted to MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, North Carolina. [3]

Winners

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory
Runner-upRef.
U.S. Professional Match Play Championship
1973 Flag of the United States.svg John Schroeder 2 up Flag of the United States.svg DeWitt Weaver [4]
1972 Flag of the United States.svg Jack Nicklaus 2 and 1 Flag of the United States.svg Frank Beard [5]
Liggett & Myers Open Match Play Championship
1971 Flag of the United States.svg DeWitt Weaver 71−16 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Phil Rodgers [6]

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References

  1. "Career Milestones from DeWitt Weaver Golf Solutions LLC". Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  2. "Golfers Slated For Doubleheader". The Victoria Advocate. Victoria, Texas. AP. August 24, 1972. p. 4C.
  3. Green, Bob (August 24, 1973). "Match Play could decide who wins golfer of the year". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. AP. p. 6.
  4. "Schroeder Captures Pro Match Play Title". The Spartanburg Herald. Spartanburg, South Carolina. AP. August 27, 1973. p. B!.
  5. Green, Bob (August 28, 1972). "Nicklaus Wins Match Title". The Argus-Press. Owosso, Michigan. AP. p. 14.
  6. "DeWitt Weaver wins Match Play title". Wilmington Morning Star. Wilmington, North Carolina. UPI. August 30, 1971. p. 13.