Golf tournament
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 7–9 October 1976 |
| Location | Virginia Water, Surrey, England |
| Course(s) | West Course, Wentworth |
| Format | Match play – 36 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 73 |
| Length | 6,969 yards (6,372 m) |
| Field | 8 players |
| Prize fund | £75,000 |
| Winner's share | £25,000 |
| Champion | |
 David Graham | |
| def. Hale Irwin after 38 holes | |
| ← 19751977 → | |
The 1976 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship was the 13th World Match Play Championship. It was played from Thursday 7 to Saturday 9 October on the West Course at Wentworth. Eight players competed in a straight knock-out competition, with each match contested over 36 holes. There was a large increase in the prize money with the champion receiving £25,000 compared to £10,000 the previous year. In the final, David Graham beat defending champion Hale Irwin after 38 holes.
For the first time there was a play-off between the losing semi-finalists for third place. It was played over 36 holes and was won by Gary Player.
This was the last World Match Play Championship sponsored under the Piccadilly name.
Course
Source:
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 471 | 155 | 452 | 501 | 191 | 344 | 399 | 398 | 460 | 3,371 | 186 | 376 | 483 | 441 | 179 | 480 | 380 | 571 | 502 | 3,598 | 6,969 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 73 |
Scores
Source:
| Quarter-finals 7 October | Semi-finals 8 October | Final 9 October | |||||||||
 Hale Irwin
| 2 & 1 | ||||||||||
 Seve Ballesteros
| |||||||||||
| Hale Irwin
| 2 up | ||||||||||
 Gary Player
| |||||||||||
| Gary Player
| 5 & 4 | ||||||||||
| Arnold Palmer
| |||||||||||
| Hale Irwin
| |||||||||||
| David Graham
| 38 h | ||||||||||
| David Graham
| 3 & 2 | ||||||||||
| Hubert Green
| |||||||||||
| David Graham
| 1 up | Third place | |||||||||
| Raymond Floyd
| |||||||||||
| Raymond Floyd
| 2 up | Gary Player
| 7 & 5 | ||||||||
 Brian Barnes
| Raymond Floyd
| ||||||||||
Prize money
The winner received £25,000, the runner-up £15,000, third place £8,500, fourth place £6,500 and the first round losers £5,000, making a total prize fund of £75,000.
References
- "Piccadilly loss a blow to the game". The Times, Saturday, 16 October 1976; pg. 15; Issue 59836.
- ^ "Floyd's finish is the end of road for Barnes". The Times, Friday, 8 October 1976; pg. 12; Issue 59829.
- "Vintage day closes with an hour of magic". The Times, Saturday, 9 October 1976; pg. 15; Issue 59830.
- "No event generated a greater afterglow than matchplay final". The Times, Monday, 11 October 1976; pg. 9; Issue 59831.
- "Irwin again in final". The Glasgow Herald, Saturday, 9 October 1976; pg. 14.
| World Match Play Championships | |
|---|---|
51°23′48″N 0°35′45″W / 51.39667°N 0.59583°W / 51.39667; -0.59583
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