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Alf Padgham

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English professional golfer (1906–1966)

Alf Padgham
Personal information
Full nameAlfred Harry Padgham
Born(1906-07-02)2 July 1906
Caterham, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Died4 March 1966(1966-03-04) (aged 59)
West Wickham, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Sporting nationality England
Career
StatusProfessional
Professional wins21
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipWon: 1936

Alfred Harry Padgham (2 July 1906 – 4 March 1966) was one of the leading British professional golfers of the 1930s and 1940s. He won the 1936 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Merseyside, England and played for Great Britain in the Ryder Cup in 1933, 1935 and 1937. He was captain of the Professional Golfers Association in 1936.

Early life

Padgham was born in Caterham, Surrey. His family had close ties to Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club in Sussex, where he served his apprenticeship under head professional Jack Rowe.

Career

As a tournament player, he came into prominence in 1931 when he won the News of the World Match Play at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club, beating Mark Seymour in the final and receiving £300 in prize money.

On 20 May 1933, Padgham took part in an exhibition match against Percy Alliss, as the main event at the opening of the reconstructed West course at Sundridge Park Golf Club, in the south east suburbs of London, near Sevenoaks in Kent. Members of the management committee at the Sundridge Park were impressed with Padgham's skill, so he was approached and he agreed to become the club professional, on a five-year contract, working as senior partner with present club pro Jack Randall, working in tandem. Padgham's many successes in tournament golf in the years to come, beside his work at the club, were of great delight of the club.

He will be remembered most for his remarkable sequence of five victories between the autumn of 1935 and the summer of 1936. They included the News of the World Match Play for the second time, beating Percy Alliss in the final, and The Open Championship. He also captured the championships of Ireland, Germany and Holland.

He built up slowly towards his Open Championship victory in 1936. He was fourth in 1932, seventh the following year, then third behind Henry Cotton at Sandwich and second to Alf Perry at Muirfield in 1935 before the title became his at Royal Liverpool. On the longest course yet used for The Open at 7,708 yards, he came from behind with a last round of 71 to beat Jimmy Adams by a single stroke and Cotton by another stroke. On that final day, he had to break into the locked Hoylake pro shop to retrieve his clubs for an early tee time, but seemed completely unperturbed by the incident. On the final green he holed from 12 feet for a 3 to win.

Despite seeming to be a good match-play competitor, winning the News of the World Match Play twice and once being beaten in the final by Cotton, he failed to win a single point in his three Ryder Cup appearances in 1933, 1935 and 1937.

Personal life and retirement

Padgham was a tall and thin man with a natural smooth swing, a lot similar to that of the great Harry Vardon, but sometimes his putter let him down. Vardon, winner of six Open titles, had one word for Padgham's swing. He thought it "perfect". From a short, three-quarter backswing the club seemed to flow effortlessly into the ball and yet he was one of the longest hitters of his day.

Padgham was not a charismatic person, usually dressed in dark clothes, often a raincoat. He was shy and quiet and only showed his sense of humour with close friends.

He lost what might have been some of his best competitive years due to World War II. During the war, Padgham joined the full-time Special Police and part of the club house and golf course at Sundridge Park was used for military purpose. Nevertheless, in June 1940, Padgham took part in a 72-hole tournament at Sundridge Park, with gate receipts going to the Red Cross. During the 1950s and early 1960s, Padgham took part in many exhibition matches, the money going to good causes. In 1959, he was presented with a gold watch by Sundridge Park, for 25 years of service to the club. Unfortunately the watch did not go over his hand.

Whilst Padgham was absent from the club through sickness in the beginning of the 1960s, his eldest son died, which added to his suffering. He retired from the club in 1965, with failing health, and was succeeded by George Will.

Padgham died on 4 March 1966 at age 59 at his home in West Wickham, Greater London, Kent.

Professional wins (21)

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2023)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner-up
1936 The Open Championship 1 shot deficit 73-72-71-71=287 1 stroke Scotland Jimmy Adams

Results timeline

Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
The Open Championship T39 T40 T4 T7 3 2 1 T7 T4
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT T31 T13 T7 CUT
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954
The Open Championship T20 CUT CUT CUT

Note: Padgham only played in The Open Championship

  Win   Top 10   Did not play

NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

References

  1. "Mr Alfred Padgham. The Times, 5 March 1966; pg. 10; Issue 56572.
  2. "1936 Alf Padgham". The Open. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  3. "Black and White Photos of SPGC History". Sundridge Park Golf Club. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  4. "Death of Mr A. H. Padgham". The Glasgow Herald. 5 March 1966. p. 5.
  5. "Alfred Padgham's Title". Birmingham Gazette. 29 September 1933. p. 14. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Golf | Padgham's record round". Bromley & West Kent Mercury. 24 September 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. "Course record smashed". The Chronicle and Courier. 23 July 1948. p. 6. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Golf Course Record in Kent Professional Championship". Kentish Express. 24 September 1954. p. 14. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
The Open Championship champions
† indicates the event was won in a playoff; ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire in 72-holes; # indicates the event was won by an amateur
1871 No championship; 1915–1919 cancelled due to World War I; 1940–1945 cancelled due to World War II; 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
Alf Padgham in the Ryder Cup
Great Britain Ryder Cup team – 1933
United Kingdom
Won: 6.5 – 5.5
Great Britain Ryder Cup team – 1935
United Kingdom
Lost: 3 – 9
Great Britain Ryder Cup team – 1937
United Kingdom
Lost: 4 – 8
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