| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Australia |
| Established | 1947 |
| Final year | 1959 |
| Final champion | |
| Kel Nagle and Gary Player | |
The Ampol Tournament was the richest golf event of its time in Australia. From 1952 the sponsor, Ampol, offered great prize money to attract the leading American and European players to compete.
Total prize money was initially A£1,000, rising to A£1,300 in 1951. In 1952 and 1954, two tournaments were arranged a few weeks apart. Prize money was A£3,500 for each of the 1952 events while each of the 1954 events had prize money of A£1,500. The A£10,000 in 1956 was the biggest purse outside the United States.[1] Prize money was A£2,500 in 1953 and 1955 and A£3,000 in 1957 and 1959. Prize money often exceeded the advertised figures since part of the proceeds from gate receipts was sometimes added.[2]
The 1959 tournament was played the week before the 1959 Canada Cup.
Winners
| Year | Winner | Country | Venue | Score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Winner's share (A£) |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Ossie Pickworth |  Australia |
The Australian Golf Club | 294 | 1 stroke | Billy Bolger |
300 | [3] |
| 1948 (Apr) | Ossie Pickworth (2) | Australia |
Huntingdale Golf Club | 300 | 2 strokes | Reg Want |
250 | [4] |
| 1948 (Nov) | Ossie Pickworth (3) | Australia |
The Lakes Golf Club | 293 | 5 strokes | Kel Nagle |
250 | [5] |
| 1949 | Ossie Pickworth (4) | Australia |
Woodlands Golf Club | 277 | 10 strokes | Eric Cremin |
250 | [6] |
| 1950 | Alex Murray |  New Zealand |
Glenelg Golf Club | 283 | 3 strokes | Eric Cremin |
250 | [7] |
| 1951 | Ossie Pickworth (5) | Australia |
The Brisbane Golf Club | 276 | 8 strokes | Eric Cremin |
350 | [8] |
| 1952 (Oct) | Norman Von Nida | Australia |
The Lakes Golf Club | 288 | Playoff |  Ed Oliver |
625 | [9][10] |
| 1952 (Nov) | Lloyd Mangrum | United States |
Yarra Yarra Golf Club | 281 | 1 stroke | Peter Thomson |
625 | [11] |
| 1953 | Ossie Pickworth (6) | Australia |
The Lakes Golf Club | 288 | 3 strokes | Len Woodward |
600 | [12] |
| 1954 (Oct) | Dutch Harrison | United States |
The Lakes Golf Club | 292 | 1 stroke | Ossie Pickworth |
375 | [13] |
| 1954 (Nov) | Peter Thomson | Australia |
Yarra Yarra Golf Club | 282 | 6 strokes | Kel Nagle Ossie Pickworth |
375 | [14] |
| 1955 | Eric Cremin | Australia |
The Lakes Golf Club | 285 | 7 strokes | Ossie Pickworth |
1,000 | [15] |
| 1956 | Gary Player |  South Africa |
Yarra Yarra Golf Club | 280 | 6 strokes | Bo Wininger |
5,000 | [16] |
| 1957 | Gary Player (2) | South Africa |
The Australian Golf Club | 281 | 2 strokes |  Dave Thomas |
800 | [17] |
| 1958 | No tournament | |||||||
| 1959 | Kel Nagle Gary Player (3) |
Australia South Africa |
The Australian Golf Club | 212 | Tie | Shared title | Shared 800 and 400 |
[18] |
In October 1952 Von Nida beat Oliver 72 to 77 in the 18-hole playoff. In November 1954 the first round was played at Huntingdale Golf Club. The 1959 event was over 54 holes. Ampol sponsored a 36-hole tournament in 1958 with total prize money of A£500. This event was won by an amateur, Bob Stevens.[19]
References
- ^ "Ampol golf final on cup day". The Beverley Times. 9 February 1956.
- ^ "Ampol golf prize will total £3,000 this year". The Manning River Times And Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts Of New South Wales. Vol. 87. New South Wales, Australia. 13 October 1954. p. 12. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Pickworth was confident of rich golf win". The Sun. No. 2297. Sydney. 20 April 1947. p. 10 (Sunday Sun Sports Section). Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Pickworth Wins £1,000 Golf Tournament". The Argus. No. 31, 709. Melbourne. 19 April 1948. p. 12. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Pickworth likely to tour U.K. after great Ampol win". The Sun. No. 2381. Sydney. 28 November 1948. p. 20. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Memorable Golf". The Age. No. 29, 512. Victoria. 28 November 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Cremin Fails To Overtake". The Advertiser. Vol. 93, no. 28, 662. Adelaide. 21 August 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Pickworth takes fifth Ampol". The Sun. No. 2527. Sydney. 23 September 1951. p. 23. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Ampol golf". Sporting Globe. No. 3170. Victoria. 25 October 1952. p. 9. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Von Nida wins play-off". The Age. No. 30, 419. Victoria. 27 October 1952. p. 14. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Mangrum's lucky break for Ampol golf victory". The Sun. No. 2586. Sydney. 16 November 1952. p. 30. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Par 288 Best Field By Three Strokes Pickworth Wins Ampol Tournament For Six Time". The Sun-Herald. No. 247. New South Wales. 18 October 1953. p. 36. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "One up ample in Ampol win". Truth. No. 3378. Sydney. 24 October 1954. p. 36. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "6-stroke Ampol win by Thomson". The Age. No. 31, 056. Victoria. 15 November 1954. p. 20. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "He waited years for this victory". The Argus. Melbourne. 14 November 1955. p. 18. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Stars made it so easy for Gary". The Argus. Melbourne. 19 November 1956. p. 15. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Gary Player Wins Ampol". The Canberra Times. Vol. 31, no. 9, 317. 4 November 1957. p. 11. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Nagle, Player in Ampol Golf Tie". The Canberra Times. Vol. 34, no. 9, 448. 16 November 1959. p. 16. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Stevens by six strokes". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 August 1958. p. 66.
This page was last edited on 12 December 2020, at 04:59