Malcolm Gregson

Malcolm Gregson
Personal information
Full nameMalcolm Edward Gregson
Born(1943-08-15)15 August 1943
Leicester, England
Died24 January 2024(2024-01-24) (aged 80)
Southport, England
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Sporting nationality England
Career
Turned professional1961
Former tour(s)European Tour
Safari Circuit
European Seniors Tour
Professional wins12
Number of wins by tour
European Senior Tour5
Other7
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT35: 1968
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT19: 1964
Achievements and awards
Harry Vardon Trophy1967

Malcolm Edward Gregson (15 August 1943 – 24 January 2024) was an English professional golfer. After a promising start to his career as an amateur and assistant professional, he had one exceptional year, 1967, when he won the Harry Vardon Trophy and played in the Ryder Cup, but had only limited success afterwards. After reaching 50 he played on the European Senior Tour, winning five times.

Early life and amateur career

Gregson was born in Leicester and educated at Millfield School in Somerset from 1957 to 1960.[1] In 1957 he reached the last-16 of the Boys Amateur Championship, a week after his 14th birthday.[2] In 1959 he represented England boys in their annual match against Scotland, played just before the Boys Championship.[3] In 1960 he again played for England boys against Scotland and was also selected for a combined England and Scotland team to play a Continental Europe team.[4][5]

Professional career

Gregson turned professional in 1961 becoming an assistant professional to Pat Keene at Moor Park Golf Club.[6] In 1963 he reached quarter-finals of the News of the World Match Play and was runner-up, with Tony Jacklin, in the Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament.[7][8] In 1964 he won the Gor-Ray Cup, the assistants' championship.[9] The event was reduced to 54 holes after the second round was abandoned because of bad weather, Gregson winning by three strokes from Richard Davies and Hedley Muscroft. Later in the year he had a top-20 finish in the Open Championship and was runner-up in the Gleneagles Hotel Foursomes Tournament.[10]

Gregson played in Asia in early 1967. In April he had a run of success. At the start of the month he finished tied for fourth place in the Taiwan Open.[11] Two week later he lost to Kenji Hosoishi in a playoff for the Indian Open and he then finished third in the Kenya Open the following week.[12][13] Returning to England he won the Schweppes PGA Championship at the end of the month, with rounds of 67 and 65 on the final day to beat Hugh Boyle by three strokes.[14] In June he won the Daks Tournament at Wentworth, beating Neil Coles by two strokes, after final day rounds of 67 and 66, and was a joint winner of the Martini International with Brian Huggett.[15][16] Qualification for the British team for the 1967 Ryder Cup was based on a points system using performances in 1966 and 1967, finishing after the 1967 Open Championship. Despite having few points in 1966, Gregson's three wins lifted to eighth in the list to gain a place in the team.[17] He did not get an automatic entry into the Open championship, having finished outside the top-30 in the Order of Merit in 1966. After rounds of 76 and 73 he was qualified after getting through an 8-man playoff for two places.[18] In the Ryder Cup, Gregson lost all four matches he played in, the Americans winning the cup by 15 points. He collected the Harry Vardon Trophy as leader of the Order of Merit, which was based on a points system, and also made his only appearance for England in the World Cup which was played in Mexico City a few weeks after the Ryder Cup.[19] Playing with Peter Alliss they finished tied for 13th place in the team event but Gregson finished tied for 6th in the individual standings.[20]

In 1968 Gregson won the Daks Tournament for the second successive year. He had a final round 69 to finish a stroke ahead of Neil Coles.[21] In October he qualified for the PGA Tour through their Qualifying school.[22] Gregson played on the 1969 PGA Tour from February to May but had limited success.[23] He was a runner-up in the 1969 Gallaher Ulster Open behind Christy O'Connor Snr.[24]

Gregson made the top one hundred on the Order of Merit in each of the European Tour's first nine official seasons from 1972 to 1980. He was twice a runner-up in the Dutch Open, in 1972 to Jack Newton and in 1979 to another Australian Graham Marsh.[25] In late 1978 he finished fourth in both Tournament Players Championship and the European Open Championship.[26][27] In 1972, playing with Brian Huggett, he won the Sumrie Better-Ball at Blairgowrie, a non-tour event.[28] The pair were runners-up in the same event the following year.[29]

Gregson was a regular competitor on the Safari Circuit, winning the 1974 Cock o' the North in Zambia, beating Jack Newton in a playoff.[30] He was runner-up a number of times, including the Kenya Open in 1970 and 1974, the 1972 Zambia Open, the Nigerian Open in 1973 and 1977 and the 1985 Cock o' the North.[31][32][33][34][35][36]

Gregson played once on the European Senior Tour in 1993, soon after his 50th birthday and then competed regularly on the tour from 1994, making over 200 appearances before making his final appearance in 2008.[25] He finished in the top 10 of the Order of Merit from 1994 to 1997 and won five events on the tour between 1994 and 2004.[37][25]

Death

Gregson died on 24 January 2024, at the age of 80.[6][38]

Professional wins (12)

Great Britain and Ireland wins (5)

Date Tournament Venue Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up Ref.
19 Jun 1964 Gor-Ray Cup Hartsbourne 72-71-73=216 3 strokes Wales Richard Davies, England Hedley Muscroft [9]
29 Apr 1967 Schweppes PGA Championship Hunstanton 74-69-67-65=275 3 strokes Republic of Ireland Hugh Boyle [14]
3 Jun 1967 Daks Tournament Wentworth 73-73-67-66=279 2 strokes England Neil Coles [15]
17 Jun 1967 Martini International Fulford 71-71-70-67=279 Tied Wales Brian Huggett [16]
8 Jun 1968 Daks Tournament Wentworth 72-72-71-69=284 1 stroke England Neil Coles [21]

Safari circuit wins (1)

Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up Ref.
17 Mar 1974 Cock o' the North 71-71-72-70=284 Playoff Australia Jack Newton [30]

Other wins (1)

European Seniors Tour wins (5)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 2 Jul 1994 Tandem Stockley Park Seniors Opens −8 (69-67-69=205) 1 stroke England John Morgan, Republic of Ireland Liam Higgins
2 3 Aug 1996 Lawrence Batley Seniors −4 (69-75-65=209) 2 strokes England Neil Coles, Italy Alberto Croce
3 17 Oct 1998 Is Molas Senior Open −7 (67-73-69=209) 2 strokes England Tommy Horton
4 15 Jun 2003 Irvine Whitlock Jersey Seniors Classic −13 (69-68-73=203) 3 strokes England Bob Cameron
5 27 Jun 2004 De Vere Northumberland Seniors Classic −6 (69-68-73=210) 2 strokes Japan Seiji Ebihara

Sources:[39][40][41]

European Seniors Tour playoff record (0–3)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1994 La Manga Spanish Seniors Open Wales Brian Huggett, England David Snell Huggett won with eagle on first extra hole
2 1996 Ryder Collingtree Seniors Classic Scotland David Huish, Australia Noel Ratcliffe Huish won with par on first extra hole
3 1997 Credit Suisse Private Banking Seniors Open England Brian Waites Lost to birdie on second extra hole

Source:[42][43][44][45]

Results in major championships

Tournament 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Masters Tournament T35
The Open Championship T19 CUT T47 T51 T27 CUT
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament
The Open Championship T25 CUT CUT T51 CUT T42 CUT CUT CUT
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983
Masters Tournament
The Open Championship CUT CUT

Note: Gregson never played in the U.S. Open or PGA Championship.

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1969 and 1975 Open Championships)
"T" = tied

Source:[46]

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

References

  1. ^ "Distinguished Old Millfieldians". Old Millfieldian Society. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Quarter-finalists in the Boys' Championship". Glasgow Herald. 22 August 1957. p. 7.
  3. ^ a b "Comfortable win for England". Glasgow Herald. 15 August 1959. p. 7.
  4. ^ a b "Scottish boys well beaten". The Glasgow Herald. 22 August 1960. p. 4.
  5. ^ a b "Scot's win decisive match". The Glasgow Herald. 20 August 1960. p. 9.
  6. ^ a b "Malcolm Gregson (1943–2024)". The PGA. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Wright winner at twenty-seventh". The Glasgow Herald. 7 September 1963. p. 8.
  8. ^ "G A Caygill's victory at Selsdon Park". The Glasgow Herald. 27 September 1963. p. 6.
  9. ^ a b "Gregson top assistant". The Glasgow Herald. 20 June 1964. p. 5.
  10. ^ "Coombe Hill pair's foursomes title – Victory by 6&5 in final". The Glasgow Herald. 24 October 1964. p. 6.
  11. ^ "Hsieh takes the Formosan title". The Straits Times. Singapore. Reuter. 3 April 1967. p. 19. Retrieved 12 March 2020 – via National Library Board.
  12. ^ "Hosoishi triumphs". The Straits Times. Singapore. 18 April 1967. p. 18. Retrieved 7 July 2020 – via National Library Board.
  13. ^ "Wolstenholme wins golf". The Age. 25 April 1967. p. 24.
  14. ^ a b Jacobs, Raymond (1 May 1967). "Remarkable last round gives Gregson victory". The Glasgow Herald. p. 5.
  15. ^ a b "Gregson wins Daks with sparkling finish". The Glasgow Herald. 5 June 1967. p. 8.
  16. ^ a b "Gregson and Huggett tie for top place in Martini". The Glasgow Herald. 19 June 1967. p. 4.
  17. ^ "Will wins Ryder Cup place". The Glasgow Herald. 17 July 1967. p. 6.
  18. ^ "Gregson gets reprieve". The Observer. 9 July 1967. p. 16.
  19. ^ "First two Alcan place's allotted". The Glasgow Herald. 16 August 1967. p. 4.
  20. ^ a b "Gregson shines as U.S. win top trophy". The Guardian Journal. 13 November 1967. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b "Gregson again comes from behind to win". The Glasgow Herald. 10 June 1968. p. 4.
  22. ^ "Gregson gret his U.S. ticket". Evening Standard. 8 October 1968. p. 41.
  23. ^ "Malcolm Gregson". PGA Tour. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  24. ^ "Ryder men in form". The Guardian. 4 August 1969. p. 14.
  25. ^ a b c "Meet Malcolm". European Tour. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  26. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (18 September 1978). "Waites beats the tour men". The Glasgow Herald. p. 16.
  27. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (23 October 1978). "Costly miss by Gallacher". The Glasgow Herald. p. 24.
  28. ^ a b "Winning thrust by Huggett and Gregson". The Glasgow Herald. 22 May 1972. p. 5.
  29. ^ "Hunt and Coles play down their five-shot victory". The Glasgow Herald. 21 May 1973. p. 5.
  30. ^ a b "Gregson takes play-off". The Glasgow Herald. 18 March 1974. p. 4.
  31. ^ "Scotland's Ronnie Shade". The Evening Times. 6 April 1970. p. 13.
  32. ^ "Jagger wins from Gregson". The Glasgow Herald. 5 March 1974. p. 4.
  33. ^ "Defoy wins first Zambian Open". The Glasgow Herald. 3 April 1972. p. 4.
  34. ^ "Horton wins Nigerian Open". The Glasgow Herald. 26 February 1973. p. 4.
  35. ^ "David Jagger". The Glasgow Herald. 1 March 1977. p. 31.
  36. ^ ""Old man" Waites runs away with the title". The Glasgow Herald. 18 March 1985. p. 18.
  37. ^ "John Jacobs Trophy Winners". European Tour. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015.
  38. ^ "Coroner's Conclusions". Sefton Council. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
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  40. ^ "Senior Past Champions Former Events". PGA European Tour. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015.
  41. ^ "Most Official Staysure Tour Victories". European Tour. 12 December 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018.
  42. ^ "Individual Play-off Records since 1992". European Tour. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
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  44. ^ "David Huish". The Birmingham Post. 1 July 1996. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ "Waites lifts seniors title after play-off". The Birmingham Post. 11 August 1997. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  47. ^ "2014 Ryder Cup Media and Players' Guide". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  48. ^ "England's clean sweep in R.T.V. Internationals". The Glasgow Herald. 28 August 1967. p. 4.
  49. ^ "Scots just miss second place". The Glasgow Herald. 29 September 1975. p. 17.
  50. ^ "European Cup". The Daily Telegraph. 17 November 1997. p. 46 – via Newspapers.com.