Graham Vivian MarshMBE (born 14 January 1944) is an Australian golfer. In 1968, Marsh turned pro and won several tournaments on the Australasian circuits early in his career. He joined the PGA Tour in the mid-1970s and won the 1977 Heritage Classic. However, he elected to focus the remainder of his career overseas, ultimately winning ten times on the European Tour and twenty times on the Japan Golf Tour. As a senior, he continued with much success on the Champions Tour, winning two senior majors, including the U.S. Senior Open.
Marsh's first professional tournament was in May 1968 at South Australian Open. He finished in solo third place. Peter Thomson, writing about the event for The Age, stated that "this talented player seems sure to finish higher before long."[2] In 1970 he played well at New Zealand's Caltex Tournament. Entering the par-5 18th hole he was tied for the lead with Maurice Bembridge and Terry Kendall. However, he could only make par. His competitors played the hole under par to defeat him. Marsh finished in solo third at 287, one behind.[3]
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Marsh was a regular winner on the European Tour, the Japan Golf Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia. He also won several events in Asia outside Japan, winning the Asia Golf Circuit overall title in 1972 and 1973,[4][5] and one on the U.S.-based PGA Tour, the 1977 Heritage Classic. Marsh had an outstanding win rate on the European Tour, where he accumulated eleven titles even though he never played more than seven events in Europe in a season. He also won the Colgate World Match Play Championship, which was not an official money European Tour event at the time, in England in 1977. He had 56 wins in all in his regular career, making him one of the most successful players of his era not to win a major championship.
Marsh is also active in golf course design through Graham Marsh Golf Design which he established in 1986. The company's early projects were in Australia and Japan, but it later branched out to other parts of Asia, Europe and the United States. His work has included courses such as The Vines Resort (Perth), Palm Meadows Resort (Gold Coast) Old Silo (Kentucky), Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club (New South Wales) and Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club just to name a few. During this era, Marsh was also the chairman of the PGA Tour of Australasia as well.
Makino won with birdie on second extra hole after three-hole aggregate playoff; Fujiki: −1 (3-4-4=11), Makino: −1 (3-4-4=11), Marsh: +1 (3-5-5=13), Maeda: +2 (4-5-5=14)
^Thomson, Peter (27 May 1968). "'Quiet' End to SA Open". The Age. Melbourne. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Two tie in NZ". The Age. Melbourne. 23 November 1970. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
^"Graham Marsh 1st". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 April 1972. p. 13. Retrieved 20 February 2020 – via Trove.
^"Marsh Best in Asian Golf Circuit". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 21 December 1973. p. 14. Retrieved 20 February 2020 – via Trove.
