Arthur Lees
Arthur Lees | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Born | Sheffield, South Yorkshire | 21 February 1908
Died | 26 March 1992 Windsor, Berkshire | (aged 84)
Sporting nationality | England |
Career | |
Status | Professional |
Professional wins | 9 |
Best results in major championships | |
Masters Tournament | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP |
U.S. Open | DNP |
The Open Championship | T6: 1947, 1949 |
Arthur Lees (21 February 1908 – 26 March 1992) was an English professional golfer who played from the 1930s to 1960s. He was a member of four Great Britain Ryder Cup teams in the late 1940s and 1950s, and won several tournaments in Europe during his career. In addition, he spent nearly 30 years as the head professional of Sunningdale Golf Club, holding the position until he was almost 70 years old.
Early life and career
Lees first took up golf in his youth, serving as a
In 1938, Lees recorded a third-place finish in the
Ryder Cup years
In September 1947, Lees was selected for the Great Britain
In 1951, Lees claimed a victory in the Penfold Tournament and gained a place in his third Ryder Cup team. At the 1951 Ryder Cup, he started off in foursomes, teamed with Charlie Ward and the pair posted a 2&1 victory against the American duo of Oliver and Henry Ransom. Lees then won his singles match 2&1 over Oliver.[11] In the 9½–2½ US victory, he took part in both of Great Britain's match wins.[18] Lees won the Penfold Tournament for the second time in 1953;[11] despite this; he was not selected for Britain's 1953 Ryder Cup team.[19] At the 1954 Dubtex Tournament in Ireland, Lees shot a 66 in the third round to set a Portmarnock Golf Club scoring record, en route to tying for first place in the event with Christy Greene.[20] He returned to the British Ryder Cup team in 1955, at the age of 47.[19] In team play, Tommy Bolt and Jack Burke Jr. defeated Lees and Harry Weetman 1-up, but Lees won the final Ryder Cup match he played in, 3&1, against Ed Furgol.[11] The Times later wrote of his Cup performances, "It was an era when the United States made a habit of overpowering any British team, but Lees emerged with his head high."[1]
Later career
Lees set or tied multiple course records during the 1956 British golf season. In the
In 1959, Lees won the British PGA Seniors Championship,[11] and in June of that year faced Senior PGA Championship winner Willie Goggin in a match for what was billed as "the world professional senior golf title".[24] To boost attendance, the final 18 holes of the match were scheduled to be played at night. In what the Associated Press called "the first twilight championship match on record," Lees lost to Goggin by a 5&3 score.[24] Lees competed in his last Open Championship in 1963,[5] and continued playing golf into his eighties.[1]
Club pro at Sunningdale
In 1949, following the death of Percy Boomer, Sunningdale Golf Club hired Lees as its club professional.[25] At the time, Sunningdale was still feeling the effects of the Second World War, as its membership was low. Lees improved the situation by attracting new members; The Times later wrote that he took on the role of "self-appointed recruiting agent."[1] Lees performed his head professional duties for the club even during his playing career. One of his assistants was future professional golfer Sam Torrance, who was 16 when Lees gave him the job.[11] Lees remained the head pro at Sunningdale until 1977.[1]
Personal life
Lees was married and had one child, a son, Raymond. By 1977, he was suffering from bladder cancer and had surgery on it, ultimately recovering. He died in 1992 at the age of 84.[1][26]
Arthur's younger brothers, Harold (1912–1989) and Walter (1916–2012), were also professional golfers.[27] Harold replaced Arthur as professional at Dore and Totley in 1949, having previously been his assistant there. With Walter becoming professional at Shipley in 1948, all three brothers became full professionals for the first time.[28] Harold was less successful than his brothers as a tournament golfer but he did qualify for the 1956 Open Championship, missing the cut by 3 shots.[29]
His son, Raymond Lees, also became a club professional, working at Stavanger Golf Club for 40 years.[26]
Professional wins
this list is incomplete
- 1939 Irish Open
- 1947 Dunlop Masters
- 1948 Midland Professional Championship
- 1949 Midland Professional Championship
- 1951 Penfold-Bournemouth Festival of Britain Tournament
- 1953 Penfold Tournament
- 1954 Dubtex Tournament (Ireland) (tie with Christy Greene)
- 1956 Southern Professional Championship
- 1959 PGA Seniors Championship
Results in major championships
Tournament | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Open Championship | T41 | 39 | CUT | CUT |
Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | T18 | T6 | T11 | T6 |
Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Open Championship | T7 | T31 | T9 | 13 | CUT | 45 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Open Championship | CUT | CUT |
Note: Lees only played in The Open Championship.
NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
- Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1947, 1949, 1951, 1955
- England–Scotland Professional Match (representing England): 1938 (winners)
- Llandudno International Golf Trophy (representing England): 1938 (winners)
- Slazenger Trophy (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1956 (winners)
- Amateurs–Professionals Match (representing the Professionals): 1956 (winners)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Arthur Lees: Obituary". The Times. 27 March 1992. p. 17.
- ^ a b c d e f "Arthur Lees Wins His First Big Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 21 July 1939. p. 19. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "History". Royal Golf Club Marianske Lazne. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ "Gift to Professional". Sheffield Independent. 20 September 1934. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "Previous Opens: Muirfield—1935 Results" (click on View Full Leaderboard, then click on Lees' name). The Open Championship. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "Brilliant Win By Mark Seymour". The Glasgow Herald. 26 August 1935. p. 6. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Another Title For Cotton". The Glasgow Herald. 23 August 1937. p. 4. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Padgham's Bid in Vain". The Glasgow Herald. 7 May 1938. p. 3. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Scots Fall Fighting". The Glasgow Herald. 4 July 1938. p. 17. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ^ "Cotton retains German "Open"". The Glasgow Herald. 22 August 1938. p. 6. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Feherty and Frank, p. 83.
- ^ "Britain Picks Out Ryder Cup Team". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. 20 September 1947. p. 4. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ "Previous Opens: Hoylake—1947 Results". The Open Championship. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "Previous Opens: Hoylake—1947 Results; Leaderboard After R3". The Open Championship. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "Previous Opens: Sandwich—1949 Results". The Open Championship. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "Little Man with Big Waist Leads 'em". The Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. 6 July 1950. p. 15. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ "Previous Opens: Troon—1950 Results". The Open Championship. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "1951 Pinehurst Country Club, Pinehurst, North Carolina". Ryder Cup. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ a b "Brown, Fallon, And Lees Go into Ryder Cup Team". The Bulletin. 22 September 1955. p. 10. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ "Tie at Portmarnock". The Glasgow Herald. 28 April 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- Evening Times. 2 May 1956. p. 20. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "Faulkner's Defeat Of Thomson". The Glasgow Herald. 23 July 1956. p. 7. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Impressive Play By Scottish Amateurs". The Glasgow Herald. 6 August 1956. p. 9. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Goggin Winner in Senior Golf". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. 27 June 1959. p. 10. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ "A Lees for Sunningdale". The Scotsman. 10 June 1949. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "Golfentusiasten" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Stavanger Golfklubb. 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ Crowther, Mike (12 July 2012). "Funeral of veteran Walter Lees is well attended". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ "Gift to Professional". Yorkshire Evening Post. 7 July 1949. Retrieved 18 June 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "85th Open – Royal Liverpool 1956". The Open Championship. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
Sources
- ISBN 1-59071-032-0.