Dai Rees
Encyclopedia
David James Rees, CBE
(31 March 1913 – 10 September 1983) was one of the Britain's
leading golf
ers either side of World War II
.
The winner of many prestigious tournaments in Britain, Europe and farther afield, Rees is best remembered as the captain of the Great Britain Ryder Cup
team which defeated the United States at Lindrick Golf Club in Yorkshire
, England
in 1957. It was the only defeat which the United States
suffered in the competition between 1933 and 1985.
, near Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan
, Wales
. He was brought up around golf, with his father being the head professional and his mother a steward at The Leys Golf Club. His family soon moved to Aberdare
, where his father had taken up the position of head professional at Aberdare Golf Club.
football match. He died several months later, aged 70, having failed to recover from his injuries.
in 1937. Like Vardon before him, he remained in the position until he died in 1983.
, Belgian and Swiss Opens, and the South African PGA Championship
.
Rees is considered to be one of the greatest British golfers never to win The Open Championship
. He finished as runner-up three times, in 1953, 1954 and 1961, but perhaps his best chance of victory came in 1946, when he shot a final round 80 to slip into a tie for 4th place.
Rees continued to play at a competitive level long into what would now be considered "senior" years, and remained successful, especially in match play
tournaments. He reached the final of the News of the World Match Play twice while in his fifties, in 1967 and again in 1969, on each occasion beating several players almost half his age over 18 holes. He also had some success in stroke play
tournaments, including a runner-up finish in the Martini International
in 1973 when aged 60. By the time the formal European Tour
was established in 1972, Rees' best years had passed, but he still competed on the new tour for a number of seasons.
Rees captained the Great Britain Ryder Cup team on five occasions, in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1967. The most memorable was the 1957 event at Lindrick where Britain scored a decisive 7½–4½ victory to break the United States' stranglehold on the trophy they had held since 1933. Having regained the Ryder Cup in 1959, the United States would not relinquish it again until 1985, by which time the British team had been expanded to include the rest of Europe.
award, perhaps Britain's best known sports award. The following year he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
.
.
NC = No championship due to World War II
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1969 and 1971)
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(31 March 1913 – 10 September 1983) was one of the Britain's
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
leading golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
ers either side of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The winner of many prestigious tournaments in Britain, Europe and farther afield, Rees is best remembered as the captain of the Great Britain Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
team which defeated the United States at Lindrick Golf Club in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1957. It was the only defeat which the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
suffered in the competition between 1933 and 1985.
Personal life
Rees was born in FontegaryFontegary
Fontygary is a village of Rhoose south-west of Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, on the coast of south Wales.Fontygary is located near the international airport for Wales, Cardiff International Airport. There is little in the village itself apart from a holiday park and stoney beach...
, near Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He was brought up around golf, with his father being the head professional and his mother a steward at The Leys Golf Club. His family soon moved to Aberdare
Aberdare
Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...
, where his father had taken up the position of head professional at Aberdare Golf Club.
Death
In 1983 Rees was involved in a car crash on his way back from watching an ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
football match. He died several months later, aged 70, having failed to recover from his injuries.
Career
Rees began his career aged 16 as an assistant professional to his father at Aberdare Golf Club. Rees took over as the professional at South Herts Golf Club following the death of Harry VardonHarry Vardon
Harry Vardon was a Jersey professional golfer and member of the fabled Great Triumvirate of the sport in his day, along with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. He won The Open Championship a record six times and also won the U.S. Open.-Biography:Vardon was born in Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands...
in 1937. Like Vardon before him, he remained in the position until he died in 1983.
Tournament golf
In individual tournaments, Rees won 39 titles around the world including four News of the World Match Plays, two British Masters, the IrishIrish Open (golf)
The Irish Open is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour, currently played at the end of July or early August each year. The event has been played in many locations on the island; its current home is the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in County Kerry in southwestern Ireland...
, Belgian and Swiss Opens, and the South African PGA Championship
South African PGA Championship
The Telkom PGA Championship, as it is currently known for sponsorship reasons, is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour...
.
Rees is considered to be one of the greatest British golfers never to win The Open Championship
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
. He finished as runner-up three times, in 1953, 1954 and 1961, but perhaps his best chance of victory came in 1946, when he shot a final round 80 to slip into a tie for 4th place.
Rees continued to play at a competitive level long into what would now be considered "senior" years, and remained successful, especially in match play
Match play
Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...
tournaments. He reached the final of the News of the World Match Play twice while in his fifties, in 1967 and again in 1969, on each occasion beating several players almost half his age over 18 holes. He also had some success in stroke play
Stroke play
Stroke play, also known as medal play, is a scoring system in the sport of golf. It involves counting the total number of strokes taken on each hole during a given round, or series of rounds...
tournaments, including a runner-up finish in the Martini International
Martini International
The Martini International was a men's professional golf tournament that was held from 1961 to 1983. It was hosted by several different golf clubs in England, Scotland and Wales. It was part of the European Tour's schedule from the tour's first official season in 1972 until the event ceased...
in 1973 when aged 60. By the time the formal European Tour
PGA European Tour
The PGA European Tour is an organization which operates the three leading men's professional golf tours in Europe: the elite European Tour, the European Seniors Tour and the developmental Challenge Tour. Its headquarters are at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England...
was established in 1972, Rees' best years had passed, but he still competed on the new tour for a number of seasons.
Ryder Cup
Rees played in nine Ryder Cups in total, and was selected for the aborted 1939 Cup. He had a 7-9-1 win-loss-draw record, which was well above average for a British player in an era when the British team suffered many heavy defeats.Rees captained the Great Britain Ryder Cup team on five occasions, in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1967. The most memorable was the 1957 event at Lindrick where Britain scored a decisive 7½–4½ victory to break the United States' stranglehold on the trophy they had held since 1933. Having regained the Ryder Cup in 1959, the United States would not relinquish it again until 1985, by which time the British team had been expanded to include the rest of Europe.
Awards
In 1957, following Britain's triumph in the Ryder Cup, Rees won the BBC Sports Personality of the YearBBC Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
award, perhaps Britain's best known sports award. The following year he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
.
Tournament wins
this list may be incomplete- 1935 PGA Assistants' Championship
- 1936 News of the World Match Play, PGA Assistants' Championship
- 1938 News of the World Match Play
- 1947 Penfold TournamentPenfold TournamentThe Penfold Tournament was a golf tournament on the European circuit/European Tour. It was played from 1932 to 1974 at a variety of courses. The purse for the 1974 event was £11,388....
(tie with Reg WhitcombeReg WhitcombeReginald Arthur Whitcombe was an English professional golfer.Whitcombe began his career at Came Down Golf Club in Dorset and served in the British armed forces during World War I. He was the professional at Parkstone Golf Club from 1 January 1928 until his death in 1957...
and Norman Von NidaNorman Von NidaNorman Guy Von Nida was an Australian professional golfer.Von Nida was born in Strathfield and grew up in Brisbane. He turned professional in 1933, after attracting attention by winning the Queensland Amateur aged just 18...
) - 1948 Irish OpenIrish Open (golf)The Irish Open is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour, currently played at the end of July or early August each year. The event has been played in many locations on the island; its current home is the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in County Kerry in southwestern Ireland...
- 1949 News of the World Match Play
- 1950 Yorkshire Evening News Tournament, News Chronicle Tournament, News of the World Match Play, British Masters
- 1951 Yorkshire Evening News Tournament (tie with Norman Von NidaNorman Von NidaNorman Guy Von Nida was an Australian professional golfer.Von Nida was born in Strathfield and grew up in Brisbane. He turned professional in 1933, after attracting attention by winning the Queensland Amateur aged just 18...
) - 1953 Daks TournamentDaks TournamentThe Daks Tournament was a golf tournament of the European circuit from 1950 to 1971. It was played at a number of different locations in England.-Tournament hosts:-Winners:*1971 Neil Coles and Brian Huggett *1970 Neil Coles*1969 Brian Huggett...
- 1954 Spalding Tournament, Belgian Open
- 1956 Swiss Open, Yorkshire Evening News Tournament (tie with Ken BousfieldKen BousfieldKen Bousfield was one of the leading British golfers of the immediate post-World War II period.Bousfield won a number of tournaments on the European circuit in the 1950s and 1960s, including the British PGA Championship, which is the second most prestigious tournament in the United Kingdom after...
) - 1958 South African PGA ChampionshipSouth African PGA ChampionshipThe Telkom PGA Championship, as it is currently known for sponsorship reasons, is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the Sunshine Tour...
- 1959 British PGA Championship, Swiss Open
- 1962 British Masters, Daks TournamentDaks TournamentThe Daks Tournament was a golf tournament of the European circuit from 1950 to 1971. It was played at a number of different locations in England.-Tournament hosts:-Winners:*1971 Neil Coles and Brian Huggett *1970 Neil Coles*1969 Brian Huggett...
(tie with Bob CharlesBob Charles (golfer)Sir Robert James Charles, ONZ, KNZM, CBE is a New Zealand professional golfer whose achievements over five decades rank him among the most successful left-handed golfers of all time, being the first lefty to win a golf major, winning more than 70 titles, and beating his age twice during a...
) - 1963 Swiss Open
- 1966 PGA Seniors ChampionshipPGA Seniors ChampionshipThe PGA Seniors Championship is a European Seniors Tour golf tournament for men aged fifty and above. It was founded in 1957, and became part of the European Seniors Tour on its founding in 1992. It was played at the Royal Dublin Golf Club in the Republic of Ireland that year, but since 1993 it has...
Results in major championships
Rees only played in The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
.
| Tournament | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T31 | 11 | T21 | T13 | 12 |
| Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
NC | NC | NC | NC | NC | NC | T4 | T21 | T15 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T3 | T12 | T27 | T2 | T2 | T27 | T13 | T30 | T14 | T9 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T9 | T2 | CUT | T42 | T38 | CUT | 36 | CUT | DNP | CUT |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT |
NC = No championship due to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1969 and 1971)
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
- Ryder CupRyder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
: 19371937 Ryder CupThe 6th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club in Southport, England.The United States team won the competition by a score of 8 to 4 points. It was the first time that the host team lost the competition.-Format:...
, 19471947 Ryder CupThe 7th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Portland Golf Club in Portland, Oregon, marking a resumption of the tournament after World War II forced its cancellation from 1939 to 1945. The United States overwhelmed the British team by winning the contest by a score of 11–1...
, 19491949 Ryder CupThe 8th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Ganton Golf Club in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England.The United States team won the competition by a score of 7 to 5 points.-Format:The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point...
, 19511951 Ryder CupThe 9th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina.The United States team won the competition by a score of 9½ to 2½ points.-Format:The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point...
, 19531953 Ryder CupThe 10th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England.The United States team won the competition by a score of 6½ to 5½ points.-Format:The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point...
, 19551955 Ryder CupThe 11th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California.The United States team won the competition by a score of 8 to 4 points.-Format:The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point...
(captain), 19571957 Ryder CupThe 12th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Lindrick Golf Club in Rotherham, England. The Great Britain team led by captain Dai Rees beat the United States team by a score of 7½ to 4½ points, winning the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1933....
(captain, winners), 19591959 Ryder CupThe 13th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Eldorado Golf Club in Indian Wells, California. The United States team won the competition by a score of 8½ to 3½ points. The British who were once again led by Dai Rees were unable to repeat the heroics of two years earlier and were comprehensively...
(captain), 19611961 Ryder CupThe 14th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England.The United States team won the competition by a score of 14½ to 9½ points.-Format:...
(captain), 19671967 Ryder CupThe 17th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas.The United States team won the competition by a record score of 23½ to 8½ points. To date it remains the largest defeat that a British/European team has ever suffered at the hands of a United States team.-Format:The...
(non-playing captain)