Johnny Fallon was a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 professional golfer

Professional golfer

In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...

 whose career spanned the years 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...

. Although never a winner of a major tournament of note, Fallon often contended with high finishes - he lost the final of the 1954 British PGA Matchplay Championship

British PGA Matchplay Championship

The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the News of the World, and was commonly known by the paper's name...

, and was perhaps most unlucky that he missed out on a potential Open Championship that might have been played at St Andrews

Old Course at St Andrews

The Old Course at St Andrews is the oldest golf course in the world. The Old Course is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by The St Andrews Links Trust under an act of Parliament...

 during the war years. He had placed third there in 1939, and then second in 1955, each time by just a handful of strokes.

Fallon played on the 1955 Ryder Cup

1955 Ryder Cup

The 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...

 team and in 1963

1963 Ryder Cup

The 15th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Atlanta Athletic Club, now known as East Lake Golf Club, at that time located in Atlanta, Georgia. The United States team won the competition by a score of 23 to 9 points....

 he was non-playing 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.