Peter Townsend (golfer)
Encyclopedia
Peter Michael Paul Townsend (born 16 September 1946) is an English
professional golf
er.
Townsend was born in Cambridge
. Following a successful amateur career, during which he won both the Brabazon Trophy
and Lytham Trophy
, he turned professional at the end of 1966. He went on to win a number of major tournaments around the world during the 1960s and 70s, including the Dutch Open in 1967, the British PGA Closed Championship in 1968, the Venezuela Open
in 1969 and the Swiss Open in 1971.
Having had such a promising start to his career, Townsend moved to the United States and qualified for the PGA Tour
. However he did not enjoy the same success, although he did have several top 10 finishes, and returned to Europe, going on to end both the 1971 and 72 seasons inside the top 5 on the Order of Merit.
Townsend represented Great Britain twice in the Ryder Cup
, in 1969 and 1971. After retiring from tournament golf, he worked as a club professional and was elected Captain of the Professional Golfers' Association
in 1994.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Professional
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...
professional 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....
er.
Townsend was born in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. Following a successful amateur career, during which he won both the Brabazon Trophy
Brabazon Trophy
The English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England . It has been played annually since 1947 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over 4 days...
and Lytham Trophy
Lytham Trophy
The Lytham Trophy is an amateur golf tournament founded in 1965 by the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, where it has always been held. It is a 72-hole scratch stroke play competition, and is classified as a Category A event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings....
, he turned professional at the end of 1966. He went on to win a number of major tournaments around the world during the 1960s and 70s, including the Dutch Open in 1967, the British PGA Closed Championship in 1968, the Venezuela Open
Venezuela Open
The Venezuela Open or Abierto de Venezuela is a men's professional golf tournament on the Tour de las Américas. It has only been staged intermittently since 1957, but can boast major winners Al Geiberger, Art Wall, Jr., David Graham, Roberto de Vicenzo and Tony Jacklin as past champions...
in 1969 and the Swiss Open in 1971.
Having had such a promising start to his career, Townsend moved to the United States and qualified for the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
. However he did not enjoy the same success, although he did have several top 10 finishes, and returned to Europe, going on to end both the 1971 and 72 seasons inside the top 5 on the Order of Merit.
Townsend represented Great Britain twice in the 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...
, in 1969 and 1971. After retiring from tournament golf, he worked as a club professional and was elected Captain of the Professional Golfers' Association
Professional Golfers' Association (Great Britain & Ireland)
The Professional Golfers' Association is the professional body which represents the interests of teaching and club golf professionals in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland...
in 1994.
Amateur wins
- 1962 Boys Amateur ChampionshipBoys Amateur ChampionshipThe Boys Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. The competition is organised and run by The R&A-History:The Boy's Amateur Championship was first played at Royal Ascot in 1921...
- 1964 Boys Amateur ChampionshipBoys Amateur ChampionshipThe Boys Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. The competition is organised and run by The R&A-History:The Boy's Amateur Championship was first played at Royal Ascot in 1921...
- 1965 British Youths Championship
- 1966 Brabazon TrophyBrabazon TrophyThe English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England . It has been played annually since 1947 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over 4 days...
, Lytham TrophyLytham TrophyThe Lytham Trophy is an amateur golf tournament founded in 1965 by the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, where it has always been held. It is a 72-hole scratch stroke play competition, and is classified as a Category A event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings....
Professional wins
- 1967 Dutch Open
- 1968 Western Australian Open, British PGA Closed Championship, Coca-Cola Young Professionals' ChampionshipCoca-Cola Young Professionals' ChampionshipThe Coca-Cola Young Professionals' Championship was a golf tournament on the British PGA Circuit that was played from 1968 to 1974.-Winners:...
- 1969 Venezuela OpenVenezuela OpenThe Venezuela Open or Abierto de Venezuela is a men's professional golf tournament on the Tour de las Américas. It has only been staged intermittently since 1957, but can boast major winners Al Geiberger, Art Wall, Jr., David Graham, Roberto de Vicenzo and Tony Jacklin as past champions...
- 1971 Walworth Aloyco Tournament, Swiss Open
- 1972 Los Lagartos Open (Colombia)
- 1976 ICL International (South Africa)
- 1978 Colombian Open, Hassan II Golf TrophyHassan II Golf TrophyThe Hassan II Golf Trophy is a golf tournament in Morocco presided by His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid. It was held at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat until it moved to Agadir in 2011....
, Zambia OpenZambia OpenThe Zambia Open is a men's professional golf tournament played in Zambia, that has been part of the Sunshine Tour since 1996, and was co-sanctioned by the European based Challenge Tour from 2001 to 2004...
, Caribbean Open
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | 42 |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| 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... |
T23 | DNP | CUT | T16 |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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... |
T45 | T40 | T13 | 55 | T13 | T57 | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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... |
CUT | T19 | T54 |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Team appearances
Amateur- Walker CupWalker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1965 - Eisenhower TrophyEisenhower TrophyThe Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
(representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1966
Professional
- 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...
(representing Great Britain): 1969, 1971 - World Cup (representing England): 1969, 1974
- Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1974 (winners)