Roger Wethered
Encyclopedia
Roger H. Wethered was an English
amateur golf
er who was the brother of Joyce Wethered
, one of the finest female golfers of the pre-war era.
Born in Surrey
, Wethered was the only son of Herbert Newton Wethered and Marion Emmeline Lund. He was frequently ill as a child and this resulted in him being home-tutored. His father had authored numerous books about golf and this proved to be influential on Wethered as he took up golf from an early age.
Wethered was called up in 1918 to serve in the Royal Artillery
in World War I
. However, he was recalled from France
some weeks later as peacetime
was declared. Upon his return he enrolled in Christ Church College at Oxford University. He joined the Oxford golf team with Cyril Tolley, a good friend of his, and both were successful young golfers. His game was defined by great power and technique with iron clubs
. His driving was less accomplished but his ability to recover more than made up for this shortcoming.
He graduated from Oxford with a BA in English in 1921. Soon after this achievement came his finest hour as he narrowly lost The Open Championship
to Jock Hutchison
in the 1921 edition
of the tournament. Had he won the competition he would have been the last British amateur to do so. Indeed, no other British amateur has come so close to victory in the tournament since Harold Hilton
won the 1897 Open Championship
. He followed this achievement with further successes: as he grew older his driving began to improve and he won his first Amateur Championship
in 1923 at Deal, Kent
. However, after these two events Wethered failed to repeat his earlier singles tournament successes but he continued to be an influential golfer, earning the respect of his peers for his modest demeanour.
Wethered was a runner up in the Amateur Championship twice (1928 and 1930) and won the President's Putter
five times. Furthermore, he was capped by England numerous times in competition against Scotland
and in the Walker Cup
against the United States
, emerging victorious with regularity. In singles competition he beat all-comers, losing only to American golfer Bobby Jones
.
Wethered's abilities had begun to wane by the 1930s and his focus had turned to his full-time job as a stockbroker in London
. He continued to be involved in golf, however, working with the committee at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
. He was elected captain of the club in 1939 and finally took office in 1946. He was successful as an investor and upon his retirement he returned to the golf courses to play out his remaining days. At the age of 74 he scored a remarkable round of 74 at St Andrews. He died at his home at Garnet House, Wimbledon
.
, The Amateur Championship
, & U.S. Amateur.
CUT = missed the halfway cut
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1920 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 9, 1920, pg. 11.
Source for 1921 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 24, 1921, pg. 3.
Source for 1922 U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1922 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July 1, 1922, pg. 31.
Source for 1924 British Amateur: The American Golfer, June 28, 1924, pg. 17.
Source for 1925 British Amateur: Golf Illustrated, July, 1925, pg. 40.
Source for 1926 British Amateur: Golf Illustrated, July, 1926, pg. 23.
Source for 1927 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1927, pg. 15.
Source for 1929 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 13, 1929, pg. 10.
Source for 1931 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 21, 1931, pg. 16.
Source for 1932 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1932, pg. 6.
Source for 1933 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 23, 1933, pg. 20.
Source for 1934 British Amateur: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 24, 1934, pg. 19.
Source for 1936 British Amateur: The Age, May 29, 1936, pg. 12.
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...
amateur 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 who was the brother of Joyce Wethered
Joyce Wethered
Joyce Wethered, Lady Heathcoat-Amory was a golfer widely regarded as the greatest British woman player of all time....
, one of the finest female golfers of the pre-war era.
Born in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, Wethered was the only son of Herbert Newton Wethered and Marion Emmeline Lund. He was frequently ill as a child and this resulted in him being home-tutored. His father had authored numerous books about golf and this proved to be influential on Wethered as he took up golf from an early age.
Wethered was called up in 1918 to serve in the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. However, he was recalled from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
some weeks later as peacetime
Peacetime
In politics, peacetime is defined as any period of time where there are no violent conflicts occurring. For example, the time after World War II is considered peacetime in Western Europe and the United States....
was declared. Upon his return he enrolled in Christ Church College at Oxford University. He joined the Oxford golf team with Cyril Tolley, a good friend of his, and both were successful young golfers. His game was defined by great power and technique with iron clubs
Iron (golf)
An iron is a type of club used in the sport of golf to propel the ball towards the hole. They are so-called because historically the clubhead was generally made from iron. Whilst the vast majority of modern irons are still made from iron, it is almost always its stronger and more durable alloy,...
. His driving was less accomplished but his ability to recover more than made up for this shortcoming.
He graduated from Oxford with a BA in English in 1921. Soon after this achievement came his finest hour as he narrowly lost 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...
to Jock Hutchison
Jock Hutchison
Jack Fowler "Jock" Hutchison was a Scottish-American professional golfer.Hutchison was born in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland but later moved to the United States and became a U.S. citizen in 1920. He won two major championships, the 1920 PGA Championship and the 1921 Open Championship at the St Andrews...
in the 1921 edition
1921 Open Championship
The 1921 Open Championship was a golf competition held at the Old Course at St Andrews. The competition was won by Jock Hutchison....
of the tournament. Had he won the competition he would have been the last British amateur to do so. Indeed, no other British amateur has come so close to victory in the tournament since Harold Hilton
Harold Hilton
Harold Horsfall Hilton was an English amateur golfer.-Biography:Hilton was born in West Kirby. In 1892, he won The Open Championship at Muirfield, becoming the second amateur to do so. He won again in 1897 at his home club, Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake...
won the 1897 Open Championship
1897 Open Championship
The 1897 Open Championship was a golf competition held at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake that was won by Harold Hilton....
. He followed this achievement with further successes: as he grew older his driving began to improve and he won his first Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
in 1923 at Deal, Kent
Deal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
. However, after these two events Wethered failed to repeat his earlier singles tournament successes but he continued to be an influential golfer, earning the respect of his peers for his modest demeanour.
Wethered was a runner up in the Amateur Championship twice (1928 and 1930) and won the President's Putter
President's Putter
The President's Putter is an annual golf competition contested between former Blues golfers from Oxford and Cambridge universities. The event is held every January at the Rye Golf Club in Rye, East Sussex with the first tournament held in 1920...
five times. Furthermore, he was capped by England numerous times in competition against Scotland
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...
and in the Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The 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...
against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, emerging victorious with regularity. In singles competition he beat all-comers, losing only to American golfer Bobby Jones
Bobby Jones (golfer)
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer, and a lawyer by profession. Jones was the most successful amateur golfer ever to compete on a national and international level...
.
Wethered's abilities had begun to wane by the 1930s and his focus had turned to his full-time job as a stockbroker in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He continued to be involved in golf, however, working with the committee at The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in the world . It is based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, and is regarded as the worldwide "Home of Golf"...
. He was elected captain of the club in 1939 and finally took office in 1946. He was successful as an investor and upon his retirement he returned to the golf courses to play out his remaining days. At the age of 74 he scored a remarkable round of 74 at St Andrews. He died at his home at Garnet House, Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
.
Amateur wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
7 & 6 |  Robert Harris |
Results timeline
Wethered played in only 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...
, The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
, & U.S. Amateur.
| Tournament | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 | T32 | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
R64 | R256 | QF | 1 | SF | R128 | R128 | SF | 2 | R128 |
| U.S. Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNQ | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
2 | R16 | R128 | R32 | R32 | DNP | R32 |
| U.S. Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1920 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 9, 1920, pg. 11.
Source for 1921 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 24, 1921, pg. 3.
Source for 1922 U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for 1922 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July 1, 1922, pg. 31.
Source for 1924 British Amateur: The American Golfer, June 28, 1924, pg. 17.
Source for 1925 British Amateur: Golf Illustrated, July, 1925, pg. 40.
Source for 1926 British Amateur: Golf Illustrated, July, 1926, pg. 23.
Source for 1927 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1927, pg. 15.
Source for 1929 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 13, 1929, pg. 10.
Source for 1931 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 21, 1931, pg. 16.
Source for 1932 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1932, pg. 6.
Source for 1933 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 23, 1933, pg. 20.
Source for 1934 British Amateur: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 24, 1934, pg. 19.
Source for 1936 British Amateur: The Age, May 29, 1936, pg. 12.