Ampol Tournament
Tournament information
LocationAustralia
Established1947
Final year1959
Final champion
Kel Nagle and Gary Player

The Ampol Tournament was the richest golf event of its time in Australia. From 1952 the sponsor, Ampol, offered great prize money to attract the leading American and European players to compete.

Total prize money was initially A£1,000, rising to A£1,300 in 1951. In 1952 and 1954, two tournaments were arranged a few weeks apart. Prize money was A£3,500 for each of the 1952 events while each of the 1954 events had prize money of A£1,500. The A£10,000 in 1956 was the biggest purse outside the United States.[1] Prize money was A£2,500 in 1953 and 1955 and A£3,000 in 1957 and 1959. Prize money often exceeded the advertised figures since part of the proceeds from gate receipts was sometimes added.[2]

The 1959 tournament was played the week before the 1959 Canada Cup.

Winners

Year Winner Country Venue Score Margin
of victory		 Runner(s)-up Winner's
share (A£)		 Ref
1947 Ossie Pickworth  Australia The Australian Golf Club 294 1 stroke Australia Billy Bolger 300 [3]
1948 (Apr) Ossie Pickworth (2)  Australia Huntingdale Golf Club 300 2 strokes Australia Reg Want 250 [4]
1948 (Nov) Ossie Pickworth (3)  Australia The Lakes Golf Club 293 5 strokes Australia Kel Nagle 250 [5]
1949 Ossie Pickworth (4)  Australia Woodlands Golf Club 277 10 strokes Australia Eric Cremin 250 [6]
1950 Alex Murray  New Zealand Glenelg Golf Club 283 3 strokes Australia Eric Cremin 250 [7]
1951 Ossie Pickworth (5)  Australia The Brisbane Golf Club 276 8 strokes Australia Eric Cremin 350 [8]
1952 (Oct) Norman Von Nida  Australia The Lakes Golf Club 288 Playoff United States Ed Oliver 625 [9][10]
1952 (Nov) Lloyd Mangrum  United States Yarra Yarra Golf Club 281 1 stroke Australia Peter Thomson 625 [11]
1953 Ossie Pickworth (6)  Australia The Lakes Golf Club 288 3 strokes Australia Len Woodward 600 [12]
1954 (Oct) Dutch Harrison  United States The Lakes Golf Club 292 1 stroke Australia Ossie Pickworth 375 [13]
1954 (Nov) Peter Thomson  Australia Yarra Yarra Golf Club 282 6 strokes Australia Kel Nagle
Australia Ossie Pickworth		 375 [14]
1955 Eric Cremin  Australia The Lakes Golf Club 285 7 strokes Australia Ossie Pickworth 1,000 [15]
1956 Gary Player  South Africa Yarra Yarra Golf Club 280 6 strokes United States Bo Wininger 5,000 [16]
1957 Gary Player (2)  South Africa The Australian Golf Club 281 2 strokes Wales Dave Thomas 800 [17]
1958 No tournament
1959 Kel Nagle
Gary Player (3)		  Australia
 South Africa		 The Australian Golf Club 212 Tie Shared title Shared 800
and 400		 [18]

In October 1952 Von Nida beat Oliver 72 to 77 in the 18-hole playoff. In November 1954 the first round was played at Huntingdale Golf Club. The 1959 event was over 54 holes. Ampol sponsored a 36-hole tournament in 1958 with total prize money of A£500. This event was won by an amateur, Bob Stevens.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Ampol golf final on cup day". The Beverley Times. 9 February 1956.
  2. ^ "Ampol golf prize will total £3,000 this year". The Manning River Times And Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts Of New South Wales. Vol. 87. New South Wales, Australia. 13 October 1954. p. 12. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Pickworth was confident of rich golf win". The Sun. No. 2297. Sydney. 20 April 1947. p. 10 (Sunday Sun Sports Section). Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Pickworth Wins £1,000 Golf Tournament". The Argus. No. 31, 709. Melbourne. 19 April 1948. p. 12. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Pickworth likely to tour U.K. after great Ampol win". The Sun. No. 2381. Sydney. 28 November 1948. p. 20. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Memorable Golf". The Age. No. 29, 512. Victoria. 28 November 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Cremin Fails To Overtake". The Advertiser. Vol. 93, no. 28, 662. Adelaide. 21 August 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Pickworth takes fifth Ampol". The Sun. No. 2527. Sydney. 23 September 1951. p. 23. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Ampol golf". Sporting Globe. No. 3170. Victoria. 25 October 1952. p. 9. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Von Nida wins play-off". The Age. No. 30, 419. Victoria. 27 October 1952. p. 14. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Mangrum's lucky break for Ampol golf victory". The Sun. No. 2586. Sydney. 16 November 1952. p. 30. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Par 288 Best Field By Three Strokes Pickworth Wins Ampol Tournament For Six Time". The Sun-Herald. No. 247. New South Wales. 18 October 1953. p. 36. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "One up ample in Ampol win". Truth. No. 3378. Sydney. 24 October 1954. p. 36. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "6-stroke Ampol win by Thomson". The Age. No. 31, 056. Victoria. 15 November 1954. p. 20. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "He waited years for this victory". The Argus. Melbourne. 14 November 1955. p. 18. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "Stars made it so easy for Gary". The Argus. Melbourne. 19 November 1956. p. 15. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Gary Player Wins Ampol". The Canberra Times. Vol. 31, no. 9, 317. 4 November 1957. p. 11. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Nagle, Player in Ampol Golf Tie". The Canberra Times. Vol. 34, no. 9, 448. 16 November 1959. p. 16. Retrieved 20 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "Stevens by six strokes". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 August 1958. p. 66.
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