Glasgow Herald Tournament

The Glasgow Herald Tournament (also known as the Gleneagles Tournament) was a British golf tournament played at Gleneagles from 1920 to 1927.^[1] The 1920 event had prize money of £650, then the largest ever in a British tournament.^[2] From 1921 the prize money was increased further, to 1,000 guineas (£1,050), a new record. The first prize increased from £160 to £200. From 1921 the event was often called the Glasgow Herald 1000 Guineas Tournament.

The tournament had an initial stroke play qualification followed by knock-out match play.

The first international match between Great Britain and the United States was played at Gleneagles on 6 June 1921, the day before the start of the 1921 event.

Although Gleneagles was open for golf in 1919, the Gleneagles Hotel was not opened until June 1924, just prior to the 1924 event.

History

The 1920 event was played from 24–27 May. 104 professionals played 36 holes of qualifying on the first two days. The leading 16 players then played knock-out match-play on the following two days with £500 prize money. Players outside the top 16 were eligible for a 36-hole consolation event on the final two days with £115 prize money. Abe Mitchell, with a 71, led after the first day but, after an 81 on the second day, Ted Ray won the qualifying stage with a score of 151, taking a £25 prize. Three players tied on 162 for 16th place and played an extra nine holes. Harry Vardon won the playoff with a score of 40.^[3] George Duncan won the tournament, beating Arnaud Massy 3&2 and taking the £160 first prize, "the largest individual amount that has ever been offered in a professional golf tournament". In the 18 hole final Duncan was 5 up at the turn. Massy reduced the lead to 2 with four holes to play but Duncan won the 15th and halved the 16th. Mitchell's 71 on the first day remained the highest stroke-play round of the week and he collected a further £10 prize.^[4]

The tournament was extended to a fifth day for 1921, play being from 7–11 June. 27 holes were played on the two qualifying days using both the King's Course and the 9-hole Queen's course. As in 1920 the leading 16 players qualified for the matchplay stage but the semi-finals and finals were extended to 36 holes. The 36-hole consolation event took place on the third and fourth days with a separate amateur event on the final day, a Saturday. £740 prize money was available for the 16 qualifiers, the winner receiving £200. The total prize money for the consolation event was £165 with £25 to the winner. There was a £20 for the best round over the King's course, £10 for the best on the Queen's course and £25 for the winner of the qualifying event. The King's course was changed from that used in 1920 with the original 11th and 12th replaced by two short holes, shortening the course to 6,125 yards. The Queen's course measured 2,505 yards.

The 1922 tournament was played from 6–10 June. 18 holes were played on the two qualifying days on the King's Course. The leading 32 players now qualified for the matchplay stage with just the final played over 36 holes. The 36-hole consolation event took place on the third and fourth days. £880 prize money was available for the 32 qualifiers, the winner receiving £200. The total prize money for the consolation event was £95 with £15 to the winner. There was £25 for the winner of the qualifying event and a £20 for the best round during this stage.

From 1923 to 1927 the format remained largely unchanged. The 36-hole consolation event was completed on the third day from 1924, and played on the Queen's course in 1927. Prize money remained as in 1922. The tournaments were played as follows – 1923: 19–23 June, 1924: 10–14 June, 1925: 30 June–4 July, 1926: 29 June–3 July, 1927: 19–23 July.

Winners

Year	Winner	Country	Margin of victory	Runner-up	Winner's share (£)	Ref
1920	George Duncan	Scotland	3 & 2	Arnaud Massy	160	[4]
1921	Abe Mitchell	England	7 & 6	Joe Kirkwood, Sr.	200	[5]
1922	Abe Mitchell	England	2 & 1	Ted Ray	200	[6]
1923	Arthur Havers	England	6 & 5	Frank Ball	200	[7]
1924	George Duncan	Scotland	8 & 7	Abe Mitchell	200	[8]
1925	Archie Compston	England	1 up	Abe Mitchell	200	[9]
1926	Aubrey Boomer	Jersey	7 & 5	Len Herrington	200	[10]
1927	Charles Whitcombe	England	10 & 8	Ted Ray	200	[11]

The 1920 final was over 18 holes. From 1921 the final was over 36 holes.

References