1964 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship
The 1964 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship was the first World Match Play Championship. It was played from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October on the West Course at Wentworth. Eight players competed in a straight knock-out competition, with each match contested over 36 holes. The champion received £5,000 out of a total prize fund of £16,000. Arnold Palmer defeated Neil Coles 2&1 in the final to win the tournament.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9–11 October 1964 |
| Location | Virginia Water, Surrey, England |
| Course(s) | West Course, Wentworth |
| Format | Match play – 36 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 75 |
| Length | 6,936 yards (6,342 m) |
| Field | 8 players |
| Prize fund | £16,000 |
| Winner's share | £5,000 |
| Champion | |
 Arnold Palmer | |
| def. Neil Coles 2 & 1 | |
The tournament was sponsored by Carreras Tobacco Company the manufacturer of Piccadilly cigarettes.[1]
In the final, Palmer led by two after nine holes but Coles won the 11th, 12th, 13th and the 18th to reach lunch two holes up. Coles was round in 72 to Palmer's 74. In the afternoon Palmer went 2–3–3 from the 5th to the 7th to lead by one, reaching the turn in 32. Palmer won the 15th with a three and eventually won 2&1, having completed the 17 holes in the afternoon in 61 strokes.[2]
The match play championship concluded a week of golf at Wentworth which had started with the Piccadilly Tournament, a 72-hole stroke play competition, which was played on the East Course from 5 to 7 October. The winner was Jimmy Martin who took home £750 of the total prize fund of £4,000.[3]
Course
Source:[4]
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 470 | 156 | 444 | 505 | 186 | 342 | 402 | 398 | 453 | 3,356 | 186 | 379 | 480 | 440 | 176 | 479 | 380 | 556 | 504 | 3,580 | 6,936 |
| Par | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 75 |
Scores
| Quarter-finals 9 October |
Semi-finals 10 October |
Final 11 October | ||||||||
| Arnold Palmer |
1 up | |||||||||
 Peter Butler |
||||||||||
| Arnold Palmer |
8 & 6 | |||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Gary Player |
||||||||||
| Ken Venturi |
||||||||||
| Gary Player |
4 & 2 | |||||||||
| Arnold Palmer |
2 & 1 | |||||||||
| Neil Coles |
||||||||||
| Neil Coles |
4 & 3 | |||||||||
| Tony Lema |
||||||||||
| Neil Coles |
2 & 1 | |||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Bruce Devlin |
||||||||||
| Bruce Devlin |
3 & 2 | |||||||||
| Jack Nicklaus |
||||||||||
Prize money
The winner received £5,000, the runner-up £3,000, the losing semi-finalists £2,000 and the first round losers £1,000, making a total prize fund of £16,000.[1]
References
- "£20,000 For Golf.". The Times, Friday, 14 February 1964; pg. 4; Issue 55935.
- "Palmer's Supreme Golf Under Pressure". The Times, Monday, 12 October 1964; pg. 3; Issue 56140.
- "Martin Welcomes Rain And First Prize". The Times, Thursday, 8 October 1964; pg. 3; Issue 56137.
- "Palmer Alone Survives To Carry U.S. Challenge". The Times, Saturday, 10 October 1964; pg. 4; Issue 56139.