1973 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship
The 1973 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship was the tenth World Match Play Championship. It was played from Thursday 11 to Saturday 13 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 £10,000 out of a total prize fund of £30,000. In the final, Gary Player beat Graham Marsh at the fourth extra hole to win the championship for the fifth time.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 11–13 October 1973 |
| Location | Virginia Water, Surrey, England |
| Course(s) | West Course, Wentworth |
| Format | Match play – 36 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 74 |
| Length | 6,997 yards (6,398 m) |
| Field | 8 players |
| Prize fund | £30,000 |
| Winner's share | £10,000 |
| Champion | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Gary Player | |
| def. Graham Marsh after 40 holes | |
In a close final, Player holed a 7-foot birdie putt at the 36th hole to tie the match after Marsh's second shot had found a green-side bunker and he was unable to get down in two more. Player had to get up and down from bunkers at the first two extra holes to extend the match. At the fourth extra hole, he holed from 9 feet and then Marsh missed from 3 feet to give Player the victory.[1]
Course
Source:[2]
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 476 | 157 | 457 | 497 | 192 | 347 | 403 | 400 | 460 | 3,389 | 190 | 408 | 480 | 437 | 183 | 480 | 380 | 555 | 495 | 3,608 | 6,997 |
| Par | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 74 |
Scores
| Quarter-finals 11 October |
Semi-finals 12 October |
Final 13 October | ||||||||
 Tom Weiskopf |
3 & 2 | |||||||||
| Lanny Wadkins |
||||||||||
| Tom Weiskopf |
||||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Graham Marsh |
4 & 3 | |||||||||
| Tommy Aaron |
||||||||||
| Graham Marsh |
3 & 2 | |||||||||
| Graham Marsh |
||||||||||
| Gary Player |
40 h | |||||||||
| Johnny Miller |
4 & 3 | |||||||||
 Peter Oosterhuis |
||||||||||
| Johnny Miller |
||||||||||
| Gary Player |
3 & 2 | |||||||||
| Gary Player |
3 & 2 | |||||||||
| Tony Jacklin |
||||||||||
Prize money
The winner received £10,000, the runner-up £5,000, the losing semi-finalists £3,500 and the first round losers £2,000, making a total prize fund of £30,000.
References
- "Best of Piccadilly kept to last day as Player has fifth win". The Times, Monday, 15 October 1973; pg. 13; Issue 58913.
- "The British chaff is separated from the American wheat". The Times, Friday, 12 October 1973; pg. 16; Issue 58911.
- "The quiet Australian moves in to seek a world reputation". The Times, Saturday, 13 October 1973; pg. 7; Issue 58912.