Arthur Gray (golfer)

Arthur George Gray (1879 – 18 November 1916) was an English professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. He was professional at Port Elizabeth Golf Club from about 1904 to 1910 and won the South African Open in 1905 and 1906. He was killed during World War I.

Arthur Gray
Personal information
Full nameArthur George Gray
Born1879
Climping, Sussex, England
Died18 November 1916
Somme, France
Nationality England
Career
StatusProfessional
Professional wins2
Best results in major championships
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT48: 1912

Early life

Gray was born in Climping, Sussex in 1879. Littlehampton golf club was in Climping parish where Gray learnt his golf.[1] Five of Arthur's brothers were also professional golfers.[2] His older brother Ernest finished tied for 5th in the 1905 Open Championship.

Golf career

Gray played in the 1899 and 1900 Open Championships with little success, failing to make the cut on both occasions.[3] At this time he was the professional at Surbiton golf club.[4][5] He was still at Surbiton when he played in the first Tooting Bec Cup in 1901.[6] By 1903 he was professional at Gravesend golf club when he competed in the first News of the World Matchplay. In the 36-hole southern section qualifying tournament he scored 146 to take one of the 16 qualifying places in an entry of 78.[7] In the final stages he won his first round match before losing 2&1 to J.H. Taylor in the last-16 round.[8]

Gray then moved to South Africa, becoming the professional at Port Elizabeth golf club. He played in the South African Open from 1904 to 1910, winning the event in 1905 and 1906 and being runner-up in 1904 and 1910.[9]

Soon after returning from South Africa, Gray played in the 1910 Open Championship while at Littlehampton golf club. In 1911 he became the professional at Colchester golf club.[10] In the Open Championship that year he qualified but missed the cut by a single stroke.[3] In the 1912 Championship he made the cut and finished in a tie for 48th place.[3]

Death

Gray was injured during the Battle of the Somme and died of his wounds in France.[11][12][13][14][15]

References
  1. "Climping". British History Online.
  2. "Reginald Gray". Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland.
  3. Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  4. "Golf – The Open championship". The Times. 3 June 1899. p. 13.
  5. "Golf – The Open championship". The Times. 4 June 1900. p. 10.
  6. "London and Counties Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 16 October 1901. p. 9.
  7. "Golf – Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 30 September 1903. p. 9.
  8. "Golf – Professional Golfers' Association". The Times. 14 October 1903. p. 10.
  9. South African Golf Association – SA Amateur & Open Championship
  10. "Golf – Colchester". Chelmsford Chronicle. 9 June 1911. Retrieved 2 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. "Gray, A G". Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
  12. "Find a will: Gray, Arthur George".
  13. "Colchester War Memorial".
  14. Leach, Henry (July 1917). "Foreign Notes" (PDF). The American Golfer. 18 (3): 799.
  15. "Famous English sportsmen killed" (PDF). The New York Times. 10 June 1917.
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