Ronnie Shade

Ronald David Bell Mitchell Shade, MBE (18 October 1938 – 10 September 1986) was a Scottish professional golfer.

Ronnie Shade
Personal information
Full nameRonald David Bell Mitchell Shade
Born(1938-10-18)18 October 1938
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died10 September 1986(1986-09-10) (aged 47)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Nationality Scotland
Career
Turned professional1968
Professional wins4
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT16: 1966
Achievements and awards
Member of the Order of
the British Empire (MBE)		1968

Life and career

Shade was born in Edinburgh and grew up playing golf at Duddingston Golf Club in that city.[1] He enjoyed unrivalled success as an amateur player in the 1960s, winning five consecutive Scottish Amateur Championships from 1963 to 1967[2] (Shade had also lost in the final in 1962). In 1966, he also finished as leading individual player at the Eisenhower Trophy, as leading amateur in The Open Championship, and reached the final of the British Amateur Championship, losing to Bobby Cole. He represented Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup on four occasions (1961 to 1967 inclusive), and was three times winner of the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship (the Brabazon Trophy). Shade's amateur golf success was all the more noteworthy, since he came from a working-class background, and during that era British amateur golf was the preserve of the well-to-do.[3]

Shade was awarded the MBE as an amateur, and decided to turn professional at the relatively late age of 30. Often referred to by fellow players as "Right Down the Bloody Middle", a nickname based on his initials and his exceptional accuracy, he did not enjoy as many victories as a professional that his amateur record might have foretold, although he won the Carroll's International in 1969, in his rookie season, and represented Scotland at the World Cup in 1970, 1971 and 1972. His strength at match play golf remained proven, however; he was runner-up at the British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1970, and was a semi-finalist on two further occasions.

Shade died in Edinburgh after a long illness.

Amateur wins

Professional wins (4)

Results in major championships
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977
The Open Championship T43 CUT CUT CUT T16LA CUT CUT T25 CUT CUT T51 T22 CUT CUT

Note: Shade only played in The Open Championship.

  Did not play

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975 and 1977 Open Championships)
"T" = tied

Team appearances

this list may be incomplete

Amateur

Professional

References
  1. Scotland: Where Golf is Great, by James W. Finegan, 2010, p. 216
  2. Shade: Mechanical man who won five Scottish amateur titles in a row
  3. Peter Dobereiner collection of golf writing
  • Alliss, Peter: "The Who's Who of Golf" (1983), Orbis Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-85613-520-8.
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