Wills Classic

The Wills Classic was a series of golf tournaments held in Australia and New Zealand from 1960 to 1964. The first event in 1960 was contested by four players over nine different courses between 17 September and 2 October; the winner determined by the aggregate score. Total prize money was A£5,100. The players were Stan Leonard, Gary Player, Mike Souchak and Peter Thomson. In 1961 the event became a 72-hole tournament with prize money of A£3,000. From 1963 the Australian tournament was replaced by the Wills Masters and the Classic event was moved to New Zealand. The New Zealand tournaments had prize money of NZ£2,000. The sponsor was W.D. & H.O. Wills, a cigarette manufacturer.

Wills Classic
Tournament information
LocationAustralia
New Zealand
Established1960
Final year1964
Final champion
Ted Ball

Winners
YearWinnerCountryVenueScoreMargin
of victory		Runner(s)-upWinner's
share		Ref
1960Peter Thomson AustraliaVarious[1]6333 strokes Gary PlayerA£1,800[2][3]
1961Gary Player South AfricaThe Lakes Golf Club2863 strokes Eric CreminA£800[4]
1962Bruce Devlin AustraliaThe Australian Golf Club2816 strokes Ted BallA£800[5]
1963Bruce Devlin AustraliaRussley Golf Club2874 strokes Ted Ball
Kel Nagle		[6]
1964Ted Ball AustraliaWellington Golf Club2665 strokes Barry Coxon
Bob Tuohy		NZ£400[7]

References
  1. "Hard hitting Mike for golf classic". The Cumberland Argus. 22 June 1960. p. 23.
  2. "Souchak leads in tourney". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 September 1960. p. 19.
  3. "Marathon golf to Thomson". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 October 1960. p. 19.
  4. "Player's triumph - Tragic shot fatal for Cremin". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 October 1961. p. 48.
  5. "Devlin in easy go - Six-stroke margin from Ball". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 October 1962. p. 67.
  6. "Win to Devlin in N.Z." The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 September 1963. p. 67.
  7. "Ball takes five stroke win in Wills Classic". The Canberra Times. 39 (11, 027). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 14 December 1964. p. 18. Retrieved 22 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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