Eric Lester
| Eric Lester | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Eric George Lester |
| Born |
14 September 1917 West Bromwich, England |
| Died | 18 May 1996 (aged 78) Bristol, England |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Nationality |
 England
|
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1950 |
| Professional wins | 6 |
| Best results in major championships |
|
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T8: 1958 |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
Eric George Lester (14 September 1917 – 18 May 1996) was an English professional golfer. He won some important tournaments in Britain, including the 1956 Swallow-Penfold Tournament, and had a number of good finishes in the Open Championship, finishing tied for 8th place in 1958. He also had a successful seniors career winning the 1974 PGA Seniors Championship. He played for the British Isles in the 1956 Joy Cup but never made the Ryder Cup team. At 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), he was noted as being one of the taller golfers of his generation.
In 1953, his first Open, he started badly with an 83 but then scored 70 and finished tied for 17th place. The 70 won him the Tooting Bec Cup for the lowest single-round score by a British or Irish player, shared with Dai Rees.
The 1954 Swallow-Harrogate Tournament was played in two distinct parts with separate prize money. There was a 72-hole stroke-play event with £1500 prize money. The leading 16 then played knockout match-play over the next two days. This second stage had prize money of £600, so that the total prize money was £2100. Lester finished sixth in the stroke-play stage to qualify for the match-play stage. He beat John Fallon 4&3 and Arthur Lees 5&4 to reach the semi-finals. He beat Dai Rees 5&3 to reach the final and then beat Antonio Cerdá 2 up to win the tournament. Lester was 1 up going to the last hole and when Cerdá put his ball into a muddy patch, he conceded the match.
Lester won the 1956 Swallow-Penfold Tournament at The Royal Burgess Golfing Society course at Barnton, Edinburgh. His total of 275 put him a stroke ahead of Max Faulkner and earned him the £1,000 first prize.
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Wikipedia