Piccadilly Medal
| Established | 1962 |
|---|---|
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Final year | 1976 |
| Sam Torrance | |
The Piccadilly Medal was a men's professional golf tournament. It was played in 1962 and from 1964 to 1976 and was a European Tour event from 1972 to 1976. It was played in a variety of formats. From 1962 to 1967 it was a 72-hole stroke-play event, in 1968 it was a four-ball better-ball match play event, from 1969 to 1975 it was a knockout stroke-play event while in 1976 it reverted to the 72-hole stroke-play format. From 1964 to 1968 the event was played on the East course at Wentworth, just before the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship which was played on the West Course there. Carreras withdrew their golf sponsorship after the 1976 season.
The event started in 1962 as the Piccadilly Number One tournament. Total prize money was £8,000 with a first prize of £2,000. The £2,000 first prize was the largest ever for a British event, although the total prize was exceeded by the Open Championship's £8,500. The first two rounds were split between Hillside Golf Club and Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, with one round played on each course. It was the first important professional tournament in Britain with a planned Sunday finish. The event marked the first British professional appearance of Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus had a 79 in the first round and, although he made the cut, finished 15 strokes behind the winner.
The event planned for May 1963 was cancelled and replaced by the new Gevacolor Tournament with total prize money of £3,500.
In 1964 the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship was started on the West Course at Wentworth. From 1964 to 1968 another tournament was played on the East Course immediately before the World Match Play Championship. From 1964 to 1967 this was a 72-hole stroke-play event while in 1968 it was a four-ball better-ball match play tournament. The first tournament was played from 5 to 7 October 1964. The winner was Jimmy Martin who took home £750 of the total prize fund of £4,000. The 1965 event was played on 11 and 12 October and was won by Peter Butler. The 1966 event was played on 4 and 5 October and was won by Bernard Hunt. The 1967 event was played on 10 and 11 October. The winner was Peter Butler who won for the second time. Because there were no British golfers in the main event, there had been talk of a boycott of this event by some of the British golfers. In the end the PGA issued a statement and the boycott came to nothing.
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