U.S. Professional Match Play Championship
Encyclopedia
The U.S. Professional Match Play Championship was a PGA Tour
event that was played in North Carolina
in the early 1970s.
The event was first played as the Liggett & Myers Open Match Play Championship in 1971 at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst
. The field of 64 players in 1971 consisted of the winners of tour events from the previous 12 months and the leaders from the 1971 money list. The tournament was played in medal match play. The purse in 1971 was $267,500 with $35,000 going to the winner.
For 1972, the tournament, now called the U.S. Professional Match Play Championship, was held in conjunction with the Liggett Myers Open
. Eight players were exempt into the field of 16 with the other eight players being the leaders after the first two rounds of the Liggett Myers Open. The tournament was played on Saturday and Sunday, two rounds each day, concurrently with the final two rounds of the Liggett Myers Open. The tournament was played at normal match play
. The purse in 1972 was $150,000 with $40,000 going to the winner. Losers in the first round received $5,000, or more than the fourth place finisher in the Liggett Meyers Open.
In 1973, the format and purse remained the same but the events shifted to MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, North Carolina
.
Liggett & Myers Open Match Play Championship
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
event that was played in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in the early 1970s.
The event was first played as the Liggett & Myers Open Match Play Championship in 1971 at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst
Pinehurst, North Carolina
Pinehurst is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 9,706 at the 2000 census. It is the location of the Pinehurst Resort, venue of the 1936 PGA Championship, the 1951 Ryder Cup. The host site for the 1999, 2005,& 2014 U.S. Open Golf Championships, the 2008 U.S....
. The field of 64 players in 1971 consisted of the winners of tour events from the previous 12 months and the leaders from the 1971 money list. The tournament was played in medal match play. The purse in 1971 was $267,500 with $35,000 going to the winner.
For 1972, the tournament, now called the U.S. Professional Match Play Championship, was held in conjunction with the Liggett Myers Open
Liggett Myers Open
The Liggett Myers Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It was sponsored by the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company.It was played in 1972 and 1973 in conjunction with the U.S. Professional Match Play Championship. After the first two rounds of play, the top eight players dropped from the Liggett...
. Eight players were exempt into the field of 16 with the other eight players being the leaders after the first two rounds of the Liggett Myers Open. The tournament was played on Saturday and Sunday, two rounds each day, concurrently with the final two rounds of the Liggett Myers Open. The tournament was played at normal match play
Match play
Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...
. The purse in 1972 was $150,000 with $40,000 going to the winner. Losers in the first round received $5,000, or more than the fourth place finisher in the Liggett Meyers Open.
In 1973, the format and purse remained the same but the events shifted to MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, North Carolina
Cary, North Carolina
Cary is a large town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham...
.
Winners
U.S. Professional Match Play Championship- 1973 John Schroeder
- 1972 Jack NicklausJack NicklausJack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
Liggett & Myers Open Match Play Championship
- 1971 DeWitt WeaverDeWitt Weaver (golfer)DeWitt Thompson Weaver, Jr. is an American golf consultant and former professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour....