Douglas Norman Sewell (19 November 1929 – 9 September 2017) was an English professional golfer.[1] Before turning professional he had a successful amateur career, playing in the Walker Cup in 1957 and 1959.
Doug Sewell | |
---|---|
Personal information | |
Full name | Douglas Norman Sewell |
Born | Surrey, England | 19 November 1929
Died | 9 September 2017 Bournemouth, Dorset, England | (aged 87)
Sporting nationality | England |
Career | |
Turned professional | 1961 |
Professional wins | 9 |
Best results in major championships | |
Masters Tournament | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP |
U.S. Open | DNP |
The Open Championship | T20: 1966 |
Amateur career
editSewell was a useful amateur golfer and played in the Walker Cup in 1957 and 1959 and the Eisenhower Trophy in 1960.
Sewell won the Brabazon Trophy at Moortown Golf Club in 1957, finishing 8 strokes ahead of Tony Slark.[2] The following year he won the English Amateur at Walton Heath Golf Club beating the Rhodesian David Proctor 8&7 in the final. Proctor qualified because his father was born in England.[3] He came close to winning the Berkshire Trophy in April 1959, finishing a stroke behind Joe Carr after making a bogey at the final hole.[4] In June he won his second Brabazon Trophy after a playoff with Michael Bonallack. They had each scored 300, seven ahead of the rest. In the 18-hole playoff Sewell scored 78 to Bonallack's 79. His aggregate score of 580 in the Berkshire and Brabazon trophies made him the first winner of the Philip Scrutton Jug.[5] He won the English Amateur for the second time in 1960 beating Martin Christmas in the final on the 41st hole at Hunstanton Golf Club.[6]
Sewell only played once in the Amateur Championship, losing in the 1959 quarter final to the American Bob Magee.[7]
Professional career
editHe turned professional in March 1961,[8] becoming an assistant professional at Wentworth. In 1967 he became professional at Ferndown in succession to Percy Alliss.[9] He remained at Ferndown until his retirement in 1994.
Sewell's only important professional win was in the 1970 Martini International at Conwy Golf Club where he tied with Peter Thomson. There was no playoff and the two shared the first and second prize money.[10] He was twice runner-up in the Penfold-Bournemouth Tournament at Queens Park Golf Club. In 1971 he was in a four-way tie for second place, four strokes behind Neil Coles.[11] In 1973 he was second again, two behind Eddie Polland.[12]
Sewell won the inaugural PGA Club Professionals' Championship in 1973 at Calcot Park Golf Club, a stroke ahead of David Melville. The leading nine formed the team for the first Diamondhead Cup, the forerunner of the PGA Cup, played later in that year.[13] He was 9th in the second PGA Club Professionals' Championship, again gaining a place in the British team for the Diamondhead Cup.[14] In 1975 Sewell won the event for the second time, two strokes ahead of David Huish.[15] He played in the first PGA Cup in October.
Death
editAmateur wins
edit- 1954 Surrey Amateur
- 1956 Surrey Amateur
- 1957 Brabazon Trophy
- 1958 English Amateur, Surrey Amateur
- 1959 Sunningdale Foursomes (with Michael Bonallack), Brabazon Trophy
- 1960 English Amateur, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase
- 1964 Surrey Open Amateur
Source:[18]
Professional wins (9)
editBritish PGA Order of Merit wins (1)
editNo. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Joint winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 Jun 1970 | Martini International | 66-67-69-66=268 | Tie | Peter Thomson |
Other wins (8)
edit- 1967 Dorset Professional Championship
- 1968 Wentworth Foursomes (with Alan Thirlwell), Strong Country Tournament, West of England Professional Championship
- 1969 Strong Country Tournament
- 1970 West of England Professional Championship
- 1973 MacGregor PGA Club Professionals' Championship[19]
- 1975 MacGregor PGA Club Professionals' Championship[19]
Source:[18]
Results in major championships
editTournament | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Open Championship | T26 | CUT | T25 | T20 | T31 | T25 | T50 |
Note: Sewell only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
editAmateur
- Walker Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1957, 1959
- Commonwealth Tournament (representing Great Britain): 1959
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1960
- Amateurs–Professionals Match (representing the Amateurs): 1957, 1958 (winners), 1959, 1960
- St Andrews Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1958 (winners), 1960 (winners)
Professional
- PGA Cup/Diamondhead Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1973, 1974, 1975
References
edit- ^ "Douglas Sewell". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ "Brabazon Trophy for Sewell". The Glasgow Herald. 17 June 1957. p. 9.
- ^ "English Title for Sewell". The Glasgow Herald. 5 May 1958. p. 10.
- ^ "Exciting finish to Berkshire Trophy". The Glasgow Herald. 6 April 1959. p. 9.
- ^ "Sewell beats Bonallack in Brabazon Play-off". The Glasgow Herald. 22 June 1959. p. 4.
- ^ "Sewell wins Marathon Final". The Glasgow Herald. 2 May 1960. p. 2.
- ^ "Amateur Golf Championship – Three Americans in Semi-finals". The Glasgow Herald. 29 May 1959. p. 11.
- ^ "Sewell becomes a professional". The Times. 14 March 1961. p. 22.
- ^ "Martini tournament". The Times. 17 June 1967. p. 13.
- ^ "Sewell matches Thomson". The Glasgow Herald. 15 June 1970. p. 5.
- ^ "Coles takes Penfold first prize with 69 and 70 on last day". The Glasgow Herald. 10 May 1971. p. 4.
- ^ "Polland change approach and breaks through". The Glasgow Herald. 14 May 1973. p. 5.
- ^ "Sewell putts to victory". The Glasgow Herald. 11 August 1973. p. 2.
- ^ "'Wild Bill' is champion". The Glasgow Herald. 3 June 1974. p. 5.
- ^ "Sewell holds off Scots". The Glasgow Herald. 9 June 1975. p. 20.
- ^ "Tributes paid to the late Douglas Sewell". pga.info. 13 September 2017.
- ^ "Find a will". probatesearch.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ a b Huggins, Percy, ed. (1971). The Golfer's Handbook. p. 404.
- ^ a b "PGA Professional Championship – Past Winners". The PGA. Retrieved 31 August 2015.