Hedley Muscroft

{{short description|English professional golfer (1938–2023)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Hedley Muscroft

| image =

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| fullname = Hedley W. Muscroft

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|4|3|df=y}}

| birth_place = Leeds, Yorkshire, England

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|3||1938|4|3|df=y}}

| death_place = Marbella, Spain

| height = {{Height|ft=6|in=1}}

| weight =

| nationality = {{ENG}}

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| yearpro = 1954

| extour = European Tour
European Senior Tour

| prowins = 6

| otherwins =

| majorwins =

| masters = DNP

| usopen = DNP

| open = T18: 1967

| pga = DNP

| wghofid =

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}}

Hedley W. Muscroft (3 April 1938 – March 2023) was an English professional golfer. He played regularly on the European circuit and later on the European Tour when it started in 1972. He won the 1970 Classic International and played in The Open Championship 16 times with a best finish of 18th place in 1967.

Golf career

Muscroft won one important tournament, the 1970 Classic International, where he beat Christy O'Connor Snr at the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff and took the first prize of £1,000.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=45FAAAAAIBAJ&pg=1424%2C4601643 |title=Muscroft wins after play-off |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=4 |date=27 July 1970}}

In 1964, he was a runner-up in the Swallow-Penfold Tournament behind Peter Alliss, and was also a runner-up in the Gor-Ray Cup, the assistants' championship.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AGNAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3328%2C1459026 |title=Penfold and Swallow win for Alliss |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=11 May 1964 |page=5}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5WxAAAAAIBAJ&pg=2220%2C3057121 |title=Gregson top assistant |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=5 |date=20 June 1964}} He was runner-up in the Bowmaker Tournament in 1965 and 1966 and in the 1966 Agfa-Gevaert Tournament.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Zm5AAAAAIBAJ&pg=5020%2C4948616 |title=Nagle's victory at Sunningdale – Last round starts with 2 |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=7 |date=30 June 1965}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=239AAAAAIBAJ&pg=1722%2C5055707 |title=Boobyer's victory with inward 30 – Muscroft one stroke behind |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=16 |date=29 June 1966}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tX1AAAAAIBAJ&pg=3672%2C2599217 |title=A Miguel triumphs again |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=16 May 1966 |page=4}} In 1968 he won the Evian International Open in France. Playing with Lionel Platts, he was runner-up in the inaugural Sumrie Better-Ball in 1969.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_5pAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3905%2C1457349 |title=Anglo-Spanish team win Sumrie event with 28 under par |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=9 June 1969 |page=4}}

Muscroft played on the European Tour from its start in 1972. His best season was 1973.{{cite web |url=http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/racetodubai/rankings/index.html |title=European Tour Order of Merit |publisher=PGA European Tour |access-date=1 November 2017}} He was a joint runner-up in the Scandinavian Enterprise Open behind Bob Charles and was third in the Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship and the Dunlop Masters.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-pVAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GqUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1368%2C4105679 |title=Charles wades to two-shot victory |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=4 |date=23 July 1973}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120842939/the-daily-telegraph |title=Coles proves he is master under all conditions |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |page=15 |date=28 May 1973}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=b5FAAAAAIBAJ&pg=1882%2C1838683 |title=Tony Jacklin a victim of his own prowess |first=Raymond |last=Jacobs |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=7 |date=8 October 1973}} Muscroft finished 13th in the 1973 Ryder Cup points table after a poor finish in the last qualifying event, the Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf, where he was 11-over-par for the last 27 holes. Having been a stroke behind the leader after 36 holes, he scored 43 for the last 9 holes of the third round and 76 in the final round to finish 16 strokes behind the winner.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120852765/the-daily-telegraph |title=Ryder Cup poser unsolved as Baker swoops at Fulford |first=Michael |last=Williams |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |page=22 |date=20 August 1973}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qpVAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5080%2C3511281 |title=Gallacher's 71 makes him clear leader |first=Raymond |last=Jacobs |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=2 |date=18 August 1973}} The leading 8 qualified automatically with 4 places chosen by a selection committee. The committee chose the players placed 9th to 12th in the table, selecting John Garner who had had a poor 1973 but had gained a lot of points in 1972.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rJVAAAAAIBAJ&pg=1393%2C3956592 |title=Selectors stick to Ryder Cup table |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=4 |date=21 August 1973}} Garner was not chosen to play in any matches in the 1973 Ryder Cup.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=S5FAAAAAIBAJ&pg=2720%2C5542339 |title=U.S. victory confirms hopeless imbalance of Ryder Cup |first=Raymond |last=Jacobs |date=24 September 1973 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |page=5}}

In 1991 Muscroft finished tied for 7th place in the Seniors' British Open. He played on the European Senior Tour from its start in 1992 until 2000. His best finish to be tied for 5th place in the 1993 Northern Electric Seniors.{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/players/1042/career-record?tour=legends-tour |title=Hedley Muscroft Career Record Details |access-date=14 March 2023 |publisher=European Tour}}

Muscroft was at Moor Allerton Golf Club before moving to the nearby Roundhay Park. Later he was at the Geneva Golf Club, Switzerland and later at Aloha Golf Club in Spain.

Personal life and death

Muscroft's two sons, Duncan and Richard, were also professional golfers.{{cite web |date=13 March 2023 |title=Hedley Muscroft (1938 – 2023) |url=https://www.pga.info/news/hedley-muscroft-1938-2023/ |access-date=14 March 2023 |publisher=The PGA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319155259/https://www.pga.info/news/hedley-muscroft-1938-2023 |archive-date=19 March 2023 |url-status=live}}

Duncan Muscroft was born in 1963.{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/players/1043/career-record?tour=dpworld-tour |title=D.G. Muscroft Career Record Details |access-date=15 March 2023 |publisher=European Tour}} He won the 1980 Boys Amateur Championship at Formby, beating Aled Llyr in the final.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TfM9AAAAIBAJ&pg=5348%2C2868219 |title=Extra-hole defeat for Miss Thomson |date=16 August 1980 |newspaper=Glasgow Herald |page=14}} He turned professional in 1982 and played two seasons on the European Tour, 1984 and 1997. He won the Northern PGA Championship in 1983.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105829077/the-daily-telegraph |title=Northern Pro Ch'ship |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |page=31 |date=18 June 1983}} In 2006 he tied for the Glenmuir Club Professional Championship but lost to Paul Wesselingh at the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.{{cite web |url=https://www.glenmuir.com/pages/about/news/articles/fourth-time-lucky-for-new-champ |title=Fourth time lucky for new champ |publisher=Glenmuir |date=16 June 2006 |access-date=6 October 2022}} This performance gained him a place in the 2007 PGA Cup team.{{Cite web |url=https://pgagbi.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/pgagbi19/event/pgagbi19719/agendas.htm?type=5&stype=48 |title=Individual Playing Records}}

Richard Muscroft was born in 1965.{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/players/2711/career-record?tour=challenge-tour |title=Richard Muscroft Career Record Details |access-date=15 March 2023 |publisher=European Tour}} He won the Berkshire Trophy in 1986, by two strokes from Ashley Brewer.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120899378/the-daily-telegraph |title=Trophy for Muscroft |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |page=30 |date=16 June 1986}} Later in the year he played for the Great Britain and Ireland youth team in the EGA Trophy and for England in the Men's Home Internationals.{{cite web |url=https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/c42c7bf4-dca7-00ea-4f2e-373223f80f76/29c8650b-3ea2-4d5a-81ac-872bb15c0ffa/1984-2012%20Results.pdf |title=R&A Championships and International Matches 1984 - 2012 |first=Peter N. |last=Lewis |access-date=11 December 2022 |publisher=The R&A}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HrZAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5926%2C3443460 |title=Shaw breaks wedge then clinches victory |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=21 |date=13 September 1986}} He turned professional in 1989 and played on the Challenge Tour in 1999.

Muscroft died in Marbella, Spain in March 2023, at the age of 84.

Professional wins (6)

  • 1962 Leeds Cup{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WX1AAAAAIBAJ&pg=1858%2C9421082 |title=Play-off decides |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=29 June 1962 |page=11 |access-date=28 June 2022}}
  • 1964 Northern Professional Championship{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104589397/the-guardian |title=Muscroft 's northern victory |newspaper=The Guardian |page=6 |date=31 July 1964}}
  • 1968 Evian International Open{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120839203/the-guardian |title=Muscroft and Horton share first prize |newspaper=The Guardian |page=17 |date=11 September 1968}}{{cite news |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1968/09/02/d-un-sport-a-l-autre_2482261_1819218.html |title=D'un sport á l'autre. |newspaper=Le Monde |language=French |date=2 September 1968 |access-date=31 May 2020}}
  • 1970 Classic International, Leeds Cup{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104636864/the-guardian |title=Muscroft makes up lost ground |newspaper=The Guardian |page=19 |date=3 October 1970}}
  • 1982 Northern PGA Championship{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104631001/the-journal |title=Triumph for veteran |newspaper=The Journal |page=10 |date=9 August 1982}}

Results in major championships

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1960

!1961

!1962

!1963

!1964

!1965

!1966

!1967

!1968

!1969

align=left|The Open Championship

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|T46

|CUT

|CUT

|T43

|T18

|CUT

|T28

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1970

!1971

!1972

!1973

!1974

!1975

!1976

!1977

!1978

!1979

align=left|The Open Championship

|CUT

|CUT

|CUT

|CUT

|CUT

|CUT

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1980

!1981

!1982

!1983

align=left|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|CUT

|CUT

Note: Muscroft only played in The Open Championship.

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1972 and 1973 Open Championships)

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Source:{{cite book |title=The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008 |volume=1 |first=Morgan G. |last=Brenner |year=2009 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-3360-5}}

References

{{reflist}}