1969 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship
The 1969 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship was the sixth World Match Play Championship. It was played from Thursday 9 to Saturday 11 October on the West Course at Wentworth. Eight players competed in a straight knock-out competition, with each match contested over 36 holes. The champion received £5,750 out of a total prize fund of £18,400. In the final, Bob Charles beat Gene Littler with an eagle at the 37th hole.[1]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9–11 October 1969 |
| Location | Virginia Water, Surrey, England |
| Course(s) | West Course, Wentworth |
| Format | Match play – 36 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 74 |
| Length | 6,997 yards (6,398 m) |
| Field | 8 players |
| Prize fund | £18,400 |
| Winner's share | £5,750 |
| Champion | |
 Bob Charles | |
| def. Gene Littler after 37 holes | |
For the first time all tickets had to be bought in advance. Tickets cost £2 and were restricted to 8,000 on the first day, 5,000 on the second and 3,000 for the final.[2]
The tournament that had, in previous years, been played on the East Course immediately before the World Match Play Championship was replaced by the Piccadilly Medal played at Prince's Golf Club from 16 to 19 July. 64 players competed in the knock-out stroke play competition with early rounds being over 18 holes and a 36 hole final. The winner was Peter Alliss who won £1,500.[3]
Course
Source:[4]
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 476 | 157 | 457 | 497 | 192 | 347 | 403 | 400 | 460 | 3,389 | 190 | 408 | 480 | 437 | 183 | 480 | 380 | 555 | 495 | 3,608 | 6,997 |
| Par | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 74 |
Scores
| Quarter-finals 9 October |
Semi-finals 10 October |
Final 11 October | ||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Gary Player |
10 & 8 | |||||||||
 Jean Garaïalde |
||||||||||
| Gary Player |
||||||||||
 Gene Littler |
4 & 3 | |||||||||
| Gene Littler |
6 & 5 | |||||||||
| Raymond Floyd |
||||||||||
| Gene Littler |
||||||||||
| Bob Charles |
37 h | |||||||||
 Maurice Bembridge |
||||||||||
| Bob Charles |
6 & 5 | |||||||||
| Bob Charles |
9 & 7 | |||||||||
| Tommy Aaron |
||||||||||
| Tony Jacklin |
||||||||||
| Tommy Aaron |
6 & 4 | |||||||||
Prize money
Prize money was increased by 15% for previous years with the winner receiving £5,750 out of a total prize fund of £18,400.
References
- "Need to close gap between groups". The Times, Monday, 13 October 1969; pg. 8; Issue 57689.
- "Piccadilly to be tickets only". The Times, Friday, 24 January 1969; pg. 9; Issue 57467.
- "Ryder Cup Team". The Times, Monday, 21 July 1969; pg. 6; Issue 57617.
- "Aaron's run of birdies swamps Jacklin". The Times, Friday, 10 October 1969; pg. 13; Issue 57687.
- "Littler breaks Player's hold on title". The Times, Saturday, 11 October 1969; pg. 9; Issue 57688.