Sam King (golfer)

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Sam King
Personal information
Full nameSamuel Leonard King
Born(1911-03-27)27 March 1911
Sevenoaks, Kent, England
Died24 February 2003(2003-02-24) (aged 91)
Sporting nationality England
Career
StatusProfessional
Professional wins20
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT3: 1939

Samuel Leonard King (27 March 1911 – 24 February 2003[1]) was an English professional golfer,[2] best known for playing on three Ryder Cup teams.

King was born in Sevenoaks, Kent, England, a short distance from the Knole Golf Club, and lived there most of his life. His father was a charcoal burner at the Knole House Estate. King became a caddy at the club as a boy, and learned to play. By 1929, he was the assistant club professional, and began playing in local and national tournaments. In his career, King had nine top-10 finishes at The Open Championship between 1939 and 1959.[3]

King was a member of Great Britain's 1937, 1947, and 1949 Ryder Cup teams, including scoring his team's only point in 1947. He had qualified for the 1939 team, but the event was cancelled after the outbreak of World War II. During the war, he served in the Home Guard before returning to professional golf in 1946.

King became the head professional at Knole Golf Club in 1955, and later won the PGA Seniors Championship in both 1961 and 1962. He retired in 1976 and moved to Lincolnshire.[4][5]

King died at age 91 in 2003, after being hospitalized for pneumonia.[6] He is buried at St. Peter and St. Paul's church in Seal, Kent.[7]

Professional wins (20)[edit]

Major tournament wins (8)[edit]

Other tournament wins[edit]

  • Kent Professional Championship (14): 1932–1937,[8] 1946–1951,[9] 1955,[10] 1960[11]

Results in major championships[edit]

Tournament 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
The Open Championship CUT CUT T23 T28 T29 T23 T3
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT T6 T7 T4
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
The Open Championship T9 T35 T5 7 T8 CUT T24 T30 T5
Tournament 1960 1961 1962
The Open Championship T35 CUT

Note: King only played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Lives in Brief - Sam King, golfer" The Times, 18 March 2003; pg. 34; Issue 67713.
  2. ^ Alliss, Peter (1983). The Who's Who of Golf. Orbis Publishing. pp. 261–262. ISBN 0-85613-520-8.
  3. ^ "Sam King". The Daily Telegraph. 25 February 2003. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  4. ^ Nersessian, Mary (1 March 2003). "So Farewell Sam King 1911-2003". The Independent (London). Retrieved 24 March 2007.
  5. ^ Knole Park Golf Club. "Sam King (1911-2003)". Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  6. ^ PGA.com news services (24 February 2003). "Ryder Cup player King dead at 91". Archived from the original on 9 April 2004. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
  7. ^ "Peter & St Paul, Seal. Graveyard - NW Plot" (PDF).
  8. ^ "King retains Kent title". The Daily Telegraph. 10 September 1937. p. 18. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Golf | Kent Professional Championship". The Times. 14 September 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  10. ^ "King is Kent champion again". The Times. 9 September 1955. p. 14. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.
  11. ^ "Kent Professional Championship". The Times. 9 September 1960. p. 17. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.


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