Alex Caygill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alex Caygill |
|
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Gordon Alexander Caygill |
| Born | 24 April 1940 Appleby-in-Westmorland, England |
| Nationality |  England |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour |
| Professional wins | 20 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
|
| The Masters Tournament | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T16: 1966 |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |
1961 |
Gordon Alexander Caygill (born on April 24, 1940) is an English professional golfer. He had a lot of success early in his career, from 1960 to 1963. After that, he went through a tough time, partly because of a stomach ulcer. But he made a great comeback in the late 1960s. He won two big tournaments in early 1969 and earned a spot on the 1969 Ryder Cup team.
Contents
Becoming a Professional Golfer
Alex Caygill started his golf career at a young age. He became an assistant professional at West Bowling Golf Club. This club is located near Bradford, England.
Early Wins and Awards
For a short time, he worked at Sunningdale. During this period, he won the 1960 British Youths Open Championship. He won this tournament by a large margin of 7 strokes. In 1961, he became an assistant at Pannal Golf Club. That same year, famous golfer Henry Cotton chose him as his Rookie of the Year. This award is given to a promising new player.
In 1962, Alex won the British Youths Open Championship again. It was held at Pannal once more. This time, he won by an even bigger margin of 12 strokes! He continued his success in 1963. He won both the Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament and the Rediffusion Tournament in the same week. In 1964, he almost won the Swallow-Penfold Tournament. He was leading by 3 strokes with only 5 holes left. But he didn't finish well and ended up tied for second place.
Making a Comeback in Golf
After his early wins, Alex didn't win another big tournament until 1969. This was because he was dealing with stomach ulcers. But he made a strong return that year. He won two tournaments: the Penfold Tournament and the Martini International. In the Martini International, he tied for first place with South African golfer Graham Henning.
Playing in the Ryder Cup
Alex Caygill's great performance in 1969 helped him get noticed for the 1969 Ryder Cup team. This is a major golf competition between teams from Great Britain and Ireland and the United States. He finished 8th in the points list for the team. The top six players were chosen automatically. Alex was one of the six players chosen by a special committee.
He played one match in the Ryder Cup. He teamed up with Brian Huggett in a foursomes match. They played against American golfers Raymond Floyd and Miller Barber. Their match ended in a tie. Alex finished the 1969 season ranked 9th in the Order of Merit, which lists the top players.
Later Career and International Play
In 1970, Alex Caygill had his only win outside of Great Britain. He won the Lusaka Dunlop Open in Africa. He finished two strokes ahead of Craig Defoy. He played in a few events on the European Tour from 1972 to 1977. His best result was reaching the semi-finals of the 1975 Piccadilly Medal.
In 1974, Alex finished third in the PGA Club Professionals' Championship. This allowed him to play in the Diamondhead Cup. This event was a preview of what would later become the PGA Cup. Alex played in the Open Championship 14 times between 1962 and 1977. He made the "cut" (meaning he played well enough to continue) six times.
Professional Wins
Alex Caygill won 20 professional tournaments during his career.
Wins in Great Britain and Ireland (6)
| Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 1960 | British Youths Open Championship | 66-71-71-71=279 | 7 strokes |  Campbell Brownlee (a) |
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| 10 Aug 1962 | British Youths Open Championship | 74-73-72-68=287 | 12 strokes |  Cliff Bowman (a) |
|
| 26 Sep 1963 | Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament | 71-76-69=216 | 2 strokes | Malcolm Gregson, Tony Jacklin |
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| 29 Sep 1963 | Rediffusion Tournament | 70-68-66-67=271 | Playoff | David Snell,  Flory Van Donck |
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| 3 May 1969 | Penfold Tournament | 67-70-70-71=278 | 2 strokes |  Christy O'Connor Snr |
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| 14 Jun 1969 | Martini International | 70-66-77-69=282 | Tie |  Graham Henning |
Wins on the Safari Circuit (1)
| Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Mar 1970 | Lusaka Dunlop Open | −7 (70-68-73-74=285) | 2 strokes |  Craig Defoy |
Other Wins (13)
- 1961 Yorkshire Professional Championship
- 1963 Northern Professional Championship (also known as the Leeds Cup)
- 1964 Yorkshire Professional Championship, Ryder Cup Reunion Foursomes Tournament (with Ken Bousfield)
- 1966 Yorkshire Professional Championship, Gleneagles Hotel Foursomes Tournament (with Bernard Cawthray)
- 1967 Leeds Cup
- 1971 Yorkshire Open
- 1973 Leeds Cup, Lancashire Open
- 1974 Northern Professional Championship
- 1978 Sunningdale Foursomes (with Julia Greenhalgh), Yorkshire Professional Championship
Major Championship Results
Alex Caygill mainly played in The Open Championship, which is one of golf's major tournaments.
| Tournament | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | T17 | CUT | T16 | CUT | T24 | T25 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T41 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T63 | CUT |
Note: Caygill only played in The Open Championship. Did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut (meaning he didn't score well enough to play the final rounds) "T" indicates a tie for a place
Team Appearances
Alex Caygill also represented his country in team golf events:
- Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1969 (the match ended in a tie)
- Diamondhead Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1974
