Frank Stafford Phillips OAM (24 July 1932 – 2 May 2023) was an Australian professional golfer. He was rated one of the best ball strikers of his era winning the 1957 and 1961 Australian Opens. He was a Life Member of the PGA of Australia from 2002.[1]
| Frank Phillips OAM | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Frank Stafford Phillips |
| Born | 24 July 1932 Moss Vale, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 2 May 2023 (aged 90) Bowral, New South Wales, Australia |
| Sporting nationality |  Australia |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour of Australasia Asia Golf Circuit |
| Professional wins | 35 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | CUT: 1958, 1962 |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | CUT: 1962 |
| The Open Championship | 12th: 1964 |
Phillips was born in Moss Vale, New South Wales on 24 July 1932.[2] In Jack Pollard's book, Australian Golf: The Game and the Players, Phillips is described as "a tall Sydney professional who built an outstanding record in Australian golf in the 1950s and 1960s".[citation needed]
Phillips was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to golf.[3]
Phillips died at a nursing home in Bowral on 2 May 2023, at the age of 90.[4]
Professional wins (35)
editAsia Golf Circuit wins (5)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 Feb 1962 | Malayan Open | −20 (71-71-64-70=276) | 1 stroke |  Bob Charles, Peter Thomson
|
| 2 | 7 Mar 1965 | Singapore Open | −13 (72-70-71-66=279) | 2 strokes |  Tadashi Kitta
|
| 3 | 4 Apr 1965 | Yomiuri International | E (72-73-74-69=288) | 1 stroke |  Chen Ching-Po
|
| 4 | 27 Mar 1966 | Hong Kong Open | −5 (69-66-68-72=275) | 2 strokes | Hideyo Sugimoto
|
| 5 | 4 Mar 1973 | Hong Kong Open (2) | −6 (74-69-68-67=278) | 1 stroke |  Ben Arda
|
Australia and New Zealand wins (26)
edit- 1955 New Zealand PGA Championship[5]
- 1956 New South Wales Close[6]
- 1957 New South Wales PGA,[7] Australian Open[8]
- 1959 Lakes Open
- 1960 New South Wales Open, North Coast Open, Lakes Open
- 1961 Australian Open
- 1962 New South Wales Open, Tasmanian Open, North Coast Open, West End Tournament
- 1963 Adelaide Advertiser Tournament (tie with Bruce Devlin)
- 1964 Victorian Open,[9] Adelaide Advertiser Tournament, West End Tournament (tie with Walter Godfrey)
- 1966 New South Wales Open, Victorian Open, Lakes Open
- 1967 Aeron Tournament[10]
- 1969 Aeron Tournament[11]
- 1970 New South Wales Open, West End Tournament
- 1971 Tasmanian Open
- 1976 Ben Guzzardi Classic[12]
European circuit wins (1)
editOther wins (3)
edit- 1960 Philippine Open[14]
- 1961 Singapore Open[15]
- 1975 Air New Zealand Fiji Open[16]
Results in major championships
edit| Tournament | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | |||||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | ||||||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T41 | T18 | 12 | CUT |
Note: Phillips never played in the PGA Championship.
Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1968 Open Championship)
"T" = tied
Team appearances
edit- Canada Cup (representing Australia): 1958
- Slazenger Trophy (representing British Commonwealth and Empire): 1956
- Vicars Shield (representing New South Wales): 1954 (winners), 1956 (winners)
References
edit- ^ "PGA Life Member awarded an OAM". PGA Australia.
- ^ "Oral History Project". Australian Golf Heritage. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "2017 Queen's Birthday honours list". The Roar. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Two-time Australian Open golf champion Frank Phillips dies". AP News. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "Frank Phillips Wins N.Z. Golf". The Age. 13 October 1955. p. 12 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Ryan, Les (23 September 1956). "Phillips streaks away in N.S.W. close golf". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 39 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Professional Golf Title To Phillips". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 9 September 1957. p. 7. Retrieved 29 January 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Phillips Wins Australian Open By One". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 18 November 1957. p. 12. Retrieved 29 January 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ Lawrence, Don (28 September 1964). "Phillips' open win sounds warning to star players". The Age. p. 20 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Wilkins, Phil (12 February 1967). "Leisurely win for Phillips". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 57. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Delayed win to Phillips". The Age. 17 February 1969. p. 20. Retrieved 31 October 2023 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Wolstenholme just pipped". The Glasgow Herald. 27 January 1976. p. 25 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Golf win to Phillips". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. AAP-Reuter. 7 August 1968. p. 30. Retrieved 9 April 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Phillips Wins Manila Golf". The Age. 25 January 1960. p. 22 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ "Easy victory for Phillips". The Straits Times. 6 February 1961. p. 15 – via National Library Board Singapore.
- ^ "One-stroke victory for Phillips". The Canberra Times. 27 January 1976. p. 18.
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