Wikipedia

Graham Marsh

For the producer, see Graham Marsh (producer).

Graham Vivian Marsh MBE (born 14 January 1944) is an Australian golfer. In 1968, Marsh turned pro and won several tournaments on the Australasian circuits early in his career. He joined the PGA Tour in the mid-1970s and won the 1977 Heritage Classic. However, he elected to focus the remainder of his career overseas, ultimately winning ten times on the European Tour and twenty times on the Japan Golf Tour. As a senior, he continued with much success on the Champions Tour, winning two senior majors, including the U.S. Senior Open.

Graham Marsh
MBE
Personal information
Full nameGraham Vivian Marsh
Born (1944-01-14) 14 January 1944 (age 80)
Kalgoorlie, Australia
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight187 lb (85 kg; 13.4 st)
Sporting nationality Australia
Career
CollegeUniversity of Western Australia
Claremont Teachers College
Turned professional1969
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
PGA of Japan Tour
Asia Golf Circuit
PGA Tour of Australia
New Zealand Golf Circuit
Champions Tour
Professional wins70
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
European Tour10
Japan Golf Tour20 (Tied-9th all-time)
PGA Tour of Australasia7
PGA Tour Champions6
Other22 (Regular)
4 (Senior)
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT9: 1976
PGA ChampionshipT7: 1978
U.S. OpenT16: 1979
The Open Championship4th: 1983
Achievements and awards
New Zealand Golf Circuit
money list winner		1970–71
Asia Golf Circuit
Order of Merit winner		1972, 1973

Early life

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Marsh was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. His brother was cricketer Rod Marsh.

Marsh attended the University of Western Australia and Claremont Teachers College. Marsh is a former mathematics teacher.[1]

Professional career

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Marsh's first professional tournament was in May 1968 at South Australian Open. He finished in solo third place. Peter Thomson, writing about the event for The Age, stated that "this talented player seems sure to finish higher before long."[2] In 1970 he played well at New Zealand's Caltex Tournament. Entering the par-5 18th hole he was tied for the lead with Maurice Bembridge and Terry Kendall. However, he could only make par. His competitors played the hole under par to defeat him. Marsh finished in solo third at 287, one behind.[3]

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Marsh was a regular winner on the European Tour, the Japan Golf Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia. He also won several events in Asia outside Japan, winning the Asia Golf Circuit overall title in 1972 and 1973,[4][5] and one on the U.S.-based PGA Tour, the 1977 Heritage Classic. Marsh had an outstanding win rate on the European Tour, where he accumulated eleven titles even though he never played more than seven events in Europe in a season. He also won the Colgate World Match Play Championship, which was not an official money European Tour event at the time, in England in 1977. He had 56 wins in all in his regular career, making him one of the most successful players of his era not to win a major championship.

Senior career

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As a senior, Marsh has played extensively in the United States on the Champions Tour winning six events including two senior majors: the 1997 U.S. Senior Open and the 1999 Tradition. He has also won the Japan Senior Open twice.

Marsh is also active in golf course design through Graham Marsh Golf Design which he established in 1986. The company's early projects were in Australia and Japan, but it later branched out to other parts of Asia, Europe and the United States. His work has included courses such as The Vines Resort (Perth), Palm Meadows Resort (Gold Coast) Old Silo (Kentucky), Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club (New South Wales) and Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club just to name a few. During this era, Marsh was also the chairman of the PGA Tour of Australasia as well.

In 2004, he became the first player on the four main golf tours (PGA Tour, European Tour, Champions Tour or the European Senior Tour) to ace the same hole twice in a tournament when he had a hole-in-one on No. 11 at Royal Portrush Golf Club during the 2004 Senior British Open Championship.[6]

Awards and honors

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  • In 1977, Marsh was voted Australian Sportsman of the year
  • In 1977, Marsh was awarded the Golf Digest Rookie of the Year.[7]
  • In 1984, Marsh was made an MBE for services to golf.

Professional wins (70)

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PGA Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner-up
1 27 Mar 1977 Heritage Classic −11 (65-72-67-69=273) 1 stroke   Tom Watson

European Tour wins (10)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 30 Jul 1972 Swiss Open −14 (67-67-66-70=270) 1 stroke   Tony Jacklin
2 6 Aug 1972 German Open −13 (70-70-67-64=271) 4 strokes   Brian Huggett
3 30 Jun 1973 Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open −2 (72-69-68-77=286) 6 strokes   Peter Oosterhuis
4 25 Sep 1976 Benson & Hedges International Open −12 (67-66-71-68=272) 2 strokes   Mark James
5 29 Jul 1979 Dutch Open −3 (71-70-74-70=285) 1 stroke   Antonio Garrido,   Malcolm Gregson
6 6 Oct 1979 Dunlop Masters −5 (70-68-72-73=283) 1 stroke   Isao Aoki,   Neil Coles
7 10 Aug 1980 Benson & Hedges International Open (2) −16 (65-64-73-70=272) 2 strokes   John Bland
8 6 Sep 1981 Dixcel Tissues European Open −13 (67-72-68-68=275) 2 strokes   Seve Ballesteros
9 13 Jul 1985 Lawrence Batley International Golf Classic −5 (69-71-70-73=283) 2 strokes   Rick Hartmann
10 28 Jul 1985 KLM Dutch Open (2) −6 (68-68-73-73=282) 1 stroke   Bernhard Langer

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1975 Scandinavian Enterprise Open   George Burns Lost to par on first extra hole

Other European wins (3)

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PGA of Japan Tour wins (20)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 12 Aug 1973 Fujisankei Classic −16 (68-66-70-68=272) 1 stroke   Tōru Nakamura
2 12 May 1974 Fujisankei Classic (2) −12 (71-67-71-67=276) 1 stroke   Tōru Nakamura
3 19 May 1974 Dunlop Tournament −12 (68-67-68-69=276) 3 strokes   Masashi Ozaki,   Teruo Sugihara
4 26 May 1974 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament −4 (71-74-72-67=284) Playoff   Hsieh Yung-yo
5 3 Nov 1974 Bridgestone Tournament −10 (67-75-67-69=278) 1 stroke   Seiichi Numazawa
6 15 Jun 1975 Sapporo Tokyu Open −8 (71-71-71-67=280) 1 stroke   Hsieh Yung-yo,   Shozo Miyamoto
7 29 Aug 1976 KBC Augusta −9 (69-69-69=207)* Playoff   Haruo Yasuda
8 12 Sep 1976 Suntory Open −15 (66-68-66-73=273) 3 strokes   Isao Aoki
9 28 Nov 1976 Dunlop Phoenix Tournament −16 (66-69-65-72=272) 6 strokes   Miller Barber
10 1 May 1977 Chunichi Crowns E (71-73-70-66=280) 4 strokes   Kenji Mori
11 2 Sep 1979 ANA Sapporo Open −4 (71-73-68-72=284) 2 strokes   Kikuo Arai
12 3 May 1981 Chunichi Crowns (2) −3 (73-72-65-67=277) 2 strokes   D. A. Weibring
13 21 Jun 1981 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament (2) −18 (70-68-66-66=270) 1 stroke   Yutaka Hagawa
14 30 May 1982 Mitsubishi Galant Tournament (2) −13 (66-69-69-67=271) Playoff   Teruo Sugihara
15 19 Jun 1983 Yomiuri Open −12 (72-71-67-70=280) Playoff   Tōru Nakamura
16 6 Oct 1985 Tokai Classic −10 (70-71-68-69=278) 1 stroke   Isao Aoki
17 14 Sep 1986 Suntory Open (2) −13 (67-69-67-72=275) Playoff   Isao Aoki
18 15 Nov 1987 Visa Taiheiyo Club Masters −12 (70-69-71-66=276) 1 stroke   Tom Watson
19 11 Jun 1989 Sapporo Tokyu Open (2) −6 (71-65-76-70=282) 3 strokes   Katsuji Hasegawa,   Tsuneyuki Nakajima
20 30 Sep 1990 Tokai Classic (2) −10 (70-72-64=206)* 2 strokes   Saburo Fujiki,   Tadami Ueno

*Note: Tournament shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (5–5)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1973 World Friendship   Isao Aoki,   Lu Liang-Huan Lu won with birdie on first extra hole
2 1974 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament   Hsieh Yung-yo Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
3 1976 Pepsi-Wilson Tournament   Brian Jones,   Shozo Miyamoto,
  Peter Thomson 		Thomson won with par on fourteenth extra hole
Jones eliminated by par on fourth hole
Miyamoto eliminated by par on first hole
4 1976 KBC Augusta   Haruo Yasuda Won with birdie on first extra hole
5 1978 Japan Open Golf Championship   Seve Ballesteros Lost to birdie on first extra hole
6 1982 Fujisankei Classic   Tsuneyuki Nakajima Lost to par on first extra hole
7 1982 Mitsubishi Galant Tournament   Teruo Sugihara Won with par on first extra hole
8 1983 Pocari-Sweat Hakuryuko Open   Saburo Fujiki,   Shinsaku Maeda,
  Hiroshi Makino 		Makino won with birdie on second extra hole after three-hole aggregate playoff;
Fujiki: −1 (3-4-4=11),
Makino: −1 (3-4-4=11),
Marsh: +1 (3-5-5=13),
Maeda: +2 (4-5-5=14)
9 1983 Yomiuri Open   Tōru Nakamura Won with birdie on third extra hole
10 1986 Suntory Open   Isao Aoki Won with par on first extra hole

Other Japan wins (5)

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Asia Golf Circuit wins (5)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 21 Mar 1971 Indian Open −17 (66-66-74-69=275) 1 stroke   David Graham
2 25 Mar 1973 Indian Open (2) −12 (71-73-68-68=280) 3 strokes   Stewart Ginn
3 1 Apr 1973 Thailand Open −2 (75-73-66-72=286) 2 strokes   Ben Arda,   Mitsutaka Kono
4 10 Mar 1974 Malaysian Open −10 (69-70-69-70=278) 1 stroke   Wally Kuchar
5 9 Mar 1975 Malaysian Open (2) −12 (66-69-71-70=276) 2 strokes   Hsieh Min-Nan

Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (0–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1974 Hong Kong Open   Lu Liang-Huan Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 1974 Indonesia Open   Ben Arda,   Hsu Chi-san Arda won with par on sixth extra hole
Hsu eliminated by par on first hole

Other Asian wins (1)

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  • 1976 Dunhill International Match-Play (Hong Kong)[9][10]

PGA Tour of Australia wins (7)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 9 Apr 1978 Western Australia PGA Championship −8 (71-70-69-70=280) 7 strokes   Graham Johnson
2 24 Jan 1982 Ford Dealers South Australian Open −13 (71-67-67-70=275) 8 strokes   Bill Dunk
3 21 Feb 1982 Australian Masters −3 (71-72-71-75=289) 1 stroke   Stewart Ginn
4 17 Oct 1982 Dunhill Queensland Open −3 (73-69-70-73=285) Playoff   Wayne Grady
5 7 Nov 1982 Mayne Nickless Australian PGA Championship −6 (71-69-70-72=282) 3 strokes   John Clifford,   Ben Crenshaw,
  Bob Shearer
6 30 Oct 1983 Resch's Pilsner Tweed Classic −12 (69-70-70-67=276) 1 stroke   Terry Gale
7 11 Dec 1983 New Zealand PGA Championship −11 (70-72-68-67=277) 2 strokes   Vaughan Somers

PGA Tour of Australia playoff record (1–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 1976 Victorian Open   Guy Wolstenholme Lost to birdie on third extra hole
2 1982 Dunhill Queensland Open   Wayne Grady Won with par on first extra hole

Other Australian wins (6)

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New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (2)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner-up
1 19 Dec 1970 Wattie's Tournament −18 (65-65-62-70=262) 3 strokes   Kel Nagle
2 3 Jan 1971 Spalding Masters −14 (67-67-66-66=266) 2 strokes   Guy Wolstenholme

Champions Tour wins (6)

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Legend
Champions Tour major championships (2)
Other Champions Tour (4)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 4 Jun 1995 Bruno's Memorial Classic −15 (68-63-70=201) 5 strokes   J. C. Snead
2 5 May 1996 PaineWebber Invitational −10 (66-71-69=206) 1 stroke   Brian Barnes,   Tom Wargo
3 1 Sep 1996 Franklin Quest Championship −14 (70-65-67=202) 2 strokes   Kermit Zarley
4 22 Jun 1997 Nationwide Championship −18 (67-68-70=205) 1 stroke   Hale Irwin
5 29 Jun 1997 U.S. Senior Open −8 (72-67-67-74=280) 1 stroke   John Bland
6 4 Apr 1999 The Tradition −8 (69-67=136)* 3 strokes   Larry Nelson

*Note: The 1999 Tradition was shortened to 36 holes due to snow.

Champions Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2004 MasterCard Classic   Ed Fiori Lost to par on third extra hole

Other senior wins (4)

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Results in major championships

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Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament T31 T22 T9 T31 T28
U.S. Open T35 CUT T16
The Open Championship T25 57 T50 T31 T44 6 T17 T15 CUT T7
PGA Championship T58 T7 T16
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T33
U.S. Open
The Open Championship T45 T19 T25 4 T9 T20 T56 T11 T38
PGA Championship
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship T44
PGA Championship
  Top 10
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

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Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 1 2 6 6
U.S. Open 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 2
The Open Championship 0 0 0 1 4 11 20 19
PGA Championship 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 3
Totals 0 0 0 1 6 16 33 30
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (1978 PGA – 1991 Open Championship)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

Champions Tour major championships

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Wins (2)

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Year Championship Winning Score Margin Runner-up
1997 U.S. Senior Open E (72-67-67-74=280) 1 stroke   John Bland
1999 The Tradition −8 (69-67=136) 3 strokes   Larry Nelson

Team appearances

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Marsh the 'Danger Man'". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  2. ^ Thomson, Peter (27 May 1968). "'Quiet' End to SA Open". The Age. Melbourne. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Two tie in NZ". The Age. Melbourne. 23 November 1970. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Graham Marsh 1st". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 April 1972. p. 13. Retrieved 20 February 2020 – via Trove.
  5. ^ "Marsh Best in Asian Golf Circuit". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 21 December 1973. p. 14. Retrieved 20 February 2020 – via Trove.
  6. ^ "Marsh calls historic feat 'freaky'". ESPN. Associated Press. 24 July 2004. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Awards, Rookies of the Year – Men Pros". Golf Digest. February 1978. p. 135.
  8. ^ "Marsh victor for the 3rd time". Pacific Stars And Stripes. 10 May 1977.
  9. ^ "Golf win for Marsh". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 1 June 1976. p. 20. Retrieved 19 February 2020 – via Trove.
  10. ^ "Marsh wins". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 June 1976. p. 12.
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