The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the British newspaper the News of the World, and was commonly known by the paper's name. Initially organised as the championship of British professionals, the event came to include invited players from other countries - in particular from around the Commonwealth (it was won on four occasions by Australia's Peter Thomson, a record number of victories shared with Dai Rees and James Braid). On occasion, American professionals also took part, notably in 1949 when the eight members of the victorious U.S. Ryder Cup side accepted invites to the event, Lloyd Mangrum reaching the semi-finals.

For many years, the event boasted the richest prize fund in British golf, and certainly in the pre-First World War era, can be considered to have been a "major" championship of its day, as at the time, the British professionals were considered the best players in the world - in 1907 the four semi-finalists were The Great Triumvirate of Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor and James Braid, along with Ted Ray, who would go on to win both the British and U.S. Opens. After World War Two, the event provided several notable British and Irish players, like Christy O'Connor Snr, Eric Brown and Dave Thomas, with their greatest triumphs, and also became a showcase for the matchplay strength of Neil Coles, who was a semi-finalist eleven times, a remarkable achievement considering the field normally comprised 64 and on occasion 128 players. The tournament was also often notable for remarkable runs to the later stages by veteran players - Max Faulkner was a semi-finalist in 1967 aged 51 and reached the quarter-finals three years later, and in 1969 Dai Rees reached the final aged 56. However, following the establishment of the British PGA Championship (at stroke play) in 1955, the matchplay version lost some of its importance, and the matchplay format fell out of favour with sponsors, who could not guarantee that the final day would feature any "big-name" players to attract a television audience, nor either that the matches would finish at times to coincide with limited scheduled slots for live transmission. The tournament remained an official money event on the European Tour from its first season in 1972, but after 1979 it was discontinued. The last champion was Irishman Des Smyth, who beat a youthful Nick Price in the final.

Winners

Year	Champion	Runner-Up	Semi-finalists	Venue
Sun Alliance European Match Play Championship
1979	Des Smyth	Nick Price	Antonio Garrido, Carl Mason	Fulford
Sun Alliance Match Play Championship
1978	Mark James	Neil Coles	Sam Torrance, Manuel Piñero	Dalmahoy
1977	Hugh Baiocchi	Brian Huggett	Neil Coles, Christy O'Connor Jnr	Stoke Poges
1976	Brian Barnes	Craig DeFoy	John O'Leary, Simon Hobday	King's Norton
1975	Eddie Polland	Peter Butler	Dale Hayes, Ronnie Shade	Lindrick
Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship
1974	Jack Newton	Cesar Sanudo	Neil Coles, David Jagger	Downfield
1973	Neil Coles	Doug McClelland	Peter Wilcock, Hedley Muscroft	Hillside
1972	John Garner	Neil Coles	Ronnie Shade, Dave Stockton	Moor Park
1971	No tournament
Long John Scotch Whisky Match Play Championship
1970	Tommy Horton	Ronnie Shade	RT Walker, R Bernardini	Moor Park
News of the World Match Play
1969	Maurice Bembridge	Dai Rees	Brian Huggett, D Talbot	Walton Heath
1968	Brian Huggett	John Panton	Neil Coles, J Martin	Walton Heath
1967	Peter Thomson	Dai Rees	Max Faulkner, Neil Coles	Walton Heath
1966	Peter Thomson	Neil Coles	A King, Peter Alliss	Walton Heath
1965	Neil Coles	L Platts	C Greene, Tony Jacklin	Walton Heath
1964	Neil Coles	Peter Butler	Max Faulkner, Hedley Muscroft	Walton Heath
1963	Dave Thomas	J Macdonald	G Will, I Wright	Turnberry
1962	Eric Brown	E Whitehead	Dave Thomas, TA Fisher	Walton Heath
1961	Peter Thomson	RL Moffitt	Neil Coles, BJ Hunt	Walton Heath
1960	Eric Brown	Harry Weetman	TB Haliburton, Dave Thomas	Turnberry
1959	David Snell	Harry Weetman	N Sutton, Dave Thomas	Birkdale
1958	Harry Weetman	Bernard Hunt	Christy O'Connor Snr, AM Fox	Walton Heath
1957	Christy O'Connor Snr	TB Haliburton	Harry Bradshaw, Eric Brown	Turnberry
1956	John Panton	Harry Weetman	Ken Bousfield, RP Mills	Hoylake
1955	Ken Bousfield	Eric Brown	A Lees, Frank Jowle	Walton Heath
1954	Peter Thomson	John Fallon	Frank Jowle, Norman Sutton	St. Andrew's
1953	Max Faulkner	Dai Rees	John Jacobs, Fred Daly	Ganton
1952	Fred Daly	Flory Van Donck	John Panton, G Johnson	Walton Heath
1951	Harry Weetman	J Adams	AS Waters, SL King	Hoylake
1950	Dai Rees	Frank Jowle	Ken Bousfield, Henry Cotton	Carnoustie
1949	Dai Rees	Henry Cotton	SL King, Lloyd Mangrum	Walton Heath
1948	Fred Daly	L Ayton	SL King, Charlie Ward	Birkdale
1947	Fred Daly	Flory Van Donck	Charlie Ward, Henry Cotton	Lytham St. Annes
1946	Henry Cotton	J Adams	Bobby Locke, Richard Burton	Hoylake
1945	Reg Horne	Percy Alliss	RA Knight, TE Odams	Walton Heath
1941-44	No tournament due to World War II
1940	Henry Cotton	Alf Padgham	R French, Arthur Lacey	Mid-Surrey
1939	No tournament
1938	Dai Rees	Eddie Whitcombe	Arthur Havers, L Ayton	Walton Heath
1937	Percy Alliss	J Adams	D Curtis, Charles Whitcombe	Stoke Poges
1936	Dai Rees	Ernest Whitcombe	Percy Alliss, JJ Taylor	Oxhey
1935	Alf Padgham	Percy Alliss	Richard Burton, Reg Whitcombe	Mid-Surrey
1934	JJ Busson	Charles Whitcombe	A Chevalier, Reg Whitcombe	Walton Heath
1933	Percy Alliss	M Seymour	Ernest Whitcombe, Archie Compston	Purley
1932	Henry Cotton	A Perry	Arthur Lacey, JH Jolly	Moor Park
1931	Alf Padgham	M Seymour	CH Ward, CW Thomson	Mid-Surrey
1930	Charles Whitcombe	Henry Cotton	Abe Mitchell, Syd Easterbrook	Oxhey
1929	Abe Mitchell	P Rodgers	Archie Compston, A Beck	Wentworth
1928	Charles Whitcombe	Henry Cotton	JJ Taylor, HC Jolly	Stoke Poges
1927	Archie Compston	James Braid	T Williamson, Ernest Whitcombe	Walton Heath
1926	Sandy Herd	J Bloxham	RG Wilson, WH Ball	Mid-Surrey
1925	Archie Compston	George Gadd	George Duncan, L Holland	Moor Park
1924	Ernest Whitcombe	George Gadd	Sandy Herd, T Barber	St.George's
1923	RG Wilson	T Renouf	Abe Mitchell, T Williamson	Walton Heath
1922	George Gadd	Fred Leach	Ernest Whitcombe, C Johns	Sunningdale
1921	B Seymour	J Gaudin	Ted Ray, C Wingate	Oxhey
1920	Abe Mitchell	Josh Taylor	B Seymour, L Holland	Mid-Surrey
1919	Abe Mitchell	George Duncan	Peter Rainford, Fred Robson	Walton Heath
1914-18	No tournament due to World War I
1913	George Duncan	James Braid	RG Wilson, Willie Watt	Walton Heath
1912	Harry Vardon	Ted Ray	RG Wilson, Harry Cawsey	Sunningdale
1911	James Braid	Ted Ray	Tom Williamson, Harry Vardon	Walton Heath
1910	James Sherlock	George Duncan	E Bannister, C Hughes	Sunningdale
1909	Tom Ball	Sandy Herd	Harry Vardon, James Hepburn	Walton Heath
1908	J.H. Taylor	Fred Robson	C Mayo, James Sherlock	Mid-Surrey
1907	James Braid	J.H. Taylor	Ted Ray, Harry Vardon	Sunningdale
1906	Sandy Herd	C Mayo	George Duncan, R Jones	Hollinwell
1905	James Braid	T Vardon	R Jones, A Mitchell	Walton Heath
1904	J.H. Taylor	A Toogood	J Hepburn, Sandy Herd	Mid-Surrey
1903	James Braid	Ted Ray	J.H. Taylor, G Coburn	Sunningdale

See also

• HSBC World Match Play Championship - another matchplay championship played in the United Kingdom, which has been an official money event on the European Tour since 2004.