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You are here: Heritage > Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

England's Golf Coast Hall of Fame

The Home of Legends

Bobby Jones - USA

  • Born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 17th 1902
  • He was a lawyer by profession and competed as an amateur for the whole of his golf career
  • Jones founded Augusta National Golf Club and co-founded The Masters, the first major of the year, which the club has hosted since 1934.
  • Winner of 13 majors, including 3 Open Championships
  • First person to win the US Open and British Open in the same year when he won The Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1926
  • In 1930 he completed what was then considered the grand slam, winning the British Open, British Amateur, US Open and US Amateur all in the same year. Jones retired from competetive golf shortly after, aged only 28.
  • Before his 1930 Open Championship victory at Royal Liverpool Jones had to pre-qualify at Wallasey Golf Club. After winning The Open, the club commissioned the artist J.A.A. Berrie, a Wallasey member, to paint a portrait of Jones. Jones was so delighted with the portrait that he signed it, the only time that he ever did so. This painting still hangs in the Wallasey clubhouse. Jones commissioned Berrie to paint a replica which now hangs in the Augusta National Clubhouse.

Peter Thompson - Australia

  • Born in Brunswick, Australia on 23rd August 1929
  • Winner of 5 Open Championships,
  • Winner of 3 Open’s in a row from 1954 - 1956
  • 4 of his 5 Open victories came at England’s Golf Coast venues, winning at Royal Birkdale in 1954 and 1965, Royal Liverpool in 1956 and Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1958.

Arnold Palmer - USA

  • Born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania on September 10th 1929
  • Winner of 7 majors, including 2 Open Championships
  • Won The Open in consecutive years in 1961 and 1962, including victory at Royal Birkdale in 1961.
  • Nicknamed ‘The King’ due to his enormous popularity. His followers were dubbed ‘Arnie’s Army’

Gary Player - South Africa

  • Born in Johannesburg, South Africa on 1st November 1935
  • Winner of 9 majors, including 3 Open Championships
  • Winner of 1974 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes
  • One of only 5 men to have achieved the career grand slam    by winning all 4 major championships
  • Nicknamed ‘the black knight’ as he would often wear all black when competing.

Tom Watson - USA

  • Born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 4th 1949
  • Winner of 8 Majors, including 5 Open Championships
  • Winner of the 1983 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale
  • Still active as a player, Watson lost in a playoff for the 2009 Open Championship, just 2 months shy of his 60th birthday.
  • Tom Watson will captain the US Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles in 2014.

Seve Ballesteros - Spain

  • Born in Pedrena, Spain on 9th April 1957
  • Winner of 5 majors, including 3 Open Championships
  • Winner of 1979 and 1988 Open Championships, both held at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
  • Winner of 1979 and 1988 Open Championships, both held at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
  • Seve became affectionately known as the “car park champion” during the 1979 Open, where on the 16th hole in the final round he drove in to a temporary car park to the right of the fairway but still went on to record a birdie on his way to victory.

Tiger Woods - USA

  • Born in Cypress, California 1975 on December 30th 1975
  • Winner of 14 majors, including 3 Open Championships
  • Winner of 2006 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool
  • One of only 5 men to have achieved the career grand slam by winning all 4 major championships
  • After winning the 2001 Masters tournament became the first man to hold all four majors at the same time.