VANCOUVER CITY MATCH PLAY TURNS 70 IN 2016.
The City Match Play conceived by Stan Leonard, Fred Wood, Ernie Brown and Jock McKinnon has basically been played as an individual competition and a team competition throughout the seventy years. The event may be a one of a kind for competitions in North America. The competition has four distinguishing characteristics:
- It is the last surviving match play event in BC
- As a team competition it is a best ball score format
- It gives amateurs the opportunity to play against professionals
- The competition is stretched over six weekends.
1946 Fred Wood
Frank McElroy, Walt McElroy’s father, donated the McElroy Trophy
McElroy Trophy
Province Match Play
1948 Stan Leonard
1949 Stan Leonard
1950 Stan Leonard
1951 Hugh Morrison
1952 Hugh Morrison
1953 Stan Leonard
1954 Stan Leonard
1955 Bill Mawhinney
1956 Bert Ticehurst
1957 Bill Thompson
The Vancouver Province dropped their sponsorship
City Match Play Open
1958 Lyle Crawford
1959 John Johnston
1960 Lyle Crawford
1961 Bob Cox Jr
1962 Bert Ticehurst
1963 Lyle Crawford
Dueck Match Play
1964 Lyle Crawford
1965 Don Gardner
The Vancouver Sun newspaper commenced a fourteen year relationship with the event.The McElroy Trophy was retired and replaced by the Sun Match Play Open Trophy.
Vancouver Sun Match Play trophy
Sun Match Play Open
1966 John Russell
1967 Bob Cox Jr.
1968 Dick Munn
1969 Bob Cox Jr.
1970 Dick Munn
The Sun Match Play Open trophy was retired and replaced by the Bill Thompson Trophy
1971 Ron Willey
1972 Doug Reid
1973 Gord Fairburn/Tom Moryson
Bill Thompson Trophy
1974 Gord Fairburn/Tom Moryson
1975 Bob Mitchell/Al Kennedy
1976 Dave Mick/Jack Frank
1977 Bob Cox/Dave Barr
1978 Bob Cox/Tom Whittle
1979 Doug Roxburgh/Steve Berry
BCPGA Team Match Play Open
1980 Brian Wells
1981 Doug Roxburgh
BCPGA Steel Bros Match Play Open for the Steel Bros Shield
1982 Bob Cox
1983 Brent Franklin
1984 Sandy Harper
Bill Thompson Trophy
1985 Cec Ferguson/Muncie Booth
BCPGA Team Match Play Open
1986 Bob Cox//John Morgan
1987 Doug Roxburgh/Don Griffiths
1988 Doug Roxburgh/Don Griffiths
1989 Kelly Murray/Stan Dixon
1990 Keir Smith/Ray Henry
1991 Scott Minni/Garrett Deck
The BC PGA ceased operating the City Match Play Team Championship. Bill Wilms, the founder of the very successful Auto West Amateur Golf Tour, assumed the operation of the City Match Play event.
Mitsushiba BCPGA Team Match Play
1992 Ward Stouffer/Lanny Sawchuk
Speedy Auto Glass Team Match Play
1993 Daryl Stubbs/Chris Hairell
1994 Brian Wells /Casey Wells
1995 John Aasen/Murray Poje
1996 Scott Minni/Garret Deck
1997 Jeff Kraemer/Dave Kraemer
BC Team Match Play Open
1998 Dan Douet/Brad Olding
1999 Doug Morgan /David Jukes
Remax BCPGA Team Match Play Open
2000 Marty Scoles/Kris Yardley
2001 Bryn Perry/John Robertson
2002 Dan Norton/Shingo Akizuki
2003 Fraser Mulholland/ Andrew Smeeth
2004 Phil Jonas/James Harper
2005 Matt Palsenbarg/ John Shin
Riverside BCPGA Team Match Play Open
2006 James Allenby/Josh Taylor
BC Match Play Open
2007 Dan Swanson/ Richard Kellington
2008 Matt Palsemberg/John Shin
In 2009 Fraser Mulholland incorporated the BC Team Match Play competition into his Vancouver Golf Tour. He has maintained the team concept with a qualifying event plus four weeks on match play competition to produce the winning team. The same four characteristics of the event have been preserved.
Canada Bread BC Match Play
2009 Mark Burke/Mewail Kidane
2010 Kevin Hogg/ Dave Zibrik
2011 Kevin Stinson/ Josh Taylor
2012 Matt Daniel/ Matt Makinson
2013 Matt Daniel/ Matt Makinson
2014 Jared Rempel/ Ryan Williams
2015 Thomas Hay/ Jeremy Paradis
Good luck to all competitors in the 2106 event. The finals are set for April 17th, 2016 at Shaughnessy G&CC. Thanks to Fraser’s diligent work the tournament offers a total purse of $17,500 with $5,000 going to the winning team.
The BC Golf Museum is searching for the: original McElroy Trophy, the Vancouver Sun trophy and the Bill Thompson Trophy.