Wills Classic
Tournament information
LocationAustralia
New Zealand
Established1960
Final year1964
Final champion
Ted Ball

The Wills Classic was a series of golf tournaments held in Australia and New Zealand from 1960 to 1964. The first event in 1960 was contested by four players over nine different courses between 17 September and 2 October; the winner determined by the aggregate score. Total prize money was A£5,100. The players were Stan Leonard, Gary Player, Mike Souchak and Peter Thomson. In 1961 the event became a 72-hole tournament with prize money of A£3,000. From 1963 the Australian tournament was replaced by the Wills Masters and the Classic event was moved to New Zealand. The New Zealand tournaments were part of the New Zealand golf circuit and had prize money of NZ£2,000. The sponsor was W.D. & H.O. Wills, a cigarette manufacturer.

Winners

YearWinnerVenueScoreMargin
of victory		Runner(s)-upWinner's
share		Ref
1960Australia Peter ThomsonVarious[1]6333 strokesSouth Africa Gary PlayerA£1,800[2][3]
1961South Africa Gary PlayerThe Lakes Golf Club2863 strokesAustralia Eric CreminA£800[4]
1962Australia Bruce DevlinThe Australian Golf Club2816 strokesAustralia Ted BallA£800[5]
1963Australia Bruce DevlinRussley Golf Club2874 strokesAustralia Ted Ball
Australia Kel Nagle		[6]
1964Australia Ted BallWellington Golf Club2665 strokesNew Zealand Barry Coxon
Australia Bob Tuohy		NZ£400[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Hard hitting Mike for golf classic". The Cumberland Argus. 22 June 1960. p. 23.
  2. ↑ "Souchak leads in tourney". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 September 1960. p. 19.
  3. ↑ "Marathon golf to Thomson". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 October 1960. p. 19.
  4. ↑ "Player's triumph - Tragic shot fatal for Cremin". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 October 1961. p. 48.
  5. ↑ "Devlin in easy go - Six-stroke margin from Ball". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 October 1962. p. 67.
  6. ↑ "Win to Devlin in N.Z." The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 September 1963. p. 67.
  7. ↑ "Ball takes five stroke win in Wills Classic". The Canberra Times. Vol. 39, no. 11, 027. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 14 December 1964. p. 18. Retrieved 22 April 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
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