2019 Nexus Risk WA Open at Cottesloe GC – We Look Back At WA Open History
With: Phil Ryan of Cottesloe Golf Club
The WA Open Golf Championship – a look back over the history of the tournament
Cottesloe Golf Club will proudly host the 2019 Nexus Risk WA Open over four rounds from Thursday 17 October to Sunday 20 October.
Tournament Quick Links: GolfWA Tournament page
GolfWA.org.au
PGA Australia Tournament page
The GolfWA honour board below of the 94 championships conducted since 1913 is a list of great names and great stories.
WA Open Championship - A look at the history 1913-2018
We take a look back at some of the rich history of the championship first conducted in 1913 and the 2019 Nexus Risk WA Open will be the 95th WA Open Championship and mark the 10th hosting by Cottesloe Golf Club.
Our thanks to Cottesloe Golf Club Life member and Club Archivist Kay Briggs who has compiled a table with detailed scores of all WA Open Champions, Runners-Up and Leading Amateurs in the 94 WA Opens conducted since 1913.That detailed list can be accessed here:
WA Open History Scores and Venues
In the 94 championships conducted since 1913, we have seen 20 amateur players win 29 WA Open titles and four winners in Kel Nagle, Gary Player, Ian Baker-Finch and Greg Norman went on to win a golf major.
A brief history of the WA Open Champions to also win a major can be read here on GolfWA Tournament page:
CLICK HERE: WA Open a History of making major champions
The WA Open winner is awarded the Roy Paxton Bowl and the leading amateur The Terry Gale Cup.
As the following table shows, Terry Gale with six wins is, jointly with Stephen Leaney, the leading multiple winner of the championship.
Terry was WA Open Champion twice as an amateur and four times as a professional. He was also runner-up twice as an amateur and twice as a professional and also the leading amateur four times, with him honoured to present his own trophy to leading amateur winners in the modern era. Stephen Leaney won as an amateur in 1991 and five times as a professional, the latest in 2017 at RPGC. Stephen was also runner-up as an amateur and also leading amateur four times.
Cottesloe Golf Club will host the WA Open for the tenth time from October 17-20. Since Cottesloe last hosted in 2009 the WA Open has rotated between five clubs in Cottesloe Golf Club, Western Australian Golf Club, Royal Fremantle Golf Club, Royal Perth Golf Club and Mount Lawley Golf Club however the WA Open has seen various host venues in the 94 events played. Royal Fremantle lead the list with 20 costings to date.
A brief 6-page history of the WA Open Championship by Phil Ryan Cottesloe Golf Club can be read here:
A Brief History of WA Open Golf Championship
|
Host Clubs of the WA Open |
|
|
Fremantle/Royal Fremantle GC |
20 |
|
Lake Karrinyup CC |
16 |
|
Perth/Royal Perth GC |
14 |
|
Mount Lawley GC |
11 |
|
Western Australian GC |
9 |
|
Cottesloe GC |
9 |
|
Meadow Springs CC |
7 |
|
Nedlands GC |
5 |
|
Joondalup CC |
1 |
|
Melville Glades GC |
1 |
|
Gosnells GC |
1 |
|
Total |
94 |
|
Multiple winners of the WA Open |
||
|
Terry Gale |
6 |
1972, 75, 80, 82, 83, 90 |
|
Stephen Leaney |
6 |
1991, 94, 97, 2002, 04, 17 |
|
Eddie Cassidy |
5 |
1923, 24, 25, 26, 27 |
|
Tom Cassidy |
4 |
1928, 29, 33, 36 |
|
Kel Nagle |
3 |
1950, 51, 52 |
|
Len Thomas |
3 |
1959, 64, 65 |
|
Dennis Bell |
3 |
1961, 63, 66 |
|
Kim Felton |
3 |
2001, 03, 06 |
|
Dan Cullen |
2 |
1937, 38 |
|
Bill McPherson |
2 |
1957, 58 |
|
Graham Marsh |
2 |
1968, 76 |
|
Ross Metherell |
2 |
1974, 89 |
|
Brad King |
2 |
1996, 99 |
Cottesloe Golf Club last hosted the WA Open in 2014 where New Zealander Ryan Fox won by six shots with an impressive 23-under par 265 (64, 66, 68, 67).
Winners of WA Opens conducted at Cottesloe Golf Club over history follow:
|
WA Open Championships Hosted By Cottesloe Golf Club |
|||||
|
Year |
WA Open Winner |
Score |
Runner-up |
Leading Amateur |
Score |
|
1947 |
Les Nicholls WA |
304 (76, 71, 77, 80) |
Charles Jackson WA 310 |
Keith Pix (RFGC) |
314 |
|
1953 |
Kelly Rogers (CGC) |
282 (67, 71, 70, 74) |
Brian Crafter WA 292 |
Kelly Rogers (CGC) |
282 |
|
1962 |
Trevor Osborn WA |
295 (70, 74, 76, 75) |
Brian Grey (CGC) 295 |
Brian Grey (CGC) |
295 |
|
1966 |
Dennis Bell (RFGC) |
279 (72, 70, 67, 70) |
Graham Marsh (CGC) & Harold Digney (RPGC) 285 |
Dennis Bell (RFGC) |
279 |
|
1971 |
John Muller (WAGC) |
295 (74, 77, 72, 72) |
John Ewing (MLGC) & Len Thomas WA 297 |
John Muller (WAGC) |
295 |
|
2007 |
Simon Pope SA |
142 (71, 71) |
Michael Foster (HCC) & Brady Watt (RPGC) 143 |
Michael Foster (HCC) & Brady Watt (RPGC) |
143 |
|
2008 |
James Nitties NSW |
135 (67, 68) |
Michael Dennis (RPGC) 137 |
Michael Dennis (RPGC) |
137 |
|
2009 |
Michael Curtain VIC |
272 (71, 68, 66, 67) |
Kim Felton WA 276 |
Brady Watt (RPGC) & Matt Jager (MGGC) |
281 |
|
2014 |
Ryan Fox NZ |
265 (64, 66, 68, 67) |
Stephen Dartnall WA 271 |
Todd Sinnot (Metropolitan GC) |
275 |
2019 Nexus Risk WA Open – We salute WA Open naming rights sponsor Nexus Risk Services
The 2019 Nexus Risk WA Open will see professionals compete for a purse of $100,000 with the naming rights sponsor Nexus Risk Services, continuing the company’s strong support of the game of golf in Western Australia.
Nexus Risk Services has been a naming rights sponsor of the WA Open since 2010.
Greg Norrish, Development Manager of Nexus Risk Services is a proud Cottesloe Golf Club member since joining in 1988 and was previously a Club Captain and keen Bunbury Golf Club member. Greg served as a Committee and Board member at Cottesloe Golf Club from 2003-2012 and also served on the Board of GolfWA from 2011-2014. Greg is pictured below presenting the Roy Paxton Bowl at Cottesloe to the 2014 WA Open Champion Ryan Fox and he and Nexus Managing Director Mark Patterson will be on hand again Sunday 20 October to present the winner on the eighteenth green immediately after completion of the tournament.
Greg Norrish said:
“Nexus Risk Services is delighted to continue our 10 year sponsorship of the WA Open and I am particularly delighted to see my home club of Cottesloe conduct the championship for the 10thtime in our history. Our beautiful course is in great shape and it will be interesting to see if the field can match the great 23-under 265 shot by Ryan Fox when he was a six-shot winner of the 2014 WA Open at our course.”
Nexus Risk Services have expertise in a diverse range of industries, the brokers at Nexus provide insurance and risk management strategies to clients who value quality advice and personal service. Nexus Golf Insurance is a part of the Nexus Risk group and brings specialist Golf Industry knowledge to that space. Company websites can be accessed below:
Come out and watch first class golf at Cottesloe Golf Club, Alfred Road Swanbourne Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 October.
Entrance is free and full use of club facilities available.