Max Faulkner

Herbert Gustavus Max Faulkner, OBE (29 July 1916 – 26 February 2005) was an English professional golfer who won the Open Championship in 1951.<ref name=odnb>Template:Cite ODNB</ref>

Early life

Faulkner was born on 29 July 1916 in Bexhill-on-Sea, the son of Gus (1893–1976), a professional golfer who had been assistant to James Braid before World War I.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=dtobit/> After the war his father took a position at Pennard Golf Club on the Gower Peninsula in south Wales where he stayed until 1925. His father was briefly at a golf facility in Regent's Park but in 1927 became the professional at Bramley Golf Club, just south of Guildford, where he remained until 1945.<ref name=odnb/> Faulkner was outstanding at a number of sports but golf was his main interest.<ref name=dtobit/> After leaving school he became an assistant to his father at Bramley.<ref name=odnb/>

Faulkner was the eldest of three boys. His younger brother, Frank (1919–1941), who was also an assistant to his father, was killed in a road traffic accident near Cambridge, while serving as a corporal in the Army, aged 21.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Pre-war golf career

Faulkner showed considerable talent when very young. He entered the first Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament in September 1933, just two months after his 17th birthday. The event had prize money of £750, more than the Open Championship, and attracted 206 entries. There was a 36-hole qualifying contest on the first day, after which the leading 64 played match-play. Faulkner finished the stroke-play in a tie for 16th place.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The following day, despite suffering from a muscle problem in his back, he won his two matches, before losing the following day at the last-16 stage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Faulkner played with his father in the 1934 Sunningdale Foursomes, where they reached the semi-final before losing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The second Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament was played in late May 1934. Faulkner again qualified for the match-play stage but lost his first match.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Still aged 17, he entered the 1934 Open Championship at Royal St George's. He had two rounds of 76 to qualify for the main event.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the championship he had two rounds of 78 and missed the cut.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September he qualified for the final stage of the News of the World Match Play, winning his first match and losing at the last-32 stage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1935 was a less successful season for Faulkner. The Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament became a stroke play event with sectional qualifying. Faulkner qualified well, finishing 4th in the strong Southern Section but missed the cut in the main tournament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 1936 started poorly with Faulkner failing to qualify for the final stages of the Daily Mail Tournament. In April he moved from Bramley and took a position at Sonning Golf Club, east of Reading, Berkshire where Arthur Young was the professional. Faulkner was to be playing assistant and able to compete in all the leading tournaments.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Faulkner entered the 1936 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. He just qualified with a score of 155 for the two qualifying rounds. Four steady rounds left him tied for 21st place in the championship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the end of July he had his best finish in an important tournament, the Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament, despite starting with a 77. A final round course-record 66 lifted him into a tie for 3rd place.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September he qualified for the final stage of the News of the World Match Play where he won two matches before losing to Percy Alliss at the last-16 stage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Faulkner was joint leader at the halfway stage of the 1937 Daily Mail Tournament but fell back with two rounds 78 on the final day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The following week, in partnership with Stanley Anderson, he won the Addington Foursomes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Faulkner was one of the leading qualifiers for the 1937 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links, tying for 6th place. In the championship itself he had a second 83 and missed the cut. He again performed well in the Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament, despite a poor first day. Final day rounds of 70 and 72 lifted him into 4th place.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The following week he finished 3rd in the Irish Open.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In early 1938 Faulkner became the professional at Leamington Spa Golf Club. He had a less successful season but did finish tied for 4th in the Irish Open.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Faulkner left his position at Leamington in early 1939 and played the rest of the season as an unattached professional. He qualified for the 1939 Open Championship and was joint-leader after the first round with 70, eventually finishing tied for 23rd place. He again performed well in the Irish Open finishing tied for 7th place.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

War service

Faulkner had qualified for the final stage of the 1939 News of the World Match Play. The event was delayed until late April 1940 but Faulkner lost his first round match. Faulkner played relatively little golf during the war, although he played a number of exhibition matches in the winter of 1942/43.

During World War II Faulkner served in the RAF as a Physical Training (PT) instructor.<ref name=dtobit>Template:Cite news</ref> He took up boxing, becoming services champion.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Post-war golf career

Faulkner's tournament career restarted immediately after the war. In September 1945 he was runner-up in the Daily Mail Tournament, a stroke behind Charlie Ward.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

During his career he won 16 regular tournaments in Europe, including three Spanish Opens, with his last being the 1968 Portuguese Open at the age of 52. He also won the PGA Seniors Championship on two occasions. His greatest achievement was his victory in the 1951 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. With a round still to be played he had a 6-stroke lead and is reported to have signed autographs with the postscript "1951 Open Champion".<ref name=bbcobe/> Helped by what he called a "mystery guiding light",<ref name=alliss/> he went on to finish with a score of 3 under par, two ahead of Antonio Cerdá, and said later "It was all I ever wanted. The Open meant everything to me."<ref name=indep>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Faulkner played in five Ryder Cup matches, including the historic 1957 contest at Lindrick where the Great Britain team won for the first time since 1933.<ref name=indep/>

Faulkner was believed to have over 300 putters, always searching for the perfect one. He very rarely used a conventional set of clubs, sometimes having several of the same club with a variety of shaft lengths and flexes. He was known for his shotmaking ability, being able to make the ball curve in the air even on short lofted shots.<ref name=alliss>Template:Cite book</ref>

Honours

File:Max Faulkner Plaque, Sutton Place, Bexhill (full).jpg

The Max Faulkner plaque, Bexhill-on-Sea

In 2001, on the 50th anniversary of the Open triumph, Faulkner was honoured with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to golf.<ref name=bbcobe>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Death

Faulkner lived in his later years at Pulborough, Sussex and died on 26 February 2005, aged 88, of pneumonia at St Richard's Hospital, Chichester.<ref name=odnb/><ref name=dtobit/>

Professional wins (19)

British PGA circuit wins (9)

No.	Date	Tournament	Venue	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	10 May 1946	Dunlop-Southport Tournament	Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club	79-74-72-71=296	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Norman Von Nida
2	6 May 1949	Dunlop Tournament	Wentworth Club	74-67-72-74=287	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Sam King
3	24 Jun 1949	Penfold Tournament (with Template:Flagicon John Burton)	South Herts Golf Club	1 up (foursomes)		Template:Flagicon Dick Burton & Template:Flagicon Flory Van Donck
4	2 Sep 1949	Lotus Tournament	Little Aston Golf Club	69-68-70-70=277	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Charlie Ward
5	6 Jul 1951	The Open Championship	Royal Portrush Golf Club	71-70-70-74=285	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Antonio Cerdá
6	11 Oct 1951	Dunlop Masters	Wentworth Club	71-70-72-68=281	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Reg Horne
7	2 May 1952	Dunlop Tournament	Sunningdale Golf Club	68-73-67-65-72=345	7 strokes	Template:Flagicon Tom Haliburton
8	19 Sep 1953	News of the World Match Play	Ganton Golf Club	1 up		Template:Flagicon Dai Rees
9	12 Jul 1959	Irish Hospitals Tournament	Woodbrook Golf Club	67-65-74-68=274	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Peter Alliss, Template:Flagicon Dave Thomas

Continental Europe wins (5)

No.	Date	Tournament	Venue	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	19 Oct 1952	Spanish Open	Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro	275	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Tom Haliburton
2	18 Oct 1953	Spanish Open	Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro	271	6 strokes	Template:Flagicon Carlos Sellés
3	27 Oct 1957	Spanish Open	Club de Campo Villa de Madrid	73-70-?-?=283	6 strokes	Template:Flagicon Henry Cotton
4	26 Aug 1962	Woodlawn Tournament	Woodlawn Golf Course	68-68-68-69=273	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Bob Charles
5	24 Nov 1968	Portuguese Open	Estoril Golf Club	66-69-69-69=273	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Ángel Gallardo

Other wins (3)

• 1937 Addington Foursomes (with Stanley Anderson)
• 1947 West of England Professional Championship
• 1964 Southern Professional Championship

Senior wins (2)

• 1968 PGA Seniors Championship
• 1970 PGA Seniors Championship

Major championships

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1951	The Open Championship	6 shot lead	−3 (71-70-70-74=285)	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Antonio Cerdá

Results timeline

Tournament	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939
The Open Championship	CUT		T21	CUT		T23

Tournament	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949
The Open Championship	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT	CUT	T32	T15	T6

Tournament	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959
The Open Championship	T5	1	T17	12	T20	T35		T9	T16	CUT

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
The Open Championship			CUT	T20	T38	T10	CUT	CUT	CUT	T30

Tournament	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975
The Open Championship	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT

Note: Faulkner only played in The Open Championship.
Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1974 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

• Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain): 1947, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1957 (winners)
• Slazenger Trophy (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1956 (winners)
• Amateurs–Professionals Match (representing the Professionals): 1956 (winners), 1957 (winners)
• PGA Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1975