Frank Eyre
Personal information
Full nameFrancis Patrick Eyre
Bornc. 1898
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died(1974-09-01)1 September 1974 (aged 76)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sporting nationality Australia
Career
StatusProfessional

Francis Patrick Eyre (c. 1898 – 1 September 1974) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the 1926 Sun-Herald Tournament and the 1930 Australian Open.

Early life

Eyre was the son of Edward "Happy" Eyre, a life-saver at Manly beach and rugby union player.[1] Frank Eyre himself was also a rugby union player in the early 1920s.[2] He became the professional at Long Reef Golf Club, Collaroy, New South Wales in 1922.[3]

Professional career

Eyre's first big success came in 1926 when he won the Sun-Herald Tournament at The Australian Golf Club, beat Arthur Le Fevre 6&5 in the final. He won the first prize of £195 and a gold medal valued at £5.[4] The event was widely regarded as the professional championship of Australia.[5] Eyre had qualified for the final stages in 1925 at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, losing to Tom Howard, the eventual winner, in the quarter-finals.[6]

Eyre won the 1930 Queensland Open, beating Harry Sinclair in playoff at Royal Queensland.[7][8] He had been runner-up in the event in 1926.[9] Eyre won the 1930 Australian Open, finishing 7 strokes ahead of the runners-up, amateur George Fawcett and Rufus Stewart.[10] It was the first to be held at the Metropolitan Golf Club and Eyre was the first to be presented with the Stonehaven Cup, presented by Lord Stonehaven, the Governor-General of Australia from 1925 to 1930.[11] Eyre had been runner-up in 1929.[12]

Eyre won the 1933 New South Wales Dunlop Cup, beating Tom Heard in the final.[13]

Later life

In 1963, Eyre retired as professional at Long Reef Golf Club, having been the professional there for over 40 years.[3] He died on 1 September 1974, aged 76.[14][2]

Professional wins

Team appearances

  • Vicars Shield (representing New South Wales): 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933 (winners)

References

  1. ""Happy" Eyre". Evening News. No. 12094. New South Wales, Australia. 15 March 1906. p. 7. Retrieved 6 January 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  2. 1 2 Smith, Terry (8 September 1974). "Fairways". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. p. 91. Retrieved 6 January 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "Frank Eyre". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. 15 September 1963. p. 68. Retrieved 6 January 2021 via Google News Archive.
  4. "Frank Eyre". The Sun. No. 4980. Sydney. 22 October 1926. p. 11 (Final extra). Retrieved 19 May 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  5. ""Auld Reekie's" golf". The Referee. No. 2068. New South Wales, Australia. 27 October 1926. p. 20. Retrieved 6 January 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Professional golf". The Age. No. 21, 924. Victoria, Australia. 10 July 1925. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  7. "Championship golf". The Telegraph (Brisbane). No. 17929. Queensland, Australia. 23 May 1930. p. 14. Retrieved 25 December 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  8. "Golf title". The Telegraph (Brisbane). No. 17930. Queensland, Australia. 24 May 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 25 December 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Open golf championship". The Telegraph (Brisbane). No. 16730. Queensland, Australia. 16 July 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 25 December 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Eyre (N.S.W.) wins Open golf title". The Herald. No. 16639. Victoria, Australia. 13 September 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 17 November 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  11. "Championships meeting". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 26155. Victoria, Australia. 12 June 1930. p. 14. Retrieved 18 November 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  12. "Golf Championship". The Age. No. 23207. Victoria, Australia. 24 August 1929. p. 23. Retrieved 17 November 2020 via National Library of Australia.
  13. "Dunlop Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 29836. New South Wales, Australia. 18 August 1933. p. 15. Retrieved 12 January 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  14. "Deaths – Eyre Frank Patrick". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. 4 September 1974. p. 58. Retrieved 6 January 2021 via Google News Archive.
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