Ronnie Shade
Ronnie Shade | |
---|---|
— Golfer — | |
Personal information | |
Full name | Ronald David Bell Mitchell Shade MBE |
Born |
Edinburgh, Scotland | 18 October 1938
Died |
10 September 1986 47) Edinburgh, Scotland | (aged
Nationality | Scotland |
Career | |
Turned professional | 1968 |
Professional wins | 3 |
Best results in major championships | |
Masters Tournament | DNP |
U.S. Open | DNP |
The Open Championship | T16: 1966 |
PGA Championship | DNP |
Achievements and awards | |
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) | 1968 |
Ronald David Bell Mitchell Shade, MBE (18 October 1938 – 10 September 1986) was a Scottish professional golfer.
Life and career
Shade was born in Edinburgh and grew up playing golf at Duddingston Golf Club in that city.[1] He enjoyed unrivalled success as an amateur player in the 1960s, winning five consecutive Scottish Amateur Championships from 1963 to 1967[2] (Shade had also lost in the final in 1962). In 1966, he also finished as leading individual player at the Eisenhower Trophy, as leading amateur in The Open Championship, and reached the final of the British Amateur Championship, losing to Bobby Cole. He represented Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup on four occasions (1961 to 1967 inclusive), and was three times winner of the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship (the Brabazon Trophy). Shade's amateur golf success was all the more noteworthy, since he came from a working-class background, and during that era British amateur golf was the preserve of the well-to-do.[3]
Shade was awarded the MBE as an amateur, and decided to turn professional at the relatively late age of 30. Often referred to by fellow players as "Right Down the Bloody Middle", a nickname based on his initials and his exceptional accuracy, he did not enjoy as many victories as a professional that his amateur record might have foretold, although he won the Carroll's International in 1969, in his rookie season, and represented Scotland at the World Cup in 1970, 1971 and 1972. His strength at match play golf remained proven, however; he was runner-up at the British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1970, and was a semi-finalist on two further occasions.
Shade died in Edinburgh after a long illness.
Amateur wins
- 1956 Scottish Boys Amateur
- 1961 Brabazon Trophy
- 1963 Scottish Amateur Championship, Brabazon Trophy
- 1964 Scottish Amateur Championship
- 1965 Scottish Amateur Championship
- 1966 Scottish Amateur Championship
- 1967 Scottish Amateur Championship, Brabazon Trophy
- 1968 Scottish Amateur Strokeplay Championship
Professional wins
- 1969 Carroll's International
- 1970 Scottish Professional Championship
- 1975 Mufulira Open (Zambia)
Results in major championships
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Open Championship | T43 | DNP | CUT | DNP | CUT | CUT | T16 LA | DNP | CUT | CUT | T25 | CUT | CUT | T51 | T22 | CUT | DNP | CUT |
Note: Shade only played in The Open Championship.
LA = low amateur
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Team appearances
this list may be incomplete
Amateur
- Walker Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1962, 1964 (winners), 1966 (individual winner), 1968
Professional
- World Cup (representing Scotland): 1970, 1971, 1972
- Double Diamond International (representing Scotland): 1971, 1972, 1973 (winners), 1974, 1975
References
- ↑ Scotland: Where Golf is Great, by James W. Finegan, 2010, p. 216
- ↑ Shade: Mechanical man who won five Scottish amateur titles in a row
- ↑ Peter Dobereiner collection of golf writing
- Alliss, Peter: "The Who's Who of Golf" (1983), Orbis Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-85613-520-8.
External links
- Ronnie Shade at the European Tour official site