1970 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship
The 1970 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship was the seventh World Match Play Championship. It was played from Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 October on the West Course at Wentworth. Eight players competed in a straight knock-out competition, with each match contested over 36 holes. The champion received £5,750 out of a total prize fund of £18,400. In the final, Jack Nicklaus beat Lee Trevino 2 & 1.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8–10 October 1970 |
| Location | Virginia Water, Surrey, England |
| Course(s) | West Course, Wentworth |
| Format | Match play – 36 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 74 |
| Length | 6,997 yards (6,398 m) |
| Field | 8 players |
| Prize fund | £18,400 |
| Winner's share | £5,750 |
| Champion | |
 Jack Nicklaus | |
| def. Lee Trevino 2 & 1 | |
In the first round, two matches finished at the 36th hole. Tony Jacklin won the last two holes to defeat Gary Player while Lee Trevino beat Billy Casper by holing a 6 foot putt after Casper had missed from 8 feet.[1]
Nicklaus was playing in the event for the first time since 1966 when he had a dispute with the referee in the final. After two comfortable wins, he met Lee Trevino in the final. The final was level after 12 holes but Nicklaus won three of the next five holes to go to lunch 3 up. After 27 holes, Nicklaus led by five with both players having birdied the 9th. Trevino then won the 10th, 11th, 13th and 14th to reduce the lead to 1 hole. However Nicklaus eagled the 15th to take a two hole lead again and, although Trevino birdied the 16th, the match ended at the 17th after Trevino had gone out of bounds off the tee.[2]
Course
Source:[1]
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 476 | 157 | 457 | 497 | 192 | 347 | 403 | 400 | 460 | 3,389 | 190 | 408 | 480 | 437 | 183 | 480 | 380 | 555 | 495 | 3,608 | 6,997 |
| Par | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 74 |
Scores
| Quarter-finals 8 October |
Semi-finals 9 October |
Final 10 October | ||||||||
 Bob Charles |
||||||||||
| Dave Stockton |
2 & 1 | |||||||||
| Dave Stockton |
||||||||||
| Lee Trevino |
7 & 6 | |||||||||
| Billy Casper |
||||||||||
| Lee Trevino |
1 up | |||||||||
| Lee Trevino |
||||||||||
| Jack Nicklaus |
2 & 1 | |||||||||
 Tony Jacklin |
2 up | |||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Gary Player |
||||||||||
| Tony Jacklin |
||||||||||
| Jack Nicklaus |
5 & 4 | |||||||||
| Jack Nicklaus |
5 & 4 | |||||||||
| Gene Littler |
||||||||||
Prize money
The winner received £5,750 out of a total prize fund of £18,400.
References
- "Long putt ends war of nerves for Jacklin". The Times, Friday, 9 October 1970; pg. 17; Issue 57992.
- "Nicklaus kept his head for victory at the 35th hole". The Times, Monday, 12 October 1970; pg. 12; Issue 57994.
- "Trevino now confident again". The Times, Saturday, 10 October 1970; pg. 17; Issue 57993.