John Panton

John Panton, MBE (9 October 1916 – 24 July 2009) was a Scottish professional golfer, who represented Great Britain three times in the Ryder Cup.[1][2]

For other people named John Panton, see John Panton (disambiguation).
John Panton
Personal information
Full nameJohn Panton
NicknameGentleman John
Born(1916-10-09)9 October 1916
Pitlochry, Scotland
Died24 July 2009(2009-07-24) (aged 92)
Windsor, Berkshire, England
Nationality Scotland
ChildrenCatherine, Joan
Career
Turned professional1935
Former tour(s)European Tour
Professional wins39
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open Championship5th/T5: 1956, 1959
Achievements and awards
Member of the Order
of the British Empire		1980
Harry Vardon Trophy1951

Panton was born in Pitlochry. He turned professional in 1935 and took up a job in the local golf club shop. After serving in the army during World War II, he went on to win many prestigious tournaments including the 1956 PGA Match Play Championship, the 1950 Silver King Tournament, the 1951 Daks Tournament and the 1952 North British-Harrogate Tournament. He also won the Woodlawn Invitation Open in Germany for three consecutive years from 1958. In Scotland, he dominated, with eight victories in the Scottish Professionals Championship and seven in the Northern Open between 1948 and 1962.[3][4]

In addition to tournament golf, Panton also served as a club professional at Glenbervie Golf Club until 1984.[5] Later in his career, he won the PGA Seniors Championship twice, in 1967 and 1969, and the World Senior Championship in 1967, defeating Sam Snead 3 and 2 in the final.

Panton was appointed honorary professional to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1988, a position he held until his retirement in 2006.[6] In 2005, he was made an honorary life member of the European Tour.[7]

As well as his Ryder Cup appearances in 1951, 1953 and 1961, Panton also represented Scotland 13 times in the World Cup between 1955 and 1968.

Panton's daughter, Catherine Panton-Lewis, is a professional golfer and was a founding member of the Ladies European Tour.

Beverage

In common with Arnold Palmer, Panton had a beverage named after him in his home country. A John Panton is a drink consisting of angostura bitters, ginger beer mixed with a dash of lime cordial.[6]

Professional wins

This list is incomplete

Results in major championships
Tournament 1937 1938 1939
The Open Championship CUT
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT CUT CUT
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
The Open Championship T20 11 T15 T27 CUT CUT 5 T15 CUT T5
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
The Open Championship T32 T16 CUT T34 T10 T50 T47 CUT 45
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
The Open Championship T9 CUT CUT CUT T56

Note: Panton only played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1972 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

References
  1. "Golf mourns Ryder veteran Panton". BBC Sport. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  2. Alliss, Peter (1983). The Who's Who of Golf. Orbis Publishing. p. 281. ISBN 0-85613-520-8.
  3. "Panton hid the sword with a smile". The Scotsman. 26 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  4. "John Panton MBE has died at the age of 92". The R&A. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  5. "John Panton". The Herald. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  6. Aitken, Mike (28 July 2009). "John Panton". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  7. "O'Connor and Panton are honoured". BBC Sport. 1 February 2005. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
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