Henry Cotton

Henry Cotton (1907-1987) was the best British golfer of his day, and since the days of Braid and Vardon few have matched his achievements. He won the Open at Royal St George's in 1934 where his first round of 65 set a course record. The well-known golf ball Dunlop 65 is named in commemoration of this achievement. His win came after 12 years of American domination of this great event. Cotton won the Open again in 1937 and 1948. If all sporting events had not been cancelled during World War II, Cotton may well have been the first four-times British winner of the Open since Harry Vardon won his last championship in 1914.

 Sam Snead

Sam Snead won every important tournament in the world except the US Open, where he finished runner-up four times. His luck in this tournament was cruel. In 1939, needing a 5 to win at the last hole, he took an 8, and in 1947 he lost a play-off to Lew Worsham by one shot. He continued winning tournaments until he was in his sixties and finished third in the USPGA in 1974 when he was 62, behind Lee Trevino and Jacl Nicklaus. Sam Snead was largely self-taught and the secret of his continuing success was his beautiful swing, which never let him down. His first major success came when he won the USPGA in 1942. He won the first Open after the war in 1946, the Masters three times, the USPGA twice more, in 1949 and 1951, and founded the USPGA Seniors Tour where he won the title six times between 1964 and 1973. Later in life he suffered from the "yips" and developed his "sidewinder" putting technique as a result.