1976 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship
The 1976 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship was the 13th World Match Play Championship. It was played from Thursday 7 to Saturday 9 October on the West Course at Wentworth. Eight players competed in a straight knock-out competition, with each match contested over 36 holes. There was a large increase in the prize money with the champion receiving £25,000 compared to £10,000 the previous year. In the final, David Graham beat defending champion Hale Irwin after 38 holes.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 7–9 October 1976 |
| Location | Virginia Water, Surrey, England |
| Course(s) | West Course, Wentworth |
| Format | Match play – 36 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 73 |
| Length | 6,969 yards (6,372 m) |
| Field | 8 players |
| Prize fund | £75,000 |
| Winner's share | £25,000 |
| Champion | |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} David Graham | |
| def. Hale Irwin after 38 holes | |
For the first time there was a play-off between the losing semi-finalists for third place. It was played over 36 holes and was won by Gary Player.
This was the last World Match Play Championship sponsored under the Piccadilly name.[1]
Course
Source:[2]
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 471 | 155 | 452 | 501 | 191 | 344 | 399 | 398 | 460 | 3,371 | 186 | 376 | 483 | 441 | 179 | 480 | 380 | 571 | 502 | 3,598 | 6,969 |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 73 |
Scores
| Quarter-finals 7 October | Semi-finals 8 October | Final 9 October | |||||||||
 Hale Irwin
| 2 & 1 | ||||||||||
 Seve Ballesteros
| |||||||||||
| Hale Irwin
| 2 up | ||||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Gary Player
| |||||||||||
| Gary Player
| 5 & 4 | ||||||||||
| Arnold Palmer
| |||||||||||
| Hale Irwin
| |||||||||||
| David Graham
| 38 h | ||||||||||
| David Graham
| 3 & 2 | ||||||||||
| Hubert Green
| |||||||||||
| David Graham
| 1 up | Third place | |||||||||
| Raymond Floyd
| |||||||||||
| Raymond Floyd
| 2 up | Gary Player
| 7 & 5 | ||||||||
 Brian Barnes
| Raymond Floyd
| ||||||||||
Prize money
The winner received £25,000, the runner-up £15,000, third place £8,500, fourth place £6,500 and the first round losers £5,000, making a total prize fund of £75,000.[5]
References
- "Piccadilly loss a blow to the game". The Times, Saturday, 16 October 1976; pg. 15; Issue 59836.
- "Floyd's finish is the end of road for Barnes". The Times, Friday, 8 October 1976; pg. 12; Issue 59829.
- "Vintage day closes with an hour of magic". The Times, Saturday, 9 October 1976; pg. 15; Issue 59830.
- "No event generated a greater afterglow than matchplay final". The Times, Monday, 11 October 1976; pg. 9; Issue 59831.
- "Irwin again in final". The Glasgow Herald, Saturday, 9 October 1976; pg. 14.