Brian Bamford
Brian J. Bamford (18 December 1935 – 25 June 2021) was an English professional golfer. He won the Schweppes PGA Close Championship in 1961 by three strokes over Peter Alliss and Christy O'Connor Snr; his winning score of 266 is the lowest in the championship’s history.
Bamford began his career as an assistant at Burhill Golf Club before moving to Wentworth. After his 1961 win he was chosen for the England team in the Canada Cup (the World Cup), played in Puerto Rico; England finished 15th and Bamford scored 311 over four rounds.
The week after the Canada Cup he finished third in the Daks Tournament at Wentworth, two strokes behind Bernard Hunt. Following his Schweppes win, Bamford became the club professional at Tavistock, and later worked at several other clubs, including West Sussex, Newquay, Isle of Purbeck and Worthing.
He played in The Open Championship from 1961 to 1965, making the cut in 1962 and 1965. His best finish was tied for 21st in 1965 at Royal Birkdale, where he was briefly tied for the lead after the first round.
In 1967, Bamford was disqualified from the Schweppes PGA Close Championship for taking more than the allowed five minutes to look for his ball in the rough on the 5th hole.
His daughter Sue Bamford is also a professional golfer; in 1977 she reached the final of the Girls Amateur Championship, losing to Wilma Aitken.
Bamford died on 25 June 2021, aged 85.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:57 (CET).