Abe Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Henry Abraham Mitchell was an English professional golfer
.
Mitchell was born in East Grinstead
, Sussex
. He was runner-up in the 1912 Amateur Championship
, losing to John Ball
on the second extra hole. He was a fine amateur, and played for his country against the Scots in 1910, and the English team won, he won the Golf Illustrated Gold Vase twice in 1910 and 1913, and played in two Open Championships
before turning professional in 1913, attached to Sonning Golf Club in Berkshire.
Mitchell won many golf tournaments in Great Britain and toured the United States frequently, winning twice over there, and entered three U.S. Opens
. He led at the halfway stage in the 1920 Open Championship before collapsing in the third round, when he shot 84 and finished four shots behind winner George Duncan, who'd been 13 shots off the lead after two rounds.
Mitchell was Samuel Ryder
's personal golf instructor from 1925 at Verulam Golf Club, St Albans.
Mitchell was supposed to be the player-captain the Great Britain's first Ryder Cup
team in 1927, but was unable to make the voyage to the United States due to appendicitis
. He did play on the next three teams in 1929, 1931, and 1933.
Mitchell had the lowest round at the 1933 Open Championship at St Andrews, carding a 68 to win him the Tooting Bec Cup
.
Mitchell had 8 top ten finishes out of 17 appearances in the Open Championship.
Mitchell was honoured by his peers when elected PGA Captain 1933/34.
Mitchell died suddenly in St Albans
, England
at age 60.
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = Missed the cut
WD = Withdrew
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for U.S. Open: USGA Championship Database
Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1910 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1910, pg. 152.
Source for 1911 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1911, pg. 9.
Source for 1912 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1912, pg. 200.
Source for 1913 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1913, pg. 223.
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
.
Mitchell was born in East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. He was runner-up in the 1912 Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
, losing to John Ball
John Ball (golfer)
John Ball, Jr. was a prominent English amateur golfer of the late 19th and early 20th century.Ball was born in Hoylake, Merseyside. His father was the prosperous owner of the Royal Hotel, located near the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, in Hoylake...
on the second extra hole. He was a fine amateur, and played for his country against the Scots in 1910, and the English team won, he won the Golf Illustrated Gold Vase twice in 1910 and 1913, and played in two Open Championships
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
before turning professional in 1913, attached to Sonning Golf Club in Berkshire.
Mitchell won many golf tournaments in Great Britain and toured the United States frequently, winning twice over there, and entered three U.S. Opens
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
. He led at the halfway stage in the 1920 Open Championship before collapsing in the third round, when he shot 84 and finished four shots behind winner George Duncan, who'd been 13 shots off the lead after two rounds.
Mitchell was Samuel Ryder
Samuel Ryder
Samuel Ryder was an English businessman, entrepreneur, golf enthusiast, and golf promoter. He originated the idea of selling garden seeds in "penny packets" and built a very successful business on the concept...
's personal golf instructor from 1925 at Verulam Golf Club, St Albans.
Mitchell was supposed to be the player-captain the Great Britain's first Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
team in 1927, but was unable to make the voyage to the United States due to appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
. He did play on the next three teams in 1929, 1931, and 1933.
Mitchell had the lowest round at the 1933 Open Championship at St Andrews, carding a 68 to win him the Tooting Bec Cup
Tooting Bec Cup
The Tooting Bec Cup is a trophy awarded each year by the Professional Golfers' Association of Great Britain and Ireland to the association member born in, or with a parent or parents born in, the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland who returns the lowest single-round score in The Open...
.
Mitchell had 8 top ten finishes out of 17 appearances in the Open Championship.
Mitchell was honoured by his peers when elected PGA Captain 1933/34.
Mitchell died suddenly in St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at age 60.
Tournament wins
- 1919 News of the World Match Play
- 1919 British Open "Victory Open" St Andrews (joint winner with George Duncan)
- 1920 News of the World Match Play, Kent Championship
- 1921 Gleneagles Tournament
- 1922 Gleneagles Tournament, Southern Open (United States, tie with Leo Diegel)
- 1924 Miami OpenMiami OpenThe Miami Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1924 to 1955. It was played at what is now the Miami Springs Golf and Country Club in Miami, Florida. The event was played in December from 1924 to 1926 and from 1937 to 1955...
(United States), Evening Standard Moor Park - 1925 Northern Professional Championship, Evening Standard Tournament
- 1926 Evening Standard Tournament, Roehampton Invitation
- 1927 Roehampton Invitation
- 1928 Roehampton Invitation
- 1929 News of the World Match Play, Irish OpenIrish Open (golf)The Irish Open is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour, currently played at the end of July or early August each year. The event has been played in many locations on the island; its current home is the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in County Kerry in southwestern Ireland...
- 1932 Bristol Evening World
- 1937 Dunlop Southport Tournament
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | NT | NT | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | CUT | DNP | T53 | T4 | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
SF | QF | 2 | R128 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tournament | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | WD | T17 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
4 | T13 | 19 | T8 | CUT | 5 | T5 | DNP | T21 | T4 |
| Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | WD | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T13 | T12 | T10 | T7 | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
- Note: Mitchell played only in The Open ChampionshipThe Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
, U.S. OpenU.S. Open (golf)The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, and The Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
.
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = Missed the cut
WD = Withdrew
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for U.S. Open: USGA Championship Database
Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1910 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1910, pg. 152.
Source for 1911 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1911, pg. 9.
Source for 1912 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1912, pg. 200.
Source for 1913 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1913, pg. 223.
Team appearances
- Ryder CupRyder CupThe Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
: 19291929 Ryder CupThe 2nd Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Moortown Golf Club in Leeds, England. It was very cold, with hail and at one point heavy snow on the greens. About two thousand spectators saw America gain a narrow lead before the Great Britain team won singles on the final day and thus the competition...
, 19311931 Ryder CupThe 3rd Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio on June 26 and 27, 1931.The United States team won the competition by a score of 9 to 3 points.-Format:The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point...
, 19331933 Ryder CupThe 4th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club in Southport, England.The Great Britain team won the competition by a score of 6½–5½ points. John Henry Taylor became only the second of three Team Great Britain captains to ever lift the Ryder Cup.-Format:The Ryder Cup is...