Brian Huggett: 1936 - 2024

Brian Huggett, one of the most influential and respected players in the development of both the European Tour and the Ryder Cup, has died at the age of 87.

The six-time Ryder Cup player enjoyed a celebrated career spanning more than half a century. After turning professional in 1951, he won 16 events between 1962 and 1978, including two after the formal start of the European Tour (now DP World Tour) in 1972, and 11 times on the Senior circuits.

He took the Harry Vardon Trophy for leading the Order of Merit in 1968 and finished in third place in 1969, 1970 and 1972.

Huggett was the non-playing captain in 1977 at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, the last Ryder Cup before Continental European players were included in golf’s greatest team contest.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1978 for his services to golf, and in 2006 he was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the game.

Born in Porthcawl, Wales, on November 18, 1936, his father George was an assistant professional at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club. Following World War II, the family moved to Neath Golf Club where his father would be the professional, before relocating to Redhill and Reigate Golf Club, in Surrey, in 1950.

In 1951, he turned professional, becoming an assistant to his father at Redhill and Reigate, later being the professional at Romford Golf Club from 1960 to 1966. In 1963 he was joined at Romford by his father. His younger brother Geoff was also a professional golfer.

A mainstay of European golf in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Huggett won 16 titles - including the 1974 Portuguese Open and 1978 B.A./Avis Open after the formation of European Tour in 1972 – and played in The Open Championship 19 successive times between 1961 and 1979, finishing tied for third place in 1962 and joint runner-up in 1965.

Huggett played in six Ryder Cups, representing Great Britain & Ireland against the United States between 1963 and 1975. He played 25 matches, with a 9–10–6 win–loss–half record. In singles matches he had three wins, three defeats and one halved match. He also represented Wales nine times in the World Cup between 1963 and 1979.

In his Ryder Cup debut in 1963, he was the leading scorer for Great Britain & Ireland with 2.5 points. Other key moments in his Ryder Cup career came in 1969, when the Ryder Cup was tied at 16 points each.

Playing the 18th hole in the penultimate match, Huggett holed a putt to halve his match with Billy Casper. Just before making his putt, he had heard a loud roar from the 17th green where Tony Jacklin was playing Jack Nicklaus. Believing that Jacklin had beaten Nicklaus he thought that his putt had won the Ryder Cup, only to discover after leaving the green that the Jacklin/Nicklaus match was still being played and one of the most famous gestures of sportsmanship in all of sports had taken place when America's Nicklaus conceded a three-foot putt.

Huggett’s extraordinary record for Great Britain & Ireland was again highlighted in the 1973 Ryder Cup when he went undefeated at Muirfield. Huggett's younger daughter, Sandra, was born on the morning of the opening day, and although not selected for the session, he teamed up with Maurice Bembridge in the afternoon fourballs for an impressive 3&1 win over Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. The match was tied after two days and although Huggett defeated Homero Blancas in the singles, the United States dominated the two singles sessions.

Huggett made his final appearance as a player at the 1975 Ryder Cup. He only played in two matches, winning a foursomes match with Tony Jacklin but losing to Gene Littler in the singles.

He went on to enjoy more success on the European Senior Tour winning ten times between 1992 and 2000, including the 1993 PGA Seniors Championship and the 1998 Senior British Open.

His last win was in the 2000 Beko Classic at the age of 63 years and 171 days. He finished in the top ten on the European Seniors Tour's Order of Merit every year from 1992 to 1996 and again in 1998, his best position being second in 1993, 1994 and 1998.

Poignantly, he passed away on Sunday morning of the 2024 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club, a venue he won the Senior Masters in 1998.

Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive of the European Tour, speaking live on Sky Sports from the BMW PGA Championship, said: “It’s hard to underestimate how important Brian was for us, to the Tour and to the Ryder Cup. Above all, he was an absolute gentleman. A lovely, lovely man to deal with. He had an extraordinary career in his own right. He won here, at the Senior Masters in 1998 and went on to win the Senior Open at Portrush in the same year. He was a six-time Ryder Cup player for GB&I and he was Captain in 1977 which was the last time we played as GB&I before it became Europe.

“We honour our great heroes and what he did for the Ryder Cup was fantastic. Some of the messages he left and delivered by film for the players in the team room in recent years with his wonderful voice, he was just an absolutely lovely man. We will all miss him terribly and it’s an opportunity for us to pay tribute to one of our true legends who has passed today.”

Luke Donald, European Ryder Cup Captain, said: “It is desperately sad news and my thoughts are obviously with his wife Winnie, his daughters Sandra and Yvonne and his many friends.

“The Ryder Cup is all about history and tradition and no-one summed that up better than Brian Huggett. He was also a formidable competitor as his record showed and a truly inspirational figure both inside and outside the ropes.

“I got an understanding of that first hand when I was Vice Captain to Thomas Bjørn in Paris in 2018 and Brian was an integral part of a motivational video we played for the team on the eve of the contest.

“Even though he was softly spoken, you could see the steely determination in his eyes when he stared down the camera lens – I will never forget that.”