Bill Laidlaw
| Bill Laidlaw | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 1914 Perth, Scotland |
| Died | 20 October 1941 (aged 27) Bremen,Nazi Germany |
| Sporting nationality |  Scotland |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1932 |
| Professional wins | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T7:1937 |
William Laidlaw(1914 – 20 October 1941) was a Scottishprofessional golfer.He finished tied for 7th place in the1937 Open Championshipand won the 1938Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament.He was killed during an RAF bombing raid onBremen,aged 27.
Golf career
[edit]Laidlaw was an assistant professional atGleneagles Hotel(from 1932) and Malden (from 1934) and then withHenry CottonatAshridge Golf Clubfrom the start of 1937. He became full professional atWest Herts Golf Clubin early 1939.
Laidlaw's big win was in the 1938Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournamentat Blackpool North Shore. He scored 289 for the 72 holes and won by 9 strokes fromAlan WatersandGeoff White.[1]Later in 1938 he was second in theCzechoslovak Open,although 11 strokes behind the winner,Henry Cotton.[2]
Death
[edit]Pilot OfficerLaidlaw was killed during an RAF raid on the night of 20/21 October 1941. Laidlaw was inNo. 50 Squadron RAFand was involved in a raid onBremen.He had leftRAF Swinderbyin aHandley Page Hampden.[3][4][5]
Laidlaw married Pamela Mary Tanner, a singer, in 1940. They had a son, William, who was born in 1942.
Tournament wins
[edit]Results in major championships
[edit]| Tournament | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T35 | T18 | T7 | CUT |
Note: Laidlaw only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
[edit]- England–Scotland Professional Match(representing Scotland): 1935, 1936, 1938
- Triangular Professional Tournament(representing Scotland): 1937 (winners)
References
[edit]- ^"Scot clear of the field".The Glasgow Herald.29 July 1938. p. 19.
- ^"Golf – Czechoslovak Championship".The Times.27 August 1938. p. 3.
- ^"Laidlaw, William".cwgc.org.Commonwealth War Graves Commission.Retrieved18 April2016.
- ^"RAF Bomber Command Operational Losses Database".Archived fromthe originalon 6 May 2016.Retrieved18 April2016.
- ^"Scottish golfer missing".The Glasgow Herald.24 October 1941. p. 4.
