Archie Compston

{{Short description|English professional golfer}} {{Use British English|date=November 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Archie Compston | image = | imagesize =  | caption = | fullname = Archibald Edward Wones Compston | nickname = | birth_date = 1893 | birth_place = Wolverhampton, England | death_date = 8 August 1962 (age 69) | death_place = London, England | height =  | weight =  | nationality = {{ENG}} | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = | yearpro = | status = Professional | retired =  | extour = | prowins = 10 | eurowins =  | otherwins =  | majorwins =  | masters = DNP | usopen = T7: 1927 | open = T2: 1925 | pga = DNP | wghofid =  | wghofyear =  | award1 = | year1 = | award2 = | year2 = | awardssection =  }} '''Archibald Edward Wones Compston''' (1893 – 8 August 1962) was an English professional golfer.<ref name=alliss>{{cite book |title=The Who's Who of Golf |first=Peter |last=Alliss |authorlink=Peter Alliss |publisher=Orbis Publishing |year=1983 |isbn=0-85613-520-8 |pages=225–226}}</ref> Through the 1920s he built a reputation as a formidable match play golfer, in an era when many professionals made more money from "challenge" matches against fellow pros, or wealthy amateurs, than from tournament golf.

== Early life == Compston was born in Wolverhampton.

== Professional career == Compston won the British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1925 and 1927. In 1928, he faced Walter Hagen, who had won the PGA Championship at match play in the previous four years, in a 72-hole challenge match, and defeated the American 18 & 17. However, when the two met again shortly afterward at The Open Championship at Royal St George's, Hagen prevailed, with Compston placing third.

In 1930, Compston nearly derailed Bobby Jones's bid for the Grand Slam at Hoylake - his third round of 68 took the lead from Jones, but inexplicably his form deserted him in the final round, and Compston shot 82 to finish down the field.

Compston played in the Ryder Cup in 1927, 1929 and 1931, defeating Gene Sarazen on one occasion.

Compston also became notable as perhaps Britain's first "celebrity" professional golfer, becoming a coach to the future Edward VIII. In late 1936, just before the abdication crisis, he took 3,000 golf balls on the steam yacht ''Nahlin'' with the uncrowned King (and Mrs. Wallis Simpson) on a cruise in the Adriatic, for the King to drive into the sea.<ref>{{cite book |last= Lownie|first= Andrew|date=2019 |title= The Mountbattens|location=London |publisher=Blink Publishing|page=106 |isbn=978-1-788-702-56-0}}</ref>

He was the professional at the Wentworth Club from 1945 to 1948,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wentworthclub.com/club/15/3016/ |title=Past professionals |work=Wentworth Club |accessdate=2011-02-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201051722/http://wentworthclub.com/club/15/3016 |archivedate=1 December 2010}}</ref> and later at the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda.<ref name=alliss/>

==Tournament wins (11)== :''This list may be incomplete'' *1925 Leeds Cup, Glasgow Herald Tournament, British PGA Matchplay Championship *1926 Leeds Cup *1927 Ifield Tournament, British PGA Matchplay Championship *1928 Eastern Open Championship *1929 Roehampton Invitation<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3PRlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yIgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2646%2C5455591 |title=Compston wins by one hole |newspaper=The Vancouver Sun|date=13 April 1929 |accessdate=2011-02-10}}</ref> *1930 Daily Dispatch Southport Tournament<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v6NAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=laUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5797%2C1537851 |title=Great golf at Southport |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=10 May 1930 |accessdate=2011-02-12}}</ref> *1935 Roehampton Invitation<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0fU9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=EkkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4195%2C1261210 |title=Compston beats Padgham in final |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=8 April 1935 |accessdate=2011-02-13}}</ref> *1945 Yorkshire Evening News Tournament

==Results in major championships== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" !Tournament !1914 !1915 !1916 !1917 !1918 !1919 |- |align=left|The Open Championship |T73 |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |- |align=left|U.S. Open |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" !Tournament !1920 !1921 !1922 !1923 !1924 !1925 !1926 !1927 !1928 !1929 |- |align=left|The Open Championship |style="background:yellow;"|T9 |35 |27 |T59 |T21 |style="background:yellow;"|T2 |DQ |T23 |style="background:yellow;"|3 |12 |- |align=left|U.S. Open |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:yellow;"|T7 |T22 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" !Tournament !1930 !1931 !1932 !1933 !1934 !1935 !1936 !1937 !1938 !1939 |- |align=left|The Open Championship |style="background:yellow;"|T6 |T29 |style="background:yellow;"|T10 |T12 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |T49 |T44 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |CUT |- |align=left|U.S. Open |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |} {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" !Tournament !1940 !1941 !1942 !1943 !1944 !1945 !1946 !1947 |- |align=left|The Open Championship |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |T18 |CUT |- |align=left|U.S. Open |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"|NT |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |} ''Note: Compston only played in The Open Championship and the U.S. Open.''<br> {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} NT = No tournament<br> DQ = disqualified<br> CUT = missed the half-way cut<br> "T" indicates a tie for a place

==Team appearances== *Great Britain vs USA (representing Great Britain): 1926 (winners) *Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain): 1927, 1929 (winners), 1931 *France–Great Britain Professional Match (representing Great Britain): 1929 (winners, captain) *England–Scotland Professional Match (representing England): 1932 (winners), 1935 (winners) *England–Ireland Professional Match (representing England): 1932 (winners)

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{navboxes|title=Archie Compston in the Ryder Cup |list1= {{1927 Great Britain Ryder Cup team}} {{1929 Great Britain Ryder Cup team}} {{1931 Great Britain Ryder Cup team}} }} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Compston, Archie}} Category:English male golfers Category:Ryder Cup competitors for Europe Category:Sportspeople from Wolverhampton Category:1893 births Category:1962 deaths Category:20th-century English sportsmen