Bill Laidlaw

{{short description|Scottish golfer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}} {{Use British English|date=January 2017}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Bill Laidlaw | image = | image_size = | caption = | fullname = | nickname = | birth_date = 1914  | birth_place = Perth, Scotland | death_date = 20 October 1941 (aged 27)  | death_place = Bremen, Nazi Germany | height =  | weight =  | nationality = {{SCO}} | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = | yearpro = 1932 | retired =  | extour =  | prowins = 1 | otherwins =  | majorwins =  | masters = DNP | usopen = DNP | open = T7: 1937 | pga = DNP | usamateur = | britamateur = | wghofid =  | wghofyear =  | award1 =  | year1 =  | award2 = | year2 = | awardssection =  }} '''William Laidlaw''' (1914 – 20 October 1941) was a Scottish professional golfer. He finished tied for 7th place in the 1937 Open Championship and won the 1938 Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament. He was killed during an RAF bombing raid on Bremen, aged 27.

==Golf career== Laidlaw was an assistant professional at Gleneagles Hotel (from 1932) and Malden (from 1934) and then with Henry Cotton at Ashridge Golf Club from the start of 1937. He became full professional at West Herts Golf Club in early 1939.

Laidlaw's big win was in the 1938 Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament at Blackpool North Shore. He scored 289 for the 72 holes and won by 9 strokes from Alan Waters and Geoff White.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NkZAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5421%2C4469383 |title=Scot clear of the field |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=29 July 1938 |page=19}}</ref> Later in 1938 he was second in the Czechoslovak Open, although 11 strokes behind the winner, Henry Cotton.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=27 August 1938 |page=3 |title=Golf – Czechoslovak Championship}}</ref>

==Death== Pilot Officer Laidlaw was killed during an RAF raid on the night of 20/21 October 1941. Laidlaw was in No. 50 Squadron RAF and was involved in a raid on Bremen. He had left RAF Swinderby in a Handley Page Hampden.<ref>{{cite web |title=Laidlaw, William |url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2199294/LAIDLAW,%20WILLIAM |work=cwgc.org |publisher=Commonwealth War Graves Commission |access-date=18 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aircrewremembered.com/BomberCommandDatabaseSearch/?q=AE383 |title=RAF Bomber Command Operational Losses Database |access-date=18 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506184040/http://www.aircrewremembered.com/BomberCommandDatabaseSearch/?q=AE383 |archive-date=6 May 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Bz9AAAAAIBAJ&pg=4928%2C1447743 |title=Scottish golfer missing |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=24 October 1941 |page=4}}</ref>

Laidlaw married Pamela Mary Tanner, a singer, in 1940. They had a son, William, who was born in 1942.

==Tournament wins== *1938 Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament

==Results in major championships== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;" !Tournament !1934 !1935 !1936 !1937 !1938 |- |align=left|The Open Championship |T35 |T18 |style="background:#eeeeee;"| |style="background:yellow;"|T7 |CUT |} ''Note: Laidlaw only played in The Open Championship.''<br> {{legend|yellow|Top 10}} {{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}} CUT = missed the half-way cut<br> "T" indicates a tie for a place

==Team appearances== *England–Scotland Professional Match (representing Scotland): 1935, 1936, 1938 *Triangular Professional Tournament (representing Scotland): 1937 (winners)

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laidlaw, Bill}} Category:Scottish male golfers Category:Golfers from Perth, Scotland Category:Royal Air Force officers Category:Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Category:1914 births Category:1941 deaths Category:20th-century Scottish sportsmen