Tony Gresham

{{Short description|Australian amateur golfer (1940–2025)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Use Australian English|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Tony Gresham<br />{{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=AUS|OAM}}}} | image = | imagesize =  | caption = | fullname = Anthony Yale Gresham | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|12|4|df=y}} | birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|1|13|1940|12|4|df=y}} | death_place = | height = | weight = | nationality = {{AUS}} | residence = | spouse = | partner = | children = | college = | status = Amateur | yearpro =  | retired =  | prowins = 2 | auswins = 2 | otherwins = | majorwins =  | masters = | usopen = | open = | pga = | wghofid =  | wghofyear =  | award1 =  | year1 =  | award2 = | year2 = | awardssection =  }}

'''Anthony Yale Gresham''', {{post-nominals|country=AUS|OAM}} (4 December 1940 – 13 January 2025) was an Australian amateur golfer. He won the 1977 Australian Amateur and represented Australia in seven successive Eisenhower Trophy events between 1968 and 1980. He also won two professional events, the 1975 New South Wales Open and the 1978 South Australian Open.

Gresham died after a long illness on 13 January 2025, at the age of 84.<ref>{{cite news |title=Vale: Tony Gresham, OAM |url=https://www.golfnsw.org.au/news/2025/01/13/76636/vale-tony-gresham-oam/ |access-date=13 January 2025 |publisher=Golf NSW |date=13 January 2025}}</ref>

==Golf career== Gresham reached four finals of the Australian Amateur, although he only won once, beating Chris Bonython at the 40th hole in 1977.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aO9hAAAAIBAJ&pg=5996%2C5353215 |newspaper=The Age |title=Finally it's Gresham's title – at the 40th! |first=Peter |last=Stone |date=17 October 1977 |page=32 |access-date=10 February 2021 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref> He lost to Ray Jenner in 1973, Peter Sweeney in 1976 and Mike Clayton in 1978.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=T-FUAAAAIBAJ&pg=2509%2C6252952 |newspaper=The Age |title=National golf title to Jenner 4 and 2 |first=Peter |last=Stone |date=24 September 1973 |page=24 |access-date=10 February 2021 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110826772 |title=Two eagles on way to golf win |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=51 |issue=14,488 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=20 September 1976 |access-date=10 February 2021 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=avRUAAAAIBAJ&pg=1483%2C1590513 |newspaper=The Age |title=Mike proves he's top of title class |first=Peter |last=Stone |date=18 September 1978 |page=32 |access-date=10 February 2021 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref> He was also a medalist four times, in 1967, 1975, 1977 and 1981.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://assets.ctfassets.net/3urhge2ecl20/2Th1kT4FIiKeBfuM8qGk4S/1460de89d5b7965d28d0cbc83d4f88d5/2020_Australian_Men_s_Amateur_Honour_Roll.pdf |title=History & Honour Roll – Australian Men's Stroke Play and Amateur Championship |publisher=Golf Australia |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref> Gresham won the New South Wales Amateur Championship three times, in 1970, 1972 and 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.golfnsw.org.au/tournaments/2018/12/16/818/nsw-amateur-championship/ |title=NSW Amateur Championship – Honour Roll: Men |publisher=Golf NSW |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref> He won the New South Wales Medal six times in the first 11 times the event was contested, winning in 1968, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1977 and 1978.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ygtkAAAAIBAJ&pg=4031%2C1510753 |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |title=Colourful Gresham has dazzling five-stroke win |date=4 July 1978 |page=22 |access-date=18 February 2021 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref> He was also a joint winner, with Ray Picker, in 1986.<ref name=nm>{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/golfnsw/docs/nswga_annual_report_2010/25 |title=NSW Golf Association Sixty Second Annual Report 2010 |publisher=NSW Golf Association |page=23 |access-date=19 February 2021}}</ref> Before the founding of the NSW Medal, in 1968, he had led the 36-hole qualifying for the NSW amateur twice, in 1964 and 1967.<ref name=nm/>

In 1979, 1980 and 1981, Gresham travelled to Europe to play in the Amateur Championship. In 1979 he reached the semi-finals before losing 3&2 to Scott Hoch.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110951182 |title=Gresham's run of wins ends |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=53 |issue=15966 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=10 June 1979 |access-date=10 February 2021 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> In 1980 he won the French Amateur Championship, beating fellow Australian John Kelly 4&2 in the final, but lost at the 20th hole to Jamie Moffat in a second round match in the Amateur Championship.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rv9jAAAAIBAJ&pg=2277%2C9834839 |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |title=Gresham's French win |date=28 May 1980 |page=52 |access-date=10 February 2021 |via=Google news archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9v1jAAAAIBAJ&pg=6763%2C3701926 |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |title=Gresham beaten at 20th hole |date=12 June 1980 |page=30 |access-date=10 February 2021 |via=Google news archive}}</ref> He reached the semi-final of the Amateur Championship again in 1981, losing 2&1 to American Joel Hirsch.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=J4ZWAAAAIBAJ&pg=4051%2C2031903 |newspaper=The Sun-Herald |title=Tony out, but Greg fights on |date=7 June 1981 |page=63 |access-date=10 February 2021 |via=Google news archive}}</ref>

Gresham won two professional events, the 1975 New South Wales Open at Manly, where he finished a stroke ahead of Bill Dunk, and the 1978 South Australian Open at Glenelg, which he won by 6 strokes from fellow amateur Chris Bonython, Rodger Davis taking the first prize as the leading professional.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110663537 |title=Gresham wins Open |newspaper=The Canberra Times |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=20 October 1975 |access-date=10 February 2021 |page=12 |via=Trove}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9gdkAAAAIBAJ&pg=4505%2C154725 |newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald |title=Open to Gresham |date=1 May 1978 |page=24 |access-date=10 February 2021 |via=Google news archive}}</ref>

Gresham played in seven successive Eisenhower Trophy contests from 1968 to 1980. The Australian team took the silver medal in 1972 and the bronze medal in 1976 and 1978.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.igfgolf.org/watc/mens-records/ |title=World Amateur Team Championships – Men's Records |publisher=International Golf Federation |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref> In 1972 in Buenos Aires, he was leading individual scorer, two strokes ahead of Ben Crenshaw and Vinny Giles.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gsites.brightspotcdn.com/0f/4c/8ada2bee4e9d6706691a843dc72a/1972-wagtc.pdf |title=Record Book 1972 World Amateur Golf Team Championships |publisher=World Amateur Golf Council |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref> He also represented Australia in the 1971 Commonwealth Tournament in Auckland, and four times in the Sloan Morpeth Trophy against New Zealand.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wNk9AAAAIBAJ&pg=2998%2C1404806 |title=Britain third to Canada |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=5 |date=25 October 1971 |access-date=10 February 2021 |via=Google news archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://assets.ctfassets.net/3urhge2ecl20/4jdnPTTPhhM37ixwrkjAfi/64a9cfcb11866e4b6242250c62b93e27/00031350-source.pdf |publisher=Golf Australia |title=Sloan Morpeth Trophy |access-date=10 February 2021}}</ref>

==Awards== Gresham was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 1988 Australia Day Honours for services to golf.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101972178 |title=Australia Day Honours List |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=62 |issue=19105 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=26 January 1988 |access-date=10 February 2021 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Amateur wins== *1968 New South Wales Medal *1970 New South Wales Amateur Championship *1972 New South Wales Medal, New South Wales Amateur Championship *1974 New South Wales Medal *1976 New South Wales Medal *1977 New South Wales Medal, Australian Amateur *1978 New South Wales Medal *1980 French Open Amateur Championship, New South Wales Amateur Championship *1986 New South Wales Medal (tied with Ray Picker)

==Professional wins (2)== ===PGA Tour of Australasia wins (2)=== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;" !No.!!Date!!Tournament!!Winning score!!Margin of<br>victory!!Runner-up |- |align=center|1 |align=right|19 Oct 1975 |New South Wales Open<br>(as an amateur) |−13 (66-69-69-71=275) |1 stroke |{{flagicon|AUS}} Bill Dunk |- |align=center|2 |align=right|31 May 1978 |South Australian Open<br>(as an amateur) |−6 (71-70-68-73=282) |6 strokes |{{flagicon|AUS}} Chris Bonython (a) |}

==Team appearances== * Eisenhower Trophy (representing Australia): 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980 * Commonwealth Tournament (representing Australia): 1971 * Sloan Morpeth Trophy (representing Australia): 1969 (winners), 1976, 1977 (winners), 1980 * Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing New South Wales): 1963, 1964 (winners), 1966, 1967 (winners), 1968, 1969 (winners), 1970 (winners), 1971, 1973 (winners), 1974, 1975, 1976 (winners), 1977, 1978 (winners), 1979, 1980 (winners), 1981 (winners), 1982

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gresham, Tony}} Category:Australian male golfers Category:Amateur golfers Category:Golfers from Sydney Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Category:Sportsmen from New South Wales Category:1940 births Category:2025 deaths Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen