Introduction
Bernard John Hunt, MBE (2 February 1930 – 21 June 2013) was an English professional golfer.
Hunt was born in Atherstone, Warwickshire. He turned professional in 1946 and was a leading player on the European circuit in the 1950s and 1960s. He topped the Order of Merit, which was then points-based, in 1958, 1960 and 1965. The best season of his regular career in prize money terms was 1963, when he won £7,209. He was past his peak by the time the formal European Tour was introduced in 1972, but finished in the top twenty on the money list in 1973. He played on the European Seniors Tour in for its first seven seasons (1992–1998) but his opportunity to make an impact at this level was limited as he was sixty-two by the time the tour was founded. His best season was 1994, when he came fifteenth on the Order of Merit and earned £15,361.
Between 1953 and 1969 Hunt represented Great Britain in the Ryder Cup eight times out of nine. His overall win-loss-half record was 6–16–6, but his record in singles was much better at 4–3–3. In 1963 his younger brother Geoff was also in the team. He was the non-playing captain of the Great Britain & Ireland teams of 1973 and 1975, both of which were defeated by the United States.
One of the courses at Foxhills Golf Club located in Ottershaw, Surrey, is named after Hunt, where he served as head professional for 25 years in the 1980s and 1990s.
Hunt died in June 2013 at the age of 83.
Professional wins (>30)
- 1952 Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament
- 1953 Gor-Ray Cup, Spalding Tournament, Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament, Goodwin (Sheffield) Foursomes Tournament (with Jack Hargreaves), Gleneagles-Saxone Foursomes Tournament (with Stewart Ross)
- 1954 Goodwin (Sheffield) Foursomes Tournament (with Sidney Collins, Jr.)
- 1956 Egyptian Open
- 1957 Spalding Tournament, Belgian Open
- 1958 Irish Hospitals Tournament (tied with Frank Jowle), Bowmaker Tournament (tied with Peter Mills), Professional Short Course Championship
- 1959 Southern Professional Championship
- 1960 Pickering Tournament (with Geoffrey Hunt), Southern Professional Championship
- 1961 German Open, Daks Tournament, Martini International, Woodlawn Tournament (Germany)
- 1962 Brazil Open, Smart Weston Southern Professional Championship
- 1963 British Masters, Smart Weston Tournament, Swallow-Penfold Tournament, Gevacolor Tournament, Carroll Sweet Afton Tournament
- 1964 Rediffusion Tournament
- 1965 Gallaher Ulster Open, British Masters
- 1966 Piccadilly Tournament
- 1967 French Open, Gallaher Ulster Open
- 1968 Basildon Tournament
- 1969 Algarve Open, Italian BP Open
- 1970 Agfa-Gevaert Tournament, Sumrie Better-Ball (with Neil Coles), Penfold Tournament
- 1971 W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament
- 1973 Sumrie Better-Ball (with Neil Coles)
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | 46 | T34 | CUT | T5 | T31 | T24 | T30 | T11 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T26 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T3 | CUT | T16 | T11 | 4 | T5 | CUT | T36 | CUT | T23 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T20 | CUT | T49 | T42 |
Note: Hunt only played in The Open Championship and the Masters Tournament.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1970 & 1972)
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 23 | 17 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 18 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (1955 Open Championship – 1960 Open Championship)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (four times)
Team appearances
- Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain): 1953, 1957 (winners), 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969
- World Cup (representing England): 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968
- Joy Cup (representing the British Isles): 1958 (winners)
- Amateurs–Professionals Match (representing the Professionals): 1957 (winners), 1958, 1959 (winners), 1960 (winners)
- Double Diamond International (representing England): 1971 (winners, captain), 1972 (winners, captain), 1973 (captain)