Introduction
Brian J. Waites (born 1 March 1940) is an English professional golfer.
Waites turned professional in 1957 and played on the European Tour through most of the 1970s and 1980s. He was in his prime between 1978 and 1984, ranking between 10th and 22nd on the Order of Merit in each of those seven years. He won two European Tour events. Waites was a member of the losing 1983 European Ryder Cup team and represented England three times at the World Cup.
Waites joined the European Seniors Tour in its 1992 debut season and had a successful career at that level, winning four tournaments and making the top ten on the Order of Merit four times. He was the first man to play 100 tournaments on the European Seniors Tour. Waites was also the club professional at Notts Golf Club between 1969 and 1998. He won the Nottinghamshire Championship seven times, the Notts Professional Strokeplay Championship seven times and the Notts Professional Matchplay Championship five times.
Professional wins
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 Sep 1978 | Tournament Players Championship | −6 (75-69-73-69=286) | 1 stroke |  Neil Coles |
| 2 | 23 May 1982 | Car Care Plan International | −8 (68-69-66-73=276) | 1 stroke |  Brian Barnes, Paul Hoad |
Other regular career wins (24)
- 1969 Nottinghamshire Championship, Notts Professional Strokeplay Championship, Notts Professional Matchplay Championship
- 1971 Nottinghamshire Championship, Notts Professional Matchplay Championship
- 1972 Notts Professional Strokeplay Championship
- 1973 Nottinghamshire Championship
- 1974 Nottinghamshire Championship
- 1975 Notts Professional Strokeplay Championship, Notts Professional Matchplay Championship
- 1977 Notts Professional Matchplay Championship
- 1978 Nottinghamshire Championship
- 1980 Benson & Hedges Kenya Open, Mufulira Open, Notts Professional Strokeplay Championship
- 1981 Notts Professional Strokeplay Championship
- 1982 Mufulira Open, Zambia Open, Nottinghamshire Championship
- 1985 Cock of the North (Zambia)
- 1986 Nottinghamshire Championship, Notts Professional Strokeplay Championship
- 1989 Notts Professional Strokeplay Championship, Notts Professional Matchplay Championship
Pre-1992 senior wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 Jun 1990 | Trusthouse Forte PGA Seniors Championship | −3 (69-66-68-66=269) | 4 strokes | Neil Coles |
| 2 | 16 Jun 1991 | Trusthouse Forte PGA Seniors Championship | −7 (69-69-69-70=277) | 3 strokes | Neil Coles |
European Seniors Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 Jun 1994 | D Day Seniors Open | −10 (69-66-71=206) | 6 strokes |  Antonio Garrido |
| 2 | 20 Aug 1995 | Northern Electric Seniors | −1 (72-70-73=215) | 2 strokes | Francisco Abreu, Peter Butler, Neil Coles,  Noel Ratcliffe, Bobby Verwey |
| 3 | 10 Aug 1997 | Credit Suisse Private Banking Seniors Open | −7 (63-69-71=203) | Playoff | Malcolm Gregson |
| 4 | 26 Sep 1998 | Elf Seniors Open | −12 (66-66-63=195) | 4 strokes |  Denis O'Sullivan |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T34 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | DNP | T58 | DNP | DNP | 51 | T40 | CUT | T52 | DNP | CUT |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T32 | T50 | T47 | T19 | CUT |
Note: The Open Championship was the only major Waites played.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1976 and 1984 Open Championships)
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
Team appearances
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 1983
- World Cup (representing England): 1980, 1982, 1983
- Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1980 (winners), 1982 (winners), (representing England) 1984 (winners)
- PGA Cup/Diamondhead Cup (representing Great Britain and Ireland/Europe): 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 (winners), 1979 (winners), 1990
- Praia D'el Rey European Cup: 1997 (winners), 1998 (tie)