The great Canada Cup golf win

THERE have been a number of golf competitions calling themselves some form of world championship. Many fell victim to more lucrative prize-money somewhere else in the world but the World Cup of Golf – previously the Canada Cup – has managed to survive. Ireland has a good record in it.
In recent years Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley won in 1997 and Ireland finished runners-up twice, in 2009 with Graeme McDowell and 1990 with David Feherty and Ronan Rafferty. Perhaps our greatest achievement was our earlier win in Mexico in 1958.
Canadian John Hopkins started the tournament to promote international goodwill in 1953. It remained known as the Canada Cup until 1967, when it was then called the World Cup. Throughout the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s it was one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments.
Until Harrington won his British Open title, the most talked about Irish involvement with that famous tournament was how Harry Bradshaw did not win it. Fred Daly had won in 1947 and finished runner-up in ’48. He did not take part in ’49 and Irish hopes rested on Bradshaw.
In the second round, one of his shots ended in broken glass and rather than take a drop, he played it as it lay. He barely moved the ball, dropped a shot and in the end, tied with Bobby Locke. Locke won the play-off. Bradshaw won 10 Irish PGA titles, two Irish Opens, two British Masters and played in three Ryder Cups. In 1958, he teamed up with Christy O’Connor to play in the Canada Cup.
O’Connor was probably Ireland’s greatest golfer. With the exception of one year, 1973, he had the incredible distinction of winning a professional tournament every year between 1955 and 1983. His record of  playing in every Ryder Cup between 1955 and 1973 stood until equaled by Nick Faldo. He won the first ever £1,000 prize offered in a tournament, the Swallow Penfold in 1955 and was the first person ever to win a prize of £25,000 in the John Player Classic, which in 1970 was the richest ever offered in golf. He also finished runner-up in the British Open in 1965. His standing in the game was such that he was known by his fellow professionals as ‘Himself’ and in 2009, he was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
When they went to Mexico City to play that tournament, not many in the country were aware of the fact. There was no television and the idea of sending radio reporters that far afield was unthinkable.
The Ireland of those days could easily be described as a depressing, if not oppressed, country. Unemployment was high and emigration was widespread. When news came of the Irish win in the Canada Cup, it gave a great boost to the entire country.
People who had never handled a golf club in their lives rejoiced. Like Ronnie Delany’s gold medal and Ballymoss winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, both also in the ’50s, it made the people of Ireland sit up and say “We can mix it with the best”.
That Canada Cup win, one of Ireland’s first ever team wins on a world stage, came in Mexico City on November 23, 1958 – 52 years ago this week.   

Michael Torpey