Neil Coles
| Neil Coles, MBE | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Neil Chapman Coles, MBE |
| Born |
26 September 1934 London, England |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 182 lb (83 kg; 13.0 st) |
| Nationality |
 England
|
| Residence | Walton-on-Thames, England |
| Spouse | Ann |
| Children | Keith, Gary |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1950 |
| Former tour(s) |
European Tour European Seniors Tour |
| Professional wins | 50 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 7 |
| European Senior Tour | 9 |
| Other | 28 (regular) 6 (senior) |
| Best results in major championships |
|
| Masters Tournament | WD: 1966 |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T2: 1973 |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 2000 (member page) |
| Harry Vardon Trophy | 1963, 1970 |
Neil Chapman Coles, MBE (born 26 September 1934) is an English professional golfer. Coles had a successful career in European golf, winning 29 important tournaments between 1956 and 1982. After reaching 50 he won a further 14 important Seniors tournaments between 1985 and 2002, winning his final European Seniors Tour event at the age of 67. He also played in eight Ryder Cup matches between 1961 and 1977.
While he never became one of the leading stars of global golf, and did not win a major championship, Coles was remarkable for his consistency, and even more for his durability. He was five times a top-ten finisher in the Open Championship, finishing third in 1961 and second in 1973, although arguably his closest chances came in 1970 (when he led after a first-round 65 and was only 3 off the lead going into the final round) and 1975 (where he followed second and third rounds of 69 and 67 with a 74 at Carnoustie, when a 70 would have earned him the Claret Jug). He led the British Order of Merit in both 1963 and 1970, and maintained a top-ten position in the Merit list for almost every year of the 1960s and 1970s decades. He was ranked 7th in the world on the inaugural Mark McCormack's world golf rankings in December 1968, a position he regained at the end of 1970. Even at the peak of his career he made few appearances in the United States because of his fear of flying.
He finished in the top ten on the European Seniors Tour's order of merit eight times between 1992 and 2000. Coles was the winner of the inaugural Senior British Open Championship. In 2002, during which season he turned sixty eight, he finished eleventh. In that year he won the Lawrence Batley Seniors at the age of 67 years and 276 days, beating his own record for the oldest winner of a European Seniors Tour event, set in 2000. He also had a third-place finish in 2003. His final win tally on the Senior Tour was nine. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000.
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