Frank Stafford Phillips (24 July 1932 – 2 May 2023) was an Australian professional golfer.
Career Phillips was born in Moss Vale, New South Wales on 24 July 1932. In Jack Pollard's book, Australian Golf: The Game and the Players, Phillips is described as "a tall Sydney professional who built an outstanding record in Australian golf in the 1950s and 1960s."
He was rated one of the best ball strikers of his era winning the 1957 and 1961 Australian Opens.
Personal life Phillips died at a nursing home in Bowral on 2 May 2023, at the age of 90.
Awards and honors
In 2002, Phillips became a Life Member of the PGA of Australia. In 2017, Phillips was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours for service to golf.
Professional wins (38) Asia Golf Circuit wins (5) No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-up125 Feb 1962Malayan Open−20 (71-71-64-70=276)1 stroke Bob Charles, Peter Thomson27 Mar 1965Singapore Open−13 (72-70-71-66=279)2 strokes Tadashi Kitta34 Apr 1965Yomiuri InternationalE (72-73-74-69=288)1 stroke Chen Ching-Po427 Mar 1966Hong Kong Open−5 (69-66-68-72=275)2 strokes Hideyo Sugimoto54 Mar 1973Hong Kong Open (2)−6 (74-69-68-67=278)1 stroke Ben Arda
Australia and New Zealand wins (29) 1955 New Zealand PGA Championship 1956 New South Wales Close 1957 New South Wales PGA, Australian Open 1959 Lakes Open, ACT Open 1960 New South Wales Open, ACT Open, Lakes Open, Standard-Triumph Tournament, North Coast Open 1961 Australian Open 1962 New South Wales Open, Tasmanian Open, North Coast Open, West End Tournament 1963 Adelaide Advertiser Tournament (tie with Bruce Devlin) 1964 Victorian Open, Adelaide Advertiser Tournament, West End Tournament (tie with Walter Godfrey) 1966 New South Wales Open, Victorian Open, Lakes Open 1967 Aeron Tournament 1969 Aeron Tournament 1970 New South Wales Open, West End Tournament 1971 Tasmanian Open 1976 Ben Guzzardi Classic
European circuit wins (1) 1968 Woodlawn International Invitational
Other wins (3) 1960 Philippine Open 1961 Singapore Open 1975 Air New Zealand Fiji Open
Results in major championships Tournament1956195719581959196019611962196319641965196619671968Masters TournamentCUTCUTU.S. OpenCUTThe Open ChampionshipCUTT41T1812CUT Note: Phillips never played in the PGA Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1968 Open Championship) "T" = tied
Team appearances Canada Cup (representing Australia): 1958 Slazenger Trophy (representing British Commonwealth and Empire): 1956 Vicars Shield (representing New South Wales): 1954 (winners), 1956 (winners)
References