For most of its existence it acted as the Midland section qualifying event for the News of the World Match Play.
[7] Some of the money raised was used to purchase a new trophy, the "Midland Challenge Cup", which was first awarded at the 1903 open meeting at Hollinwell.
Qualification was based on individual stroke-play, qualifiers being drawn randomly into pairs for the finals stage.
The Midland section took the opportunity to switch the events; the Midland Challenge Cup being played as an open event in April, serving as the qualifying for the Sphere and Tatler Foursomes in May, while the championship was held in the autumn and acted as qualification for the News of the World Match Play, for which five places were now available.
He was tied with Jack B. Ross but won the playoff the next day by six strokes,[22] In May 1919 the Midland section held a "Victory Tournament".
[23] Although the Sphere and Tatler Foursomes was not revived after the war, another event, the 72-hole Daily Mail Tournament, replaced it in the calendar and also involved sectional qualifying.
The Midland Challenge Cup continued to be played in April acting as the qualification event for the Daily Mail tournament.
At Hollinwell in 1920 the cup was won by Hugh Roberts, a stroke ahead of Tom Williamson.
[24] Len Holland won in 1921, beating Arthur Ham and Alfred Matthews in an 18-hole playoff.
The Midland Challenge Cup was awarded to the winner of the News of the World qualifying event, as was the case before 1911.
Tom Barber won the cup in 1928, after a playoff against Charles Pixton, and retained it the following year.
[34][35][36][37] In early 1940 the cup was awarded to the leading qualifier in the Midland section of the Daily Mail Tournament, and was won by Tom Haliburton.
He was not eligible to win the Midland Challenge Cup, which was won by Moffitt, the runner-up in the event.
[43] From 1962 sectional qualification for the News of the World championship was replaced by local qualifying on the two days prior to the knock-out stage.