Peter Alliss (28 February 1931 – 5 December 2020) was an English professional golfer, television presenter, commentator, author and golf course designer.
Alliss's father Percy was one of the leading British professional golfers in the 1920s and 1930s, winning many tournaments in Britain and Continental Europe.
In 1946, Alliss played golf for England boys against Scotland, winning both his foursomes and singles matches.
[7] In the subsequent Boys Amateur Championship, Alliss was the favourite but lost in the quarter-finals to Donald Dunstan from Manchester at the 19th hole.
[8] Alliss turned professional in 1947, at the age of 16, as an assistant to his father at Ferndown Golf Club in Dorset.
Peter and Percy travelled to the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake to play in the 1947 Open Championship.
[11] The PGA Assistants' Championship was restarted in 1949 and Alliss finished tied for 2nd place, five strokes behind Harry Weetman, 10 years his senior.
[17] Alliss was just 22 years old, the second youngest British Ryder Cup player at that time, a few months older than Henry Cotton in 1929.
However, Alliss, just off the green in 2, fluffed his chip, and eventually halved the hole in 6, to guarantee that the USA would retain the Ryder Cup.
The season ended with Alliss playing for the British Isles against the Rest of Europe in the inaugural Joy Cup.
[21] After this win Alliss had a disappointing season and although he finished tied for 5th in the Dunlop Masters, he was not chosen for the Ryder Cup team.
[22] Alliss had not been in the top 7 in the Order of Merit after the Open Championship and was relying on being one of the three selections after the Dunlop Masters.
[24] 1957 started with Alliss moving from Ferndown to nearby Parkstone Golf Club, where he was appointed full professional, following the death of Reg Whitcombe.
After his retirement as a player, Alliss worked full-time in television, becoming the lead BBC golf commentator in 1978.
Each series consisted of 6 programmes in which Alliss played a few holes of golf and chatted with a variety of famous people on a number of courses in the UK.
[32] In July 2005, he was honoured by the University of St Andrews, shortly before The Open Golf Championship, with the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
Alliss revealed that in 1993 he turned down an appointment as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to golf.
"[35] Alliss was a patron of the Wildlife Ark Trust, which is committed to the conservation in the UK of the red squirrel and the water vole.
[36] In 1999, Alliss received criticism from sections of the British media for scathing comments he made when Jean van de Velde folded in the Open Championship at Carnoustie.
During his commentary, Alliss branded Jean van de Velde's actions as "totally ridiculous" and said he was guilty of "pure madness".
[38] However, Alliss and Faldo later went on to work together at ABC Sports from 2004 to 2007, and again as part of the BBC's broadcast commentary team for the 2012 Open Championship.
[39] In May 2008, Alliss was involved in a heated exchange of views with English golfer Nick Dougherty over the course conditions at Wentworth Club during the BMW PGA Championship.
Alliss responded by accusing Dougherty and his generation of being "delicate", "thin-skinned", and unable to take constructive criticism.
Poulter said some of the pin positions were a "joke" and the 18th needed a "windmill and a clown face", like a crazy golf course.
Gary is a professional golfer and teacher and was captain of the Great Britain and Ireland PGA Cup team in 2007 and 2009.
For over 30 years Alliss lived in the village of Hindhead in Surrey, in a large house set in five acres of land.
"[45] British PGA circuit Playoff record (1–1) this list is probably incomplete Source:[46][47] Note: Alliss only played in the Masters Tournament and The Open Championship.