# Graham Marsh

Graham Vivian Marsh MBE (born 14 January 1944) is an Australian golfer. In 1968, Marsh turned pro and won several tournaments on the Australasian circuits early in his career. He joined the PGA Tour in the mid-1970s and won the 1977 Heritage Classic. However, he elected to focus the remainder of his career overseas, ultimately winning ten times on the European Tour and twenty times on the Japan Golf Tour. As a senior, he continued with much success on the Champions Tour, winning two senior majors, including the U.S. Senior Open.

## Early life

Marsh was born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. His brother was cricketer Rod Marsh.
Marsh attended the University of Western Australia and Claremont Teachers College. Marsh is a former mathematics teacher.

## Professional career

Marsh's first professional tournament was in May 1968 at South Australian Open. He finished in solo third place. Peter Thomson, writing about the event for The Age, stated that "this talented player seems sure to finish higher before long." In 1970 he played well at New Zealand's Caltex Tournament. Entering the par-5 18th hole he was tied for the lead with Maurice Bembridge and Terry Kendall. However, he could only make par. His competitors played the hole under par to defeat him. Marsh finished in solo third at 287, one behind.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Marsh was a regular winner on the European Tour, the Japan Golf Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia. He also won several events in Asia outside Japan, winning the Asia Golf Circuit overall title in 1972 and 1973, and one on the U.S.-based PGA Tour, the 1977 Heritage Classic. Marsh had an outstanding win rate on the European Tour, where he accumulated eleven titles even though he never played more than seven events in Europe in a season. He also won the Colgate World Match Play Championship, which was not an official money European Tour event at the time, in England in 1977. He had 56 wins in all in his regular career, making him one of the most successful players of his era not to win a major championship.

### Senior career

As a senior, Marsh has played extensively in the United States on the Champions Tour winning six events including two senior majors: the 1997 U.S. Senior Open and the 1999 Tradition. He has also won the Japan Senior Open twice.
Marsh is also active in golf course design through Graham Marsh Golf Design which he established in 1986. The company's early projects were in Australia and Japan, but it later branched out to other parts of Asia, Europe and the United States. His work has included courses such as The Vines Resort (Perth), Palm Meadows Resort (Gold Coast) Old Silo (Kentucky), Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club (New South Wales) and Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club just to name a few. During this era, Marsh was also the chairman of the PGA Tour of Australasia as well.
In 2004, he became the first player on the four main golf tours (PGA Tour, European Tour, Champions Tour or the European Senior Tour) to ace the same hole twice in a tournament when he had a hole-in-one on No. 11 at Royal Portrush Golf Club during the 2004 Senior British Open Championship.

## Awards and honors

* In 1977, Marsh was voted Australian Sportsman of the year
* In 1977, Marsh was awarded the Golf Digest Rookie of the Year.
* In 1984, Marsh was made an MBE for services to golf.

## Professional wins (70)
### PGA Tour wins (1)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 27 Mar 1977 | Heritage Classic | −11 (65-72-67-69=273) | 1 stroke | Tom Watson |

### European Tour wins (10)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 30 Jul 1972 | Swiss Open | −14 (67-67-66-70=270) | 1 stroke | Tony Jacklin |
| 2 | 6 Aug 1972 | German Open | −13 (70-70-67-64=271) | 4 strokes | Brian Huggett |
| 3 | 30 Jun 1973 | Sunbeam Electric Scottish Open | −2 (72-69-68-77=286) | 6 strokes | Peter Oosterhuis |
| 4 | 25 Sep 1976 | Benson & Hedges International Open | −12 (67-66-71-68=272) | 2 strokes | Mark James |
| 5 | 29 Jul 1979 | Dutch Open | −3 (71-70-74-70=285) | 1 stroke | Antonio Garrido, Malcolm Gregson |
| 6 | 6 Oct 1979 | Dunlop Masters | −5 (70-68-72-73=283) | 1 stroke | Isao Aoki, Neil Coles |
| 7 | 10 Aug 1980 | Benson & Hedges International Open (2) | −16 (65-64-73-70=272) | 2 strokes | John Bland |
| 8 | 6 Sep 1981 | Dixcel Tissues European Open | −13 (67-72-68-68=275) | 2 strokes | Seve Ballesteros |
| 9 | 13 Jul 1985 | Lawrence Batley International Golf Classic | −5 (69-71-70-73=283) | 2 strokes | Rick Hartmann |
| 10 | 28 Jul 1985 | KLM Dutch Open (2) | −6 (68-68-73-73=282) | 1 stroke | Bernhard Langer |
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1975 | Scandinavian Enterprise Open | George Burns | Lost to par on first extra hole |

### Other European wins (3)

* 1970 Swiss Open
* 1977 Lancome Trophy, Colgate World Match Play Championship

### PGA of Japan Tour wins (20)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 12 Aug 1973 | Fujisankei Classic | −16 (68-66-70-68=272) | 1 stroke | Tōru Nakamura |
| 2 | 12 May 1974 | Fujisankei Classic (2) | −12 (71-67-71-67=276) | 1 stroke | Tōru Nakamura |
| 3 | 19 May 1974 | Dunlop Tournament | −12 (68-67-68-69=276) | 3 strokes | Masashi Ozaki, Teruo Sugihara |
| 4 | 26 May 1974 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament | −4 (71-74-72-67=284) | Playoff | Hsieh Yung-yo |
| 5 | 3 Nov 1974 | Bridgestone Tournament | −10 (67-75-67-69=278) | 1 stroke | Seiichi Numazawa |
| 6 | 15 Jun 1975 | Sapporo Tokyu Open | −8 (71-71-71-67=280) | 1 stroke | Hsieh Yung-yo, Shozo Miyamoto |
| 7 | 29 Aug 1976 | KBC Augusta | −9 (69-69-69=207)* | Playoff | Haruo Yasuda |
| 8 | 12 Sep 1976 | Suntory Open | −15 (66-68-66-73=273) | 3 strokes | Isao Aoki |
| 9 | 28 Nov 1976 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | −16 (66-69-65-72=272) | 6 strokes | Miller Barber |
| 10 | 1 May 1977 | Chunichi Crowns | E (71-73-70-66=280) | 4 strokes | Kenji Mori |
| 11 | 2 Sep 1979 | ANA Sapporo Open | −4 (71-73-68-72=284) | 2 strokes | Kikuo Arai |
| 12 | 3 May 1981 | Chunichi Crowns (2) | −3 (73-72-65-67=277) | 2 strokes | D. A. Weibring |
| 13 | 21 Jun 1981 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament (2) | −18 (70-68-66-66=270) | 1 stroke | Yutaka Hagawa |
| 14 | 30 May 1982 | Mitsubishi Galant Tournament (2) | −13 (66-69-69-67=271) | Playoff | Teruo Sugihara |
| 15 | 19 Jun 1983 | Yomiuri Open | −12 (72-71-67-70=280) | Playoff | Tōru Nakamura |
| 16 | 6 Oct 1985 | Tokai Classic | −10 (70-71-68-69=278) | 1 stroke | Isao Aoki |
| 17 | 14 Sep 1986 | Suntory Open (2) | −13 (67-69-67-72=275) | Playoff | Isao Aoki |
| 18 | 15 Nov 1987 | Visa Taiheiyo Club Masters | −12 (70-69-71-66=276) | 1 stroke | Tom Watson |
| 19 | 11 Jun 1989 | Sapporo Tokyu Open (2) | −6 (71-65-76-70=282) | 3 strokes | Katsuji Hasegawa, Tsuneyuki Nakajima |
| 20 | 30 Sep 1990 | Tokai Classic (2) | −10 (70-72-64=206)* | 2 strokes | Saburo Fujiki, Tadami Ueno |
*Note: Tournament shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (5–5)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1973 | World Friendship | Isao Aoki, Lu Liang-Huan | Lu won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1974 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament | Hsieh Yung-yo | Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
| 3 | 1976 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament | Brian Jones, Shozo Miyamoto, Peter Thomson | Thomson won with par on fourteenth extra hole Jones eliminated by par on fourth hole Miyamoto eliminated by par on first hole |
| 4 | 1976 | KBC Augusta | Haruo Yasuda | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 5 | 1978 | Japan Open Golf Championship | Seve Ballesteros | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 6 | 1982 | Fujisankei Classic | Tsuneyuki Nakajima | Lost to par on first extra hole |
| 7 | 1982 | Mitsubishi Galant Tournament | Teruo Sugihara | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 8 | 1983 | Pocari-Sweat Hakuryuko Open | Saburo Fujiki, Shinsaku Maeda, Hiroshi Makino | Makino won with birdie on second extra hole after three-hole aggregate playoff; Fujiki: −1 (3-4-4=11), Makino: −1 (3-4-4=11), Marsh: +1 (3-5-5=13), Maeda: +2 (4-5-5=14) |
| 9 | 1983 | Yomiuri Open | Tōru Nakamura | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 10 | 1986 | Suntory Open | Isao Aoki | Won with par on first extra hole |

### Other Japan wins (5)

* 1972 Dunlop Tournament
* 1973 Japan vs Australia Match individual
* 1975 Dunlop Wizard
* 1976 Dunlop Wizard
* 1977 Dunlop Wizard

### Asia Golf Circuit wins (5)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 21 Mar 1971 | Indian Open | −17 (66-66-74-69=275) | 1 stroke | David Graham |
| 2 | 25 Mar 1973 | Indian Open (2) | −12 (71-73-68-68=280) | 3 strokes | Stewart Ginn |
| 3 | 1 Apr 1973 | Thailand Open | −2 (75-73-66-72=286) | 2 strokes | Ben Arda, Mitsutaka Kono |
| 4 | 10 Mar 1974 | Malaysian Open | −10 (69-70-69-70=278) | 1 stroke | Wally Kuchar |
| 5 | 9 Mar 1975 | Malaysian Open (2) | −12 (66-69-71-70=276) | 2 strokes | Hsieh Min-Nan |
Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
| 1 | 1974 | Hong Kong Open | Lu Liang-Huan | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1974 | Indonesia Open | Ben Arda, Hsu Chi-san | Arda won with par on sixth extra hole Hsu eliminated by par on first hole |

### Other Asian wins (1)

* 1976 Dunhill International Match-Play (Hong Kong)

### PGA Tour of Australia wins (7)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 9 Apr 1978 | Western Australia PGA Championship | −8 (71-70-69-70=280) | 7 strokes | Graham Johnson |
| 2 | 24 Jan 1982 | Ford Dealers South Australian Open | −13 (71-67-67-70=275) | 8 strokes | Bill Dunk |
| 3 | 21 Feb 1982 | Australian Masters | −3 (71-72-71-75=289) | 1 stroke | Stewart Ginn |
| 4 | 17 Oct 1982 | Dunhill Queensland Open | −3 (73-69-70-73=285) | Playoff | Wayne Grady |
| 5 | 7 Nov 1982 | Mayne Nickless Australian PGA Championship | −6 (71-69-70-72=282) | 3 strokes | John Clifford, Ben Crenshaw, Bob Shearer |
| 6 | 30 Oct 1983 | Resch's Pilsner Tweed Classic | −12 (69-70-70-67=276) | 1 stroke | Terry Gale |
| 7 | 11 Dec 1983 | New Zealand PGA Championship | −11 (70-72-68-67=277) | 2 strokes | Vaughan Somers |
PGA Tour of Australia playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 1976 | Victorian Open | Guy Wolstenholme | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
| 2 | 1982 | Dunhill Queensland Open | Wayne Grady | Won with par on first extra hole |

### Other Australian wins (6)

* 1966 Royal Fremantle Open (as an amateur)
* 1966 Nedlands Masters (as an amateur)
* 1967 Nedlands Masters (as an amateur)
* 1968 Western Australian Open
* 1969 Western Australia PGA Championship
* 1976 Western Australian Open

### New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (2)

| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
| 1 | 19 Dec 1970 | Wattie's Tournament | −18 (65-65-62-70=262) | 3 strokes | Kel Nagle |
| 2 | 3 Jan 1971 | Spalding Masters | −14 (67-67-66-66=266) | 2 strokes | Guy Wolstenholme |

### Champions Tour wins (6)

* Legend
* Champions Tour major championships (2)
* Other Champions Tour (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
| 1 | 4 Jun 1995 | Bruno's Memorial Classic | −15 (68-63-70=201) | 5 strokes | J. C. Snead |
| 2 | 5 May 1996 | PaineWebber Invitational | −10 (66-71-69=206) | 1 stroke | Brian Barnes, Tom Wargo |
| 3 | 1 Sep 1996 | Franklin Quest Championship | −14 (70-65-67=202) | 2 strokes | Kermit Zarley |
| 4 | 22 Jun 1997 | Nationwide Championship | −18 (67-68-70=205) | 1 stroke | Hale Irwin |
| 5 | 29 Jun 1997 | U.S. Senior Open | −8 (72-67-67-74=280) | 1 stroke | John Bland |
| 6 | 4 Apr 1999 | The Tradition | −8 (69-67=136)* | 3 strokes | Larry Nelson |
*Note: The 1999 Tradition was shortened to 36 holes due to snow.
Champions Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
| 1 | 2004 | MasterCard Classic | Ed Fiori | Lost to par on third extra hole |

### Other senior wins (4)

* 1997 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with John Bland)
* 1998 Japan Senior Open
* 1999 Japan Senior Open
* 2010 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Raphael Division (with John Bland)

## Results in major championships

| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| Masters Tournament | | | | | T31 | T22 | T9 | T31 | | T28 |
| U.S. Open | | | | | | | | T35 | CUT | T16 |
| The Open Championship | T25 | 57 | T50 | T31 | T44 | 6 | T17 | T15 | CUT | T7 |
| PGA Championship | | | | | | | | T58 | T7 | T16 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 |
| Masters Tournament | T33 | | | | | | | | |
| U.S. Open | | | | | | | | | |
| The Open Championship | T45 | T19 | T25 | 4 | T9 | T20 | T56 | T11 | T38 |
| PGA Championship | | | | | | | | | |
| Tournament | 1991 | 1998 |
| Masters Tournament | | |
| U.S. Open | | CUT |
| The Open Championship | T44 | |
| PGA Championship | | |
CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place

### Summary

| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 19 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 33 | 30 |
* Most consecutive cuts made – 16 (1978 PGA – 1991 Open Championship)
* Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)

## Champions Tour major championships
### Wins (2)

| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Margin | Runner-up |
| 1997 | U.S. Senior Open | E (72-67-67-74=280) | 1 stroke | John Bland |
| 1999 | The Tradition | −8 (69-67=136) | 3 strokes | Larry Nelson |

## Team appearances

* Dunhill Cup (representing Australia): 1985 (winners)
* Four Tours World Championship (representing Australasia): 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991