Nationality Scotland U.S. Open DNP PGA Championship DNP Turned professional 1932 | Masters Tournament DNP The Open Championship T7: 1937 Died 20 October 1941 Professional wins 1 | |
William Laidlaw (1914 – 20 October 1941) was a Scottish professional golfer. He finished tied for 7th place in the 1937 Open Championship and won the 1938 Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament. He was killed during an RAF bombing raid on Bremen, aged 27.
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Golf career
Laidlaw was an assistant professional at Gleneagles Hotel (from 1932) and Malden (from 1934) and then with Henry Cotton at Ashridge Golf Club from the start of 1937. He became full professional at West Herts Golf Club in early 1939.
Laidlaw's big win was in the 1938 Daily Mirror Assistants' Tournament at Blackpool North Shore. He scored 289 for the 72 holes and won by 9 strokes from Alan Waters and Geoff White. Later in 1938 he was second in the Czechoslovak Open, although 11 strokes behind the winner, Henry Cotton.
Death
Pilot Officer Laidlaw was killed during an RAF raid on the night of 20/21 October 1941. Laidlaw was in No. 50 Squadron RAF and was involved in a raid on Bremen. He had left RAF Swinderby in a Handley Page Hampden.
Laidlaw married Pamela Mary Tanner, a singer, in 1940. They had a son, William, who was born in 1942.
Tournament wins
Results in major championships
Note: Laidlaw only played in The Open Championship.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = Missed the cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10.