Peter McEvoy OBE
1953 – 2025
Celebrating one of the finest amateur golfers Great Britain & Ireland has ever produced — and a proud son of Copt Heath.
In Memory
"One of the most determined and competitive golfers ever to play the game."
Great Britain & Ireland has produced a number of distinguished amateur golfers in the post-war period. Amongst a group that includes Sir Michael Bonallack, Joe Carr and Gary Wolstenholme sits Peter McEvoy OBE — a technically flawless golfer whose success was built on long, straight driving, controlled approach play and impeccable putting.
Born in London in 1953 and raised in Renfrewshire, Peter first swung a club alongside his father. When his family moved to the West Midlands, he joined Copt Heath at the age of 13 — beginning a bond with this club that would last a lifetime. He became an honorary member and, even after moving to Troon in 2018, was still seen here regularly.
The Champion
Back-to-Back Amateur Champion
Peter won The Amateur Championship in both 1977 at Ganton and 1978 at Royal Troon — and remains the last player ever to successfully defend the title, a feat achieved by only a handful of golfers in the game's history.
Playing off a +2 handicap, he competed in 18 Amateur Championships, winning 54 of his 70 matches — a remarkable 77% win rate. He reached the final again in 1987 at Prestwick, driven on by a controversial non-selection for that year's Walker Cup.
On the World Stage
Walker Cups & World Titles
Peter represented GB&I in five Walker Cups and played in the Masters three times — in 1978 becoming just the second GB&I amateur ever to make the cut at Augusta, a distinction he still holds today. He twice earned low-amateur honours at The Open.
In 1988, aged 35, he won the World Amateur Individual title at the Eisenhower Trophy in Sweden as GB&I took the team event. He remains the only person to win the individual event as a player, the team event as a player, and the team event as a captain.
Perhaps the best golf captain, professional or amateur, ever.
On his legendary Walker Cup captaincy
The Captain & Statesman
A Leader of the Game
Peter enjoyed extraordinary success as a captain, leading GB&I to famous back-to-back Walker Cup wins at Nairn in 1999 and Sea Island in 2001 — the first consecutive victories in the event's history. Ahead of the 1999 match he even engaged Saatchi & Saatchi to produce a motivational film for his team.
He went on to chair the R&A Selection Committee, captain England's first team, and champion junior golf for decades — always cautioning young players against turning professional too soon. He was appointed OBE in 2003 and inducted into the England Golf Hall of Fame in 2024.
The Trophy
Born at Copt Heath
Following his Amateur Championship victories, Copt Heath invited Peter to suggest how the club might commemorate his achievements. His idea: a 72-hole competition, played over two days, for under-18 junior boys — held every year at Copt Heath.
First played in 1981, The Peter McEvoy Trophy has become the traditional curtain-raiser to the boys' golf season and one of the "must-enter" junior majors in the game. Every contestant now carries a scratch or better handicap.
A Remarkable Career
By the Numbers
A Proud Copt Heath Legacy
Golf was at the centre of Peter's life for over fifty years. As an elite player, captain, administrator, coach, designer and writer, his contribution to the amateur game is almost without parallel — and his Trophy ensures that legacy lives on at Copt Heath, every year.