Golf Network News ← Back to the clubhouseClubhouse

Dai Rees

Wales · born , Font-y-Gary, near Barry, Wales · died

7.5Ryder Cup points from 18 matches

Summary

  • Ryder Cup 9 Cups · 7-10-1 · 7.5 points (41.7%)
  • Singles 5-5-0 · Foursomes 2-5-1 · Four-ball 0-0-0
  • Ryder Cup captain 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1967
  • Best major finish runner-up, 1953 Open, 1954 Open and 1961 Open
  • Open top 10s 1946 (T4), 1950 (T3), 1959 (T9), 1960 (T9)

Near misses

  1. 1946 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T4 · 295
  2. 1950 The Open Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · finished T3 · 282
  3. 1953 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · runner-up to Ben Hogan · 286
  4. 1954 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · runner-up to Peter Thomson · 284
  5. 1959 The Open Muirfield · finished T9 · 289
  6. 1960 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T9 · 286
  7. 1961 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · runner-up to Arnold Palmer · 285

Ryder Cup

9 Cups, 18 matches: 7 won, 10 lost, 1 halved, 7.5 points. Foursomes 2-5-1, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 5-5-0.

  1. 1937 Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club GB · USA won 8–4 · 1-0-1, 1.5 points
  2. 1947 Portland Golf Club GB · USA won 11–1 · 0-2-0, 0 points
  3. 1949 Ganton Golf Club GB · USA won 7–5 · 1-0-0, 1 point
  4. 1951 Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 GB · USA won 9.5–2.5 · 0-2-0, 0 points
  5. 1953 Wentworth Club (course not named in sources found) GB · USA won 6.5–5.5 · 0-1-0, 0 points
  6. 1955 Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club GB · USA won 8–4 · 0-2-0, 0 points · automatic
  7. 1957 Lindrick Golf Club GB · GB won 7.5–4.5 · 2-0-0, 2 points · automatic
  8. 1959 Eldorado Country Club GB · USA won 8.5–3.5 · 0-2-0, 0 points · automatic
  9. 1961 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club GB · USA won 14.5–9.5 · 3-1-0, 3 points · automatic
  10. 1955 Captain GB · lost 4–8
  11. 1957 Captain GB · won 7.5–4.5
  12. 1959 Captain GB · lost 3.5–8.5
  13. 1961 Captain GB · lost 9.5–14.5
  14. 1967 Captain GB · lost 8.5–23.5

Rivals

Beat him

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Ben Hogan's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1937 Ryder Cup Henry Cotton beat Tony Manero 5 & 3 and Dai Rees beat Byron Nelson 3 & 1, but the USA won the last four singles to become the first visiting team to win.
  2. 1951 Ryder Cup Jimmy Demaret got up and down from 10 of 11 greenside bunkers and closed out Dai Rees 2 up by holing from a bunker on the 35th hole.
  3. 1957 Ryder Cup Captain Dai Rees dropped Max Faulkner and Harry Weetman from the singles; Weetman said he would never play under Rees again and was suspended by the PGA for 12 months (lifted 17 April 1958).
  4. 1961 Ryder Cup Arnold Palmer debuted 3-0-1 to lead the USA with 3.5 points, while playing captain Dai Rees went 3-1 in his final playing appearance, 24 years after his 1937 debut.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1961 The Open

    Runner-up to Arnold Palmer · 285.

    Chosen by rule: the most recent of the best major finishes. Year page: 1961.

    Career line, 1937–1961

    The Open
    1946 The Open: finished T41950 The Open: finished T31953 The Open: runner-up to Ben Hogan1954 The Open: runner-up to Peter Thomson1959 The Open: finished T91960 The Open: finished T91961 The Open: runner-up to Arnold Palmer
    Ryder Cup
    1937 Ryder Cup (GB): 1-0-11947 Ryder Cup (GB): 0-2-01949 Ryder Cup (GB): 1-0-01951 Ryder Cup (GB): 0-2-01953 Ryder Cup (GB): 0-1-01955 Ryder Cup (GB): 0-2-01957 Ryder Cup (GB): 2-0-01959 Ryder Cup (GB): 0-2-01961 Ryder Cup (GB): 3-1-0
    194019501960

    16 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Runner-up
    • Top 10
    • Ryder Cup, GB / Europe

    Dai Rees was born in 1913 in Font-y-Gary, near Barry, Wales. Rees' best major finish was second, at the 1953 Open, the 1954 Open and the 1961 Open. Rees played in 9 Ryder Cups for GB (1937, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961), winning 7, losing 10 and halving 1 of 18 matches for 7.5 points, and captained the side in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1967.

    See Dai Rees in our rooms: The Open and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1946 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T4 · 295
    2. 1950 The Open Troon Golf Club (Old Course) · finished T3 · 282
    3. 1953 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · runner-up to Ben Hogan · 286
    4. 1954 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · runner-up to Peter Thomson · 284
    5. 1959 The Open Muirfield · finished T9 · 289
    6. 1960 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T9 · 286
    7. 1961 The Open Royal Birkdale Golf Club · runner-up to Arnold Palmer · 285

    Ryder Cup

    Rees played 9 Ryder Cups for GB: 18 matches, 7 won, 10 lost, 1 halved, 7.5 points (41.7% of those available). By format: foursomes 2-5-1, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 5-5-0 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1937 Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club GB · USA won 8–4 · 1-0-1, 1.5 points
    2. 1947 Portland Golf Club GB · USA won 11–1 · 0-2-0, 0 points
    3. 1949 Ganton Golf Club GB · USA won 7–5 · 1-0-0, 1 point
    4. 1951 Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 GB · USA won 9.5–2.5 · 0-2-0, 0 points
    5. 1953 Wentworth Club (course not named in sources found) GB · USA won 6.5–5.5 · 0-1-0, 0 points
    6. 1955 Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club GB · USA won 8–4 · 0-2-0, 0 points · automatic
    7. 1957 Lindrick Golf Club GB · GB won 7.5–4.5 · 2-0-0, 2 points · automatic
    8. 1959 Eldorado Country Club GB · USA won 8.5–3.5 · 0-2-0, 0 points · automatic
    9. 1961 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club GB · USA won 14.5–9.5 · 3-1-0, 3 points · automatic
    10. 1955 Captain GB · lost 4–8
    11. 1957 Captain GB · won 7.5–4.5
    12. 1959 Captain GB · lost 3.5–8.5
    13. 1961 Captain GB · lost 9.5–14.5
    14. 1967 Captain GB · lost 8.5–23.5

    Partners, with matches played together: Ken Bousfield (4), Charles Whitcombe (1), Sam King (1), Max Faulkner (1), Harry Bradshaw (1).

    Sources

    Elsewhere: Wikipedia.

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. WP: List of European Ryder Cup golfers
    2. WP: Dai Rees
    3. R&A 1946
    4. R&A 1950
    5. Golf Compendium 1959
    6. R&A 1960
    7. GC: 1937 ryder cup
    8. Wikipedia: 1937 Ryder Cup
    9. GC: 1947 ryder cup
    10. Wikipedia: 1947 Ryder Cup
    11. GC: 1949 ryder cup
    12. Wikipedia: 1949 Ryder Cup
    13. GC: 1951 ryder cup
    14. Wikipedia: 1951 Ryder Cup
    15. GC: 1953 ryder cup
    16. Wikipedia: 1953 Ryder Cup
    17. GC: 1955 ryder cup
    18. Wikipedia: 1955 Ryder Cup
    19. GC: 1957 ryder cup
    20. Wikipedia: 1957 Ryder Cup
    21. GC: 1959 ryder cup
    22. Wikipedia: 1959 Ryder Cup
    23. GC: 1961 ryder cup
    24. WP 1961
    25. WP Ryder Cup