1931 Amateur Championship: Eric Martin Smith wins at Royal North Devon Golf Club
Eric Martin Smith won the 1931 Amateur Championship at Royal North Devon Golf Club in Westward Ho!, Devon, beating John de Forest 1 up in the final.
Updated 23 October 2026
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- Edition
- 42nd
- Dates
- 22 May 1931
- Course
- Royal North Devon Golf Club, Westward Ho!, Devon
- Format
- match play
- Champion
- Eric Martin Smith · age 22 · England · Royal St George's
- Champion's title
- 1st Amateur Championship title
- Runner-up
- John de Forest · age 24 · England
- Final
- 1 up (36-hole final)
- Losing semifinalists
- J. D. MacCormack and William Tulloch
- Defending champion
- Bobby Jones · did not play
What happened at the 1931 Amateur Championship
Final: all square with two to play; Martin Smith won 1 up on the 36th green as the crowd stampeded across the course - the two youngest finalists to that date (22 and 24)
Fifth round: ex-coal-miner Sid Roper beat the American favourite George Voigt 1 up; W. Tulloch beat Roger Wethered 1 up and Tippett beat Cyril Tolley 3 & 2
The draw
Every match is recorded through the quarterfinal; earlier rounds are partial (round of 16 (3 of 8)).
The final, 1931 Amateur Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Martin Smith | def. | John de Forest | 1 up |
Semifinals, 1931 Amateur Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John de Forest | def. | William Tulloch | 1 up |
| Eric Martin Smith | def. | J. D. MacCormack | 1 up |
Quarterfinals, 1931 Amateur Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John de Forest | def. | Sid Roper | 2 & 1 |
| Eric Martin Smith | def. | Peter Miller | 2 & 1 |
| William Tulloch | def. | John Morrison | 3 & 1 |
| J. D. MacCormack | def. | H. C. C. Tippet | 2 & 1 |
Round of 16, 1931 Amateur Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sid Roper | def. | George Voigt | 1 up |
| William Tulloch | def. | Roger Wethered | 1 up |
| H. C. C. Tippet | def. | Cyril Tolley | 3 & 2 |
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's Amateur Championship data set (research collected through 20 October 2026). "unknown" means no source confirmed it; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the R&A's own record is used.
Data: the-amateur.json.