1956 Amateur Championship: John Beharrell wins at Troon Golf Club (Old Course)

John Beharrell won the 1956 Amateur Championship at Troon Golf Club (Old Course) in Troon, South Ayrshire, beating Leslie Taylor 5 & 4 in the final.

Updated 23 October 2026

Walk this draw in the The Amateur Championship room.

Edition: 61st
Dates: 2 June 1956
Course: Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, South Ayrshire
Format: match play
Champion: John Beharrell · England
Champion's title: 1st Amateur Championship title
Runner-up: Leslie Taylor · Scotland
Final: 5 & 4 (36-hole final)
Losing semifinalists: Reid Jack and George Henderson
Defending champion: Joe Conrad · lost in quarterfinals

What happened at the 1956 Amateur Championship

Beharrell, 18 and told to leave school that year for his health, won the first hole of the final with a par 4 and was never headed; reported as the youngest champion in the championship's history.

Quarterfinal (36 holes): Scottish champion Reid Jack, 3 down at lunch, came back to beat the holder Joe Conrad 1 up, removing the last American.

The draw

Every match is recorded through the semifinal; earlier rounds are partial (quarterfinal (1 of 4 matches)).

The final, 1956 Amateur Championship

Winner		Beaten	Result
John Beharrell	def.	Leslie Taylor	5 & 4

Semifinals, 1956 Amateur Championship

Winner		Beaten	Result
John Beharrell	def.	Reid Jack	unknown
Leslie Taylor	def.	George Henderson	unknown

Quarterfinals, 1956 Amateur Championship

Winner		Beaten	Result
Reid Jack	def.	Joe Conrad	1 up

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.