Sam King, one of the oldest surviving Members of a pre-War Ryder Cup Team, has died at the age of 91. King, the professional at Knole Park Golf Club in Kent between 1955 and 1976, was selected four times to represent Great Britain and Ireland, although the 1939 Matches were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II.
King did play in the Matches in 1937, 1947 and 1949, contesting a total of five ties and scoring GB & I’s only point in 1947, beating Herbert Keiser 4 and 3 in the singles at Portland Golf Club in Oregon.
Born in March 1911, in a cottage within 200 yards of the boundary fence at Knole Park, King made his Ryder Cup debut in 1937, when he halved with Densmore Shute in the singles, although the United States won 8-4 at Southport and Ainsdale.
After working as a caddie at Knole Park as a youngster, he was promoted to the role of “playing caddie”, which meant he played with the club members for a fee of five shillings. In 1929 he was appointed assistant professional and, after a short spell at Wildernesse, he succeeded George Peacok as professional at Knole in 1955.
He played in the Open Golf Championship between 1929 and 1962, finishing in the top ten nine times. In 1942 he married Muriel, who died in 1974, and is survived by two daughters.
