The 1964 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship was the first World Match Play Championship. It was played from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October on the West Course at Wentworth. Eight players competed in a straight knock-out competition, with each match contested over 36 holes. The champion received ã5,000 out of a total prize fund of ã16,000. Arnold Palmer defeated Neil Coles 2&1 in the final to win the tournament.
The tournament was sponsored by Carreras Tobacco Company the manufacturer of Piccadilly cigarettes.
In the final, Palmer led by two after nine holes but Coles won the 11th, 12th, 13th and the 18th to reach lunch two holes up. Coles was round in 72 to Palmer's 74. In the afternoon Palmer went 2âÂÂ3âÂÂ3 from the 5th to the 7th to lead by one, reaching the turn in 32. Palmer won the 15th with a three and eventually won 2&1, having completed the 17 holes in the afternoon in 61 strokes.
The match play championship concluded a week of golf at Wentworth which had started with the Piccadilly Tournament, a 72-hole stroke play competition, which was played on the East Course from 5 to 7 October. The winner was Jimmy Martin who took home ã750 of the total prize fund of ã4,000.
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The winner received ã5,000, the runner-up ã3,000, the losing semi-finalists ã2,000 and the first round losers ã1,000, making a total prize fund of ã16,000.