Peter Mills

Ralph Peter Mills (born 14 May 1931) was an English professional golfer. He played in the Ryder Cup in 1957 and 1959. Golf career Mills was assistant at Fulwell Golf Club from 1948 and was tied for third place at his home course in the southern section qualifying for the 1949 Daily Mail Tournament, after a first round of 67. He was in the RAF doing his National Service from 1949 and 1951 which limited his playing opportunities. He did, however, reach the semi-finals of the Gor-Ray Assistants' match-play tournament in 1950 and in 1951 won the Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament by 11 strokes. In late 1951, he moved to Wentworth as an assistant and was second to Bernard Hunt in the 1952 Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament. He lost in the final of the same tournament in 1954 at the 19th hole, but in 1955 he continued his success at Coombe Hill winning the tournament for a second time. Mills never won the Gor-Ray Cup, the assistant professionals' championship, but was runner-up to Geoffrey Hunt in 1954. Mills had moved to West Hill Golf Club in late 1954. The following year he won the Professional Short Course Championship in Torquay. He scored 202 for the 72 holes to win by two strokes and take the first prize of £100. In 1956 he was joint-second, a distant 9 shots behind the winner, in the Daks Tournament at Wentworth, and he reached the semi-finals of the News of the World Match Play, losing 6&4 to Harry Weetman. Mills was joint winner of the 36-hole Bowmaker Tournament at Sunningdale in June 1958. He completed the front-9 of his second round in 28 (3-3-3-2-4-4-4-3-2) to equal the British tournament record. From October 1958 Mills became the professional at Pinner Hill Golf Club. In 1959 he was second on his own in the Daks Tournament, three strokes behind Christy O'Connor Snr. Mills twice qualified for the British Ryder Cup team, in 1957 and 1959. In 1957 selection for the team of 10 was based on a points system over a two-year period ending after the 1957 Open Championship. Winners of the 1957 Open Championship and the 1957 News of the World Match Play were guaranteed places with the remaining places selected from the points list. Following the 1957 Open, Mills was 10th in the points list and did not qualify at that stage. Only when Christy O'Connor Snr, who had already qualified for the team, beat Tom Haliburton in the final of the News of the World Match Play, did Mills became the last member of the team.