In 1957, Welsh golfer David James ‘Dai’ Rees was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. A leading British golfer on either side of World War II – he finished in the top ten in the Open Championship seven times between 1946 and 1961 – Rees was recognised, specifically, for his role as playing captain of the winning Great Britain Ryder Cup team. Racing driver Stirling Moss, who finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, finished second in the public poll, while third place went to athlete Derek Ibbotson, who set a new world record of 3:57.2 when winning the so-called ‘Mile of the Century’ at the White City Stadium in London.
In those days, the Ryder Cup was contested between Great Britain (not Great Britain and Ireland, or Europe) and the United States and comprised four foursomes matches on the first day and eight singles matches on the second, each played over a maximum of 36 holes, for a total of 12 points overall. Great Britain had won the Ryder Cup just twice before, in 1929 and 1933, both times on home soil, and would never win it again.
Thus, the 7½-4½ victory at Lindrick Golf Club, near Worksop, South Yorkshire, under the captaincy of Rees was historic as it was the only occasion between 1933 and 1985 that the United States would be defeated on either side of the Atlantic. The victory was achieved in dramatic fashion, too, with Great Britain, who had trailed 3-1 after the foursomes matches on day one, recovering to win 6½ of the possible eight points available from the singles matches on day two. Indeed, Rees, himself, won his foursomes match, alongside Ken Bousfield, and his singles match, beating Ryder Cup rookie Ed Furgol by 7 & 6 to give Great Britain a 5-4 lead with three matches remaining.
Rees, 44, became the oldest winner, so far, in the short history of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and no-one older, male or female, has ever won the main award. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to golf in the 1958 New Year Honours.