Sporting Highlights for 1961
Here are some of the sporting highlights in the world of sport for 1961.
It was an era of two Australian tennis greats Roy Emerson and Rod Laver. Roy Emerson picked up the Australian Open for his first grand slam title. He also won the US Open the same year. Rod Laver won Wimbledon for the first time which was also his second grand slam title after his Australian Open title the previous year.
In women's tennis, Margret Court defended her Australian Open title, which she would also win in the next five straight years. Darlene Hard defended her US Open title for her third and final slam title.
Mickey Wright achieved something which has not been replicated by any other women golfer since. She won three majors, the LPGA Championship, the U.S. Women's Open and the Titleholders Championship. Her 13 majors still stand as the second-most by any women golfer ever.
Gary Player, all-time great and one of the very few to have won all the four majors, won the Masters Tournament for the first time. He would win the event two more times en route to a career with nine major titles.
It was another disastrous year in Formula 1 which claimed the life of Wolfgang von Trips during the Italian Grand Prix.
Tottenham won the English league and also the FA Cup, becoming the first club in the 20th century to win the double.
The United States Figure Skating team was decimated this year. A plane crashed with all 72 on board killed including the entire US team, who were en route to the 1961 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 1961.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Jan | Tennis Australia Open won by Roy Emerson and Margaret Smith |
| April | Golf Masters won by Gary Player (his 1st win) |
| May | Tennis French Open won by Manuel Santana and Ann Haydon |
| June | Golf US Open won by Gene Littler |
| July | the Cycling Tour de France won by Jacques Anquetil |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon won by Rod Laver and Angela Mortimer |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Arnold Palmer |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by Jerry Barber |
| Sep | Tennis US National Championship won by Roy Emerson and Darlene Hard |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by New York Yankees |
Please note that the dates for past events are not always known, and are sometimes just placed in the month that the current event is held. If no exact date is listed, then it is just an estimated month that it was held.
If you have a correction or know of events that should be included here, please let me know.
Related Pages
- Ballon D'or Winners for 1961
- Timeline (all years) in the world of sport
- For future sporting events, see the Calendar of Major Sporting Events
- More about the World of Sport
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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