Brian Barnes tribute Academic golfer celebrated for beating Jack Nicklaus twice in one day

With a pipe in his mouth and a holder of vodka in his pack, Brian Barnes, who has passed on made 74 of trading off progress, cut a striking, in a compact minute indisputable figure on the European hitting the fairway circuit during his 1970s prime. 

Brian Barnes tribute  Academic golfer celebrated for beating Jack Nicklaus twice in one day

An astonishing, dashing man at 1.88m (6ft 2in) and 100kg (16st), Barnes was enormous in stature likewise as open persona. As consistently as conceivable decked out in offbeat shorts, smoking as he swung the driver or utilized the putter, he was a bubbly, nonconformist character who from time to time fulfilled the hitting the fairway experts yet continually satisfied the get-togethers. 

He was other than a sublime golfer, achieving nine triumphs on the European Tour and appearing against USA in the Ryder Cup some spot in the degree of 1969 and 1979, joining into 1975 in Pennsylvania, where he comprehensively beat Jack Nicklaus twice in a day. 

A long, cautious hitter, despite having a fairly bewildered backswing, Barnes had 23 expert triumphs, with three Top 10 accomplishments at the Open, of which his best was fifth at Muirfield in 1972. Later he made progress in seniors golf. 

Brian Barnes tribute  Academic golfer celebrated for beating Jack Nicklaus twice in one day

Bound to Scottish watchmen, Tom and Jessie, in Addington, Surrey, Barnes went to Millfield school in Somerset and was indicated golf by his father, who was secretary at the near Burnham and Berrow club, where the vivacious Brian played golf from the age of nine. In 1964, as a 19-year-old, he won the British Youths Open Amateur Championship, after which he turned capable, having joined as a "Butten kid" to be given planning at Sundridge Park golf club in Kent, where the star Ernest Butten had upheld an instructive cost based school for energetic golfers under the tutelage of the past Open chairman Max Faulkner. The school caused Barnes to develop his game and it furthermore flung him into the buoy of Faulkner's adolescent, Hilary, whom he married in 1968. 

In 1971 Barnes joined the Scottish PGA and accordingly played for Scotland in internationals, paying little regard to having watched out for England up to that point. His first European visit triumph was at the 1972 Martini International, and all through the next decade he wound up one of the most dependable of European golfers, winning seven titles in a five-year spell from 1974, including the Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian opens. 

It was in the midst of that exceptional streak that he twice dispatched Nicklaus at the 1975 Ryder Cup at Laurel Valley. The first of the two triumphs came in the Sunday morning singles matches, when he beat the then 14-time tremendous manager by the exquisite edge of 4&2. Nicklaus had been held to play someone else toward the night singles, regardless incited his boss, Arnold Palmer, to change the pairings so he could filter for requital – urged Barnes that he would not be allowed to win for a subsequent time. The American began with two birdies, regardless his enemy saw him off over once more, at any rate by the more diminutive edge of 2&1. 

Brian Barnes tribute  Academic golfer celebrated for beating Jack Nicklaus twice in one day

Barnes played 25 matches in six dynamic Ryder Cups, including three on his last appearance in 1979. Routinely in association with his sidekick Bernard Gallacher, he had a not all that terrible record during a period when USA were overwhelming, winning 10, disconnecting one and losing 14 of his encounters. 

His last European visit win came in the Tournament Players Championship at Dalmahoy in Scotland in 1981, by which time his drinking affinities had started to cause fundamental wickedness. In the throes of his triumph at the Scottish PGA title at a relative course that year, he made a celebratory mix from his sack on the last opening, took drinks from it along the fairway and after that used the can to stamp his ball on the green before beating in the triumphant putt. 

Barnes was offset with taking a stock of vodka and orange around most courses, and would in like way chug when play, later admitting he had been besieged when he made his twofold over Nicklaus. Overlooking the way in which that he had a gregarious air and appeared flooding with affirmation, as a last resort he admitted to being dreadfully constrained, and explained that he used alcohol to discharge himself up. By the mid 90s he was drinking so much that he was having worthless contemplations, and in 1993 he examined himself into the Priory for a profitable drying-out period. 

He changed into a standard analyst for Sky TV's golf thought and joined the European seniors visit in 1995, winning the British Senior Open at Royal Portrush that year and sensibly verifying his title at a proportionate setting a year later. Coming about to taking the Canada Senior Open in 1998 he was capably tormented by rheumatoid joint anguish, and could play essentially after imbuements in his knuckles. 

Compelled to leave in 2000, Barnes later kept up a relationship with the game by verifying himself out as a playing accomplice and guide at his home course at West Chiltington in Sussex, which he had formed. In 2012 he made a nice incredible avoid back by appearing in the British Par 3 Championship. 

Hilary kicked the can in 2014. Barnes is made due by their youngsters, Didi and Guy. 

• Brian William Barnes, golfer, brought into the world 3 June 1945; kicked the can 9 September 2019