Tom Hutchison (golfer)

Thomas Hutchison (6 October 1877 – 8 December 1900) was a Scottish professional golfer. Hutchison placed seventh in the 1900 U.S. Open, held 4–5 October 1900, at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois. At the time, he was a touring professional playing out of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.[1]

Tom Hutchison
Photo from New York Daily Tribune,
13 December 1900
Personal information
Full nameThomas Hutchison
Born(1877-10-06)6 October 1877
St Andrews, Scotland
Died8 December 1900(1900-12-08) (aged 23)
Cumberland Island, Georgia
Sporting nationality Scotland
Career
StatusProfessional
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. Open7th: 1900
The Open Championship22nd: 1899

Early life edit

Tom Hutchison was born in St Andrews, Scotland, on 6 October 1877 to William and Helen Hutchison (née Falls).[2] He had a younger brother, Jock Hutchison, who was also a fine professional golfer.

Golf career edit

Hutchison finished seventh in the 1900 U.S. Open, held 4–5 October 1900, at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois.[3][4] On 20 September 1900, Hutchison partnered with George Low in a 36-hole best ball match on the Morris County links in Morristown, New Jersey. They turned in a stellar card, defeating the celebrated British professional Harry Vardon by the score of 7 and 6.[5]

Death and legacy edit

Hutchison died on 8 December 1900 after a horse riding accident on Stafford Place links at Cumberland Island on the southeastern coast of Georgia, where he was a guest of William Coleman Carnegie.[6] Carnegie was a golf enthusiast and had a private golf course on Cumberland Island where Hutchison could hone his skills. For some unknown reason, he was buried on Cumberland Island and not sent back to Scotland. Since he was not a Carnegie, he was not buried in the Carnegie family cemetery, but instead at the Stafford cemetery. The Stafford family was long gone and had sold their land to the Carnegies. Newspaper reports from the 12 December 1900 issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and the 13 December 1900 issue of the New York Daily Tribune puts his date of death to 11 December, but his gravestone on Cumberland Island says 8 December.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ "Statistics for 1900". Harper's Official Golf Guide. 1901. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  2. ^ Statutory registers - Births - Search results, ScotlandsPeople
  3. ^ "Scores of First Day's Golf Play". The Chicago Tribune. 5 October 1900.
  4. ^ "Vardon Was the Winner – Took the Open Golf Championship at Wheaton Yesterday". The Saint Paul Globe. 6 October 1900. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  5. ^ "Vardon's Chief Matches and Records". The Tribune Almanac and Political Register. 1901. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  6. ^ New York Daily Tribune, 13 December 1900, p. 5.
  7. ^ "Cumberland Island National Seashore – Stafford Cemetery". National Park Planner.