Jamie Anderson (golfer)

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James Anderson (27 June 1842 – 16 August 1905) was a nineteenth-century professional golfer who won The Open Championship three consecutive times, from 1877 to 1879.[1][2][3]

Jamie Anderson
Anderson in formal attire, c. 1877
Personal information
Full nameJames Anderson
NicknameJamie
Born(1842-06-27)27 June 1842
St. Andrews, Scotland
Died16 August 1905(1905-08-16) (aged 63)
Thornton, Fife, Scotland
Sporting nationality Scotland
SpouseJanet Clements Armit
ChildrenJane, David, Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth, James, William, David, Janet, Helen, John
Career
StatusProfessional
Best results in major championships
(wins: 3)
The Open ChampionshipWon: 1877, 1878, 1879

Early life

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Anderson was born in St Andrews, Scotland, the son of David "Da" Anderson, greenskeeper at the Old Course. Da also sold tea and lemonade on the Old Course from a portable cart.[4] James Anderson began caddying over the Old Course from a young age, while Allan Robertson was still alive, and took up golf around the same time. It took James many years to reach his top championship form (age 35), in contrast to the nine-years-younger Young Tom Morris, who won his first Open at age 17 in 1868.

Golf career

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Anderson's Open Championships victories were at Musselburgh in 1877; Prestwick Golf Club in 1878; and St Andrews in 1879. He is one of only four golfers who have won three consecutive Opens, alongside Young Tom Morris (1868–1870), Bob Ferguson (1880–82) and Peter Thomson (1954–56). Anderson did not compete in 1880 because the date of the tournament was set so late that he missed entry. He was runner-up the next year 1881. His nephew David was runner-up in 1888, and all of his sons were golf professionals.[5]

Death and legacy

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Anderson died in a poorhouse in Thornton, Fife, Scotland. He won the Open Championship three consecutive times: 1877, 1878, and 1879.[2]

Major championships

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Wins (3)

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Year Championship 18/24 holes Winning score Margin Runner(s)-up
1877 The Open Championship 2 shot deficit 40-42-37-41=160 2 strokes   Bob Pringle
1878 The Open Championship (2) Tied for lead 53-53-51=157 2 strokes   Bob Kirk
1879 The Open Championship (3) 2 shot lead 84-85=169 3 strokes   Jamie Allan,   Andrew Kirkaldy

Results timeline

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Anderson (4th from left) at the Leith Links Tournament in 1867
Tournament 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879
The Open Championship 4 7 NT 2 5 T12 1 1 1
Tournament 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888
The Open Championship 2 T3 15 T28 T32
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

NT = No tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place

References

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  1. ^ "1877 Jamie Anderson". The Open. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  2. ^ a b Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  3. ^ "Death of a Famous Golfer". Bundarra and Tingha Advocate. Vol. 6, no. 285. New South Wales, Australia. 9 June 1906. p. 3. Retrieved 6 December 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ Tommy's Honor, by Kevin Cook, 2007, Gotham Books, New York
  5. ^ Mallon, Bill; Jerris, Randon (2011). Historical Dictionary of Golf. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7197-7.
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