Who won the second British Golf Open in 1861?
September 26, 1861 — The second British Golf Open is held today, and golfer Thomas Mitchell Morris, Sr. (16 June 1821 – 24 May 1908) shoots a 163 at the Prestwick Club.
Otherwise known as Old Tom Morris, the Scottish golfer was born in St Andrews, Fife — aka: the “home of golf.” Morris also played a role in designing courses across the British Isles. He began by assisting Robertson lay out ten holes at Carnoustie in 1842.
Morris is also considered the father of modern green keeping, and introduced the concept of top-dressing greens with sand, which significantly helped turf growth. He introduced other novel ideas on turf and course management, including actively managing hazards and yardage markers. He was the first to use a push mower to cut greens.
He’s pictured above with his son, Tom Morris, Jr. (died 1875), who is best known as “Young Tom Morris.”
Sources
Words of Wisdom
We were all born with webbed feet and a golf club in our hand.
