Willie Park Sr.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Willie_Park_1833%E2%80%931903.jpg/123px-Willie_Park_1833%E2%80%931903.jpg)
William Park Sr. (30 June 1833 – 25 July 1903) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was a 4-time winner of the Open Championship.
Early life
Park was born in Wallyford, East Lothian, Scotland. Like some of the other early professional golfers, Park started out as a caddie. He later ran a golf equipment manufacturing business. On the course, he made his money from "challenge matches" against rivals such as Old Tom Morris, Willie Dunn and Allan Robertson, which were the most popular form of spectator golf in his era.
Playing style
Park, a tall, strong man, was a very long hitter and an excellent putter, but sometimes got into trouble through overly aggressive play. He had surpassed the older Willie Dunn by age 20, and travelled to St Andrews Links to play and learn that course. He issued a public challenge in 1853 to Robertson, generally recognised as the best player, which was, however, not taken up. Custom of the time allowed the best player to refuse a challenge of this sort without damage to his reputation. Park further fuelled controversy through his aggressive self-promotion, but this did lead to increased interest in golf rivalries, more press coverage, and more matches and tournaments being set up, developing the professional game and increasing the incomes of players such as Park, Morris, and Robertson.[1]
Family
He married Susanna Law in Inveresk, Scotland, on 29 March 1860. The couple would have ten children.
Park's brother Mungo and his son Willie Jr. both also won the Open Championship. Mungo's victory came in 1874 and Willie Jr. had two wins, in 1887 and 1889.
Death and legacy
Park died on 25 July 1903.[2] He is primarily best remembered as the winner of four Open Championships, including the inaugural event in 1860, when the field was just eight strong. His other victories came in 1863, 1866 and 1875.[3] Park was the co-holder of the record for most wins in the tournament until James Braid picked up his fifth win in 1910.
Major championship
Wins (4)
Year | Championship | 24 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1860 | The Open Championship | Not known | 55-59-60=174 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
1863 | The Open Championship (2) | 4 shot lead | 56-54-58=168 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
1866 | The Open Championship (3) | 5 shot lead | 54-56-59=169 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
1875 | The Open Championship (4) | 1 shot deficit | 56-59-51=166 | 2 strokes | ![]() |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1860 | 1861 | 1862 | 1863 | 1864 | 1865 | 1866 | 1867 | 1868 | 1869 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Open Championship | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Tournament | 1870 | 1871 | 1872 | 1873 | 1874 | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Open Championship | 6 | NT | 13 | 1 | 3 | T8 | T6 |
Tournament | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 | 1885 | 1886 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Open Championship | 15 | T9 | T7 | 22 | T36 |
- Note: Park played only in The Open Championship.
NT = No tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place
See also
References
- ^ Cook, Kevin (2007). Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son. New York: Gotham Books. ISBN 978-1592403424.
- ^ "Deaths in the District of Inveresk and Musselburgh in the County of Edinburgh". Statutory Deaths 689/00 0146. ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ "1860 Willie Park Sr". The Open. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
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- 1860 Willie Park Sr.
- 1861 Tom Morris Sr.
- 1862 Tom Morris Sr.
- 1863 Willie Park Sr.
- 1864 Tom Morris Sr.
- 1865 Andrew Strath
- 1866 Willie Park Sr.
- 1867 Tom Morris Sr.
- 1868 Tom Morris Jr.
- 1869 Tom Morris Jr.
- 1870 Tom Morris Jr.
- 1872 Tom Morris Jr.
- 1873 Tom Kidd
- 1874 Mungo Park
- 1875 Willie Park Sr.
- 1876 Bob Martin†
- 1877 Jamie Anderson
- 1878 Jamie Anderson
- 1879 Jamie Anderson
- 1880 Bob Ferguson
- 1881 Bob Ferguson
- 1882 Bob Ferguson
- 1883 Willie Fernie†
- 1884 Jack Simpson
- 1885 Bob Martin
- 1886 David Brown
- 1887 Willie Park Jr.
- 1888 Jack Burns
- 1889 Willie Park Jr.†
- 1890 John Ball#
- 1891 Hugh Kirkaldy
- 1892 Harold Hilton#
- 1893 William Auchterlonie
- 1894 John Henry Taylor
- 1895 John Henry Taylor
- 1896 Harry Vardon†
- 1897 Harold Hilton#
- 1898 Harry Vardon
- 1899 Harry Vardon
- 1900 John Henry Taylor
- 1901 James Braid
- 1902 Sandy Herd
- 1903 Harry Vardon
- 1904 Jack White
- 1905 James Braid
- 1906 James Braid
- 1907 Arnaud Massy
- 1908 James Braid
- 1909 John Henry Taylor
- 1910 James Braid
- 1911 Harry Vardon†
- 1912‡ Edward Ray
- 1913 John Henry Taylor
- 1914 Harry Vardon
- 1920 George Duncan
- 1921 Jock Hutchison†
- 1922 Walter Hagen
- 1923 Arthur Havers
- 1924 Walter Hagen
- 1925 Jim Barnes
- 1926 Bobby Jones#
- 1927‡ Bobby Jones#
- 1928 Walter Hagen
- 1929 Walter Hagen
- 1930 Bobby Jones#
- 1931 Tommy Armour
- 1932‡ Gene Sarazen
- 1933 Denny Shute†
- 1934‡ Henry Cotton
- 1935 Alf Perry
- 1936 Alf Padgham
- 1937 Henry Cotton
- 1938 Reg Whitcombe
- 1939 Dick Burton
- 1946 Sam Snead
- 1947 Fred Daly
- 1948 Henry Cotton
- 1949 Bobby Locke†
- 1950 Bobby Locke
- 1951 Max Faulkner
- 1952 Bobby Locke
- 1953 Ben Hogan
- 1954 Peter Thomson
- 1955 Peter Thomson
- 1956 Peter Thomson
- 1957 Bobby Locke
- 1958 Peter Thomson†
- 1959 Gary Player
- 1960 Kel Nagle
- 1961 Arnold Palmer
- 1962 Arnold Palmer
- 1963 Bob Charles†
- 1964 Tony Lema
- 1965 Peter Thomson
- 1966 Jack Nicklaus
- 1967 Roberto De Vicenzo
- 1968 Gary Player
- 1969 Tony Jacklin
- 1970 Jack Nicklaus†
- 1971 Lee Trevino
- 1972 Lee Trevino
- 1973‡ Tom Weiskopf
- 1974 Gary Player
- 1975 Tom Watson†
- 1976 Johnny Miller
- 1977 Tom Watson
- 1978 Jack Nicklaus
- 1979 Seve Ballesteros
- 1980 Tom Watson
- 1981 Bill Rogers
- 1982 Tom Watson
- 1983 Tom Watson
- 1984 Seve Ballesteros
- 1985 Sandy Lyle
- 1986 Greg Norman
- 1987 Nick Faldo
- 1988 Seve Ballesteros
- 1989 Mark Calcavecchia†
- 1990 Nick Faldo
- 1991 Ian Baker-Finch
- 1992 Nick Faldo
- 1993 Greg Norman
- 1994 Nick Price
- 1995 John Daly†
- 1996 Tom Lehman
- 1997 Justin Leonard
- 1998 Mark O'Meara†
- 1999 Paul Lawrie†
- 2000 Tiger Woods
- 2001 David Duval
- 2002 Ernie Els†
- 2003 Ben Curtis
- 2004 Todd Hamilton†
- 2005‡ Tiger Woods
- 2006 Tiger Woods
- 2007 Pádraig Harrington†
- 2008 Pádraig Harrington
- 2009 Stewart Cink†
- 2010 Louis Oosthuizen
- 2011 Darren Clarke
- 2012 Ernie Els
- 2013 Phil Mickelson
- 2014‡ Rory McIlroy
- 2015 Zach Johnson†
- 2016 Henrik Stenson
- 2017 Jordan Spieth
- 2018 Francesco Molinari
- 2019 Shane Lowry
- 2021 Collin Morikawa
- 2022 Cameron Smith
- 2023 Brian Harman
- 2024 Xander Schauffele
1871 No championship; 1915–1919 cancelled due to World War I; 1940–1945 cancelled due to World War II; 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic