Robert Black "Buff" Wilson (19 August 1868 – 19 November 1947) was a Scottish

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. Wilson placed ninth in the 1896 U.S. Open, held 18 July at

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is a Links (golf), links-style golf club located in an Shinnecock Hills, New York, unincorporated area of the Southampton (town), New York, Town of Southampton on Long Island, New York (state), New York, situated betwee ...

Southampton, New York Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stret ...

. He played in the 1897 U.S. Open and finished T11. He had two starts in the

Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...

, in

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

and

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

, and finished in 22nd and 33rd place, respectively.

Early life

Wilson was born on 19 August 1868 in

Anstruther Anstruther ( sco, Ainster or Enster ; gd, Ànsruthair) is a small coastal resort town in Fife, Scotland, situated on the north-shore of the Firth of Forth and south-southeast of St Andrews. The town comprises two settlements, Anstruther ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. He was in business as a clubmaker in the 1890s and produced fine long-nosed woods. He carved his signature on the clubs he made in an oval configuration on the top of the clubhead, the markings reading: "R B Wilson, Maker, St Andrews". He learned his trade as a clubmaker when he apprenticed under

Old Tom Morris Thomas Mitchell Morris (16 June 1821 – 24 May 1908), otherwise known as Old Tom Morris, and The Grand Old Man of Golf, was a Scottish golfer. He was born in St Andrews, Fife, the "home of golf" and location of the St Andrews Links, and died t ...

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

. He obtained patents on several of his golf club designs, including a mashie-cleek for approach shots; it was a popular item in his shop—he sold 1,200 clubs in 1898 alone. He first posting as a professional was at

Minchinhampton Minchinhampton is an ancient Cotswolds market town in the Stroud District in Gloucestershire, South West England. The town is located on a hilltop, south-east of Stroud. The common offers wide views over the Severn Estuary into Wales and furth ...

where he also designed the course. After intermediate stops at

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Sidcup Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley and Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich. Before ...

, and

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...

he set sail for the United States and took up a posting at

, Long Island. He also worked at Lakewood Golf Club in New Jersey. In the winter months he always returned to St Andrews and went back into his workshop producing more clubs, most of which he exported to the U.S. He was posted at the Wentorf Reinbek Club in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 1905 but stayed only a short time before returning to Scotland.

Golf career

1896 U.S. Open

Wilson placed ninth in the 1896 U.S. Open, held 18 July at

in Southampton, New York. He carded rounds of 82-80=162.

James Foulis James Foulis (22 August 1871 – 3 March 1928), also known as James Foulis Jr., was a Scottish professional golfer who won the second U.S. Open in 1896. He also finished tied for third in the inaugural 1895 U.S. Open held at Newport Golf Clu ...

won the tournament, three strokes ahead of runner-up

Horace Rawlins Horace Thomas Rawlins (5 August 1874 – 22 January 1935) was an English professional golfer who won the first U.S. Open Championship in 1895. Early life Rawlins was born at Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, England, the son of Thomas Horatio and ...

, the defending champion.

Death

Wilson died on 19 November 1947 in

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fif ...

, at the age of 79.

Results in major championships

''Note: Wilson only played in the

and the U.S. Open.''
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
? = finish unknown
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Buff Scottish male golfers Golfers from Fife Scottish emigrants to the United States People from Anstruther 1868 births 1947 deaths