Charles Crawford Hunter (5 June 1836 – 24 January 1921) 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 ...

and greenskeeper. He was born at

Prestwick, Scotland Prestwick ( gd, Preastabhaig) is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, an ...

, and died there. He was the last survivor of those who took part in the first

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 1860. Over the course of his career, Hunter had seven top-10 finishes in the Open Championship.

Early life and family

Hunter was born on 5 June 1836 in Prestwick, Scotland. Hunter's son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, finished in eighth place in the 1898 Open Championship and also won the 1907 Scottish PGA Championship.

Golf career

Hunter had seven top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His best performance, rounds of 60-60-58=178, put him in third place in the 1862 Open Championship.

1862 Open Championship

The 1862 Open Championship was the third Open Championship and was held at

Prestwick Golf Club Prestwick Golf Club is a golf course in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is approximately southwest of Scotland's largest city, Glasgow. Prestwick is a classic links course, built on the rolling sandy land between the beach and the hin ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...

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 ...

, the site of the first 12 Open Championship tournaments, the first of which was in 1860. Hunter played steady golf, carding rounds of 60-60-58=178, and finished in third place.

Tom Morris, Sr. 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 ...

won the Championship, shooting rounds of 52-55-56=163, and triumphed by the large margin of 13 strokes from runner-up

Willie Park, Sr. 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 gol ...

Employed by Prestwick Golf Club

Hunter was employed by Prestwick Golf Club as 'Keeper of the Green', and assisted as well with the early formation work for the neighbouring

Royal Troon Golf Club Royal Troon Golf Club is a Links (golf), links golf course in Scotland, located in Troon, South Ayrshire, southwest of Glasgow. Founding and early years The club, which now has a total of 45 holes, was founded in 1878, initially with five holes ...

, located just north of Prestwick, in the 1870s and 1880s.royaltroon.com/history

Death and legacy

Hunter died of

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

in 1921 at the age of 84. He was the last survivor of those who took part in the first Open Championship in

1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...

Results in The Open Championship

''Note: Hunter played only 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 ...

.'' NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Charlie Scottish male golfers Sportspeople from South Ayrshire People from Prestwick 1836 births 1921 deaths