David Strath (1849 – 28 January 1879) was a Scottish professional golfer. His golf career was highlighted with a trio of second place finishes in the

1870 Events January–March * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the ...

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defe ...

and

1876 Open Championship The 1876 Open Championship was the 16th Open Championship, held on Saturday 30 September at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Bob Martin (golfer), Bob Martin won the Championship. He had tied with Davie Strath but Strath refused to ...

s. In 1876, he lost the playoff to fellow countryman Bob Martin.

Early life

Strath was born in St Andrews,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, circa 1849, the son of Alexander Strath and Susan Reid.

Golf career

Strath toured Scotland and parts of England in the 1870s—both on his own and with fellow countryman

Tom Morris, Jr. Thomas Morris (20 April 1851 – 25 December 1875), known as Tom Morris Junior, Young Tom Morris and also Tommy Morris, was a Scottish professional golfer. He is considered one of the pioneers of professional golf, and was the first young prodig ...

—playing exhibition matches on his own account, without official sanction; this was the first time this had been done. He finished in second place 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 ...

twice in 1872 and 1876 (forfeited 1876 playoff after a rules controversy). The Strath family of four brothers all died, except

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

, of

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

as young men.

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

, the second son, was the Open champion in 1865, but David was the star golfer in the family. When in the autumn of 1878 he fell ill, he decided on the advice of doctors in the Scottish town of

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable ...

to embark on the 84-day voyage to Melbourne, Australia, to recover.

Emigration to Australia

No one in Scotland had ever been able to determine what happened to the 29-year-old champion who helped design the North Berwick course. Many people assumed he had died on the ship when he did not return to Scotland. It was later discovered that Strath suffered acute laryngitis on the voyage and arrived in Melbourne in a weakened state, dying just 20 days later. He died in a house on Royal Terrace in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton next to the residence of a Professor Halford, who had studied at

St Andrews University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

in Scotland and eventually founded the medical school at

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

Death

Strath died on 28 January 1879 in Melbourne, Australia. He was interred in an unmarked grave in the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

section of the

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of four Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other n ...

. With the collaborative efforts of the golf club of St Andrews and the Golf Society of Australia, funding was provided to erect a proper stone grave marker for Strath in January 2006.

Results in The Open Championship

''Note: Strath 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 t ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strath, Davie Scottish male golfers Golfers from St Andrews Burials at Melbourne General Cemetery 1849 births 1879 deaths 19th-century Scottish people