David Strath (1849 – 28 January 1879) 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 ...

. 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 Broo ...

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 defeat ...

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 won the Championship. He had tied with Davie Strath but Strath refused to take part in the p ...

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

Early life

Strath was born in

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 ...

, Scotland, 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.—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 twice in 1872 and 1876 (forfeited 1876 playoff after a rules controversy). The Strath family of four brothers all died, except George, of consumption as young men. Andrew, the second son, was the Open champion in

1865 Events January–March * January 4 – The New York Stock Exchange opens its first permanent headquarters at Broad Street (Manhattan), 10-12 Broad near Wall Street, in New York City. * January 13 – American Civil War : Sec ...

, 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 to embark on the 84-day voyage to

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

, 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 Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under two weeks. Laryngitis is categorised ...

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 in Scotland and eventually founded the medical school at Melbourne University.

Death

Strath died on 28 January 1879 in Melbourne, Australia. He was interred in an unmarked grave in the Presbyterian section of the Melbourne General Cemetery. With the collaborative efforts of the golf club of

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.'' 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