James Frederick Collins (4 September 1878 – 15 December 1940) was an English

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 ...

. He won the

Welsh Professional Championship The Welsh Professional Championship was a professional snooker tournament which was open only for Welsh players. It was the first of the four home countries to revive its national professional championship on a regular basis. History The cha ...

in 1905 and then, 28 years later, in 1933. He represented England against Scotland in 1903 and 1904 and tied for seventh place in the

1912 Open Championship The 1912 Open Championship was the 52nd Open Championship, held 24–25 June at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Ted Ray led wire-to-wire and won the championship, four strokes ahead of runner-up Harry Vardon, the defending champ ...

Early life

Collins was born in the village of

Dunham Massey Dunham Massey is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. The parish includes the villages of Sinderland Green, Dunham Woodhouses and Dunham Town, along with Dunham Massey Hall and Park, formerly th ...

, near

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...

, Cheshire in 1878. Bowdon Golf Club was located at Dunham Massey.

Golf career

Collins was runner-up in the 1904

Leeds Cup The Leeds Cup is a golf tournament that has been played annually in northern England since 1902. The event is organised by the north region of the Professional Golfers' Association. It is the oldest trophy in professional golf that is still play ...

, a stroke behind Sandy Herd. The 1905

was held at Conwy Golf Club on 23 August. There were 15 entries. Collins scored 153 for the two rounds and finished two shots ahead of George Duncan. However, Duncan had moved to Timperley and was only trying to qualify for the

News of the World Matchplay The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the ''News of the World'', and was commonly known b ...

, not being eligible for the Welsh Championship. Alfred Matthews, the Rhyl professional, was runner-up in the Championship on 160. The News of the World Matchplay had started in 1903 but in the first two years the Welsh professionals had had to play in the Northern or Midland sections qualifying events. Collins had qualified through the Midland section in

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

and had lost to Sandy Herd in the first round. As winner, Collins received entry to the final stage of the 1905 News of the World Match Play, where he was due to meet Arnaud Massy. However both players scratched from the event. Collins won the Welsh Professional Championship for a second time in 1933, 28 years after his first win. Played at Rhyl, Collins had rounds of 77-76-76-76 for a total of 305 and a one stroke win over

Edward Musty Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

. Collins completed the four rounds of The Open Championship every year from 1901 to 1914 with the exception of 1906, when he missed the cut by one stroke.

Personal life

Collins' nephew, Sidney Collins, the son of his brother Henry, was a professional golfer. He was at Sandiway Golf Club, Cheshire from 1920 to 1946. His son,

Sid Collins Jr. William Sidney Collins Jr. (23 December 1912 – 2 January 1983) was an English professional golfer. He won the Welsh Professional Championship in 1938 and 1952, and the 1954 Goodwin (Sheffield) Foursomes Tournament, partnered by Bernard Hunt. E ...

(1912–1983), had some success as a tournament golfer, winning the

twice, in 1938 and 1952, and the 1954

Goodwin (Sheffield) Foursomes Tournament The Goodwin (Sheffield) Foursomes Tournament was a professional golf tournament played in the Sheffield area of England. The event was held from 1952 to 1954 and had total prize money of £3,000. The winning finalists shared £500 with £300 to t ...

, partnered by

Bernard Hunt Bernard John Hunt, MBE (2 February 1930 – 21 June 2013) was an English professional golfer. Hunt was born in Atherstone, Warwickshire. He turned professional in 1946 and was a leading player on the European circuit in the 1950s and 1960s. He ...

. Sid Jr. was an assistant to his father before becoming an assistant to his great-uncle Fred at Llandudno. Sid Jr. later became the professional at Llandudno after Fred's retirement.

Death

Collins died at his home in

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Penrhyn Bay, Craigsi ...

on 15 December 1940. He had been associated with Llandudno Golf Club for 46 years, mostly as a professional before becoming secretary because of ill health.

Professional wins (2)

*1905

*1933

Results in major championships

''Note: Collins only played in The Open Championship.''
NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

* England–Scotland Professional Match (representing England): 1903, 1904 (tie)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Fred English male golfers Sportspeople from Trafford (district) 1878 births 1940 deaths