Henry James Whigham (24 December 1869 – 17 March 1954) was a Scottish writer and amateur golfer. He won the

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

golf tournament in 1896 and 1897.1897 U.S. Amateur
/ref> Following his first win in the U.S. Amateur, he wrote a golf instruction book. In 1896 he finished fifth in the U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, New York.

Early life

Whigham was born in

Tarbolton Tarbolton ( sco, Tarbowton) is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is near Failford, Mauchline, Ayr, and Kilmarnock. The old Fail Monastery was nearby and Robert Burns connections are strong, including the Bachelors' Club museum. Meaning ...

, Scotland, one of six brothers and four sisters to David Dundas Whigham and Ellen Murray (née Campbell). His sisters Molly and Sybil Whigham also played golf well.May Hezlet
''Ladies' Golf''
(Hutchinson 1907): 257-258. He went to America in 1893 for the Chicago World's Fair to demonstrate golf. This was arranged by

Charles B. Macdonald Charles Blair Macdonald (November 14, 1855 – April 21, 1939) was a major figure in early American golf. He built the first 18-hole course in the United States, was a driving force in the founding of the United States Golf Association, won the f ...

, who was acquainted with Whigham's father, David Dundas, while they were students at the

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

in Scotland. Whigham would go on to become Macdonald's son-in-law, marrying his daughter Frances. They had a daughter, Sybil. Whigham learned the game of golf studying under Willie Campbell and Joe Lloyd.

Career

Whigham returned to Chicago as an instructor at Lake Forest College in English and also as a lecturer at other universities in the midwest. Later he went on to become a drama critic for the ''Chicago Tribune'', until leaving to work as a war correspondent. Whigham became editor-in-chief of ''Town & Country'' magazine in 1910, a position he held until 1935. Whigham was the author of ''How to Play Golf'', a self-help book designed to teach the reader the basic rules of the game. A second edition of the book was republished and released in March 2011 by Library Tales Publishing.

Death

Whigham died in

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 ...

, at the age of 84.

Major championships

Amateur wins (2)

Results timeline

Note: Whigham played in only U.S. Open,

and

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 ...

. M = Medalist
LA = Low amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10 Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur
USGA Championship Database
Source for British Open:
www.opengolf.com

Works

Manchuria and Korea (1904)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whigham, H.J. Scottish male golfers Amateur golfers Scottish writers People from Tarbolton 1869 births 1954 deaths H.J.