James Ogilvy Fairlie Morris (8 January 1856 – 8 April 1906) 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 ...

. Morris had multiple top-10 finishes 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 ...

, including a third-place finish in the 1878 event 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 ...

in Prestwick, South Ayrshire,

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 ...

. He was the son of

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 ...

, also known as Old Tom Morris, and was named after

James Ogilvie Fairlie James Ogilvie Fairlie (10 October 1809 – 5 December 1870) was a Scottish amateur golfer and landowner. Fairlie placed eighth in the 1861 Open Championship. He was a mentor to Old Tom Morris who named his son, James Ogilvie Fairlie Morris, a ...

, a mentor and patron of his father. He died in 1906 aged 50 of heart failure, unmarried.

Early life

Morris was born on 8 January 1856 in

Prestwick 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 ...

. At age 22 he was entered to play in the 1878 Open Championship. At such a young age he was already an experienced tournament player having entered at least two prior Open Championship tournaments. In 1873 and 1874 he had finished tied for 11th and 10th place, respectively. He was the son of

and most assuredly learned the finer points of the game from his father.

1878 Open Championship

Details of play

In overcast weather with some rain, Morris took the early lead with a first round of 50. Jamie Anderson,

Bob Kirk Robert Kirk (9 March 1845 – 1 December 1886) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was born at St Andrews, Scotland, and died there. His golf career was highlighted by second-place finishes in The Open Championship in 1869 and again in 1878. ...

, and the English amateur John Ball, each scored 53 to be three shots behind. Morris began the second round badly and finished with a 56 for a total of 106. Anderson, with a second round of 53, was tied with him, while Bob Kirk and Tom Morris, Sr. were both two strokes behind. James Morris was in the third group out and had a final round 55 for a total of 161. Playing a few groups behind, Anderson began his third round with two sevens, but thereafter played steadily. With Morris finished, Anderson was told that he needed to play the last four holes in 17 to tie with Morris. At the Burn Hole (the 9th) Anderson holed—in spectacular fashion—a full iron shot for a three, followed that magnificent shot with a four at the 10th, and at the Short Hole (the 11th) his tee shot landed on top of the hill behind the green. The ball then ran down the hill and into the hole for a hole-in-one. A five at the last gave him a round of 51 and a total of 157. Bob Kirk, playing in the last group, was still in contention however his putt to tie Anderson lipped out and he missed the return putt. Fortunately Kirk's score of 159 was still good enough to give him second place. Morris finished in third place.

Family

He was the son of

Old Tom Morris 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 ...

and was named after

. He was the brother of

Young Tom Morris 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 ...

Death

Morris died on 8 April 1906 at the age of 50 at

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, due to heart failure. He never married.

Results in The Open Championship

''Note: Morris played only in

.'' DNP = Did not play
? = played, finish unknown
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, James Scottish male golfers People from Prestwick 1856 births 1906 deaths