John Hunter (1871 – 29 November 1946) 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 ...

who played in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Hunter finished in eighth place in the

1898 Open Championship The 1898 Open Championship was the 38th Open Championship, held 8–9 June at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Harry Vardon won the Championship for the second time, a stroke ahead of Willie Park Jr., the 1887 and 18 ...

. He won the first

Scottish Professional Championship The Scottish Professional Championship was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament which was open only for Scottish players. The final champion was John Higgins. History The Scottish Professional Championship was held in Edinburgh in Dece ...

Panmure Golf Club Panmure Golf Club is a golf club close to the village of Barry, Angus, Scotland. It is one of the clubs that originally helped purchase the Amateur Championship trophy, and is one of the oldest golf clubs in the world, dating back to 1845. It ...

in 1907 with a score of 304 over four rounds, which included a record round of 71 in the third round.

Early life

Hunter was born 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 ...

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 ...

, in 1871. He was the son of Charles Hunter, keeper of the greens at the Prestwick course and also one of the first eight competitors in the inaugural

1860 Open Championship The 1860 Open Championship was a golf competition held at Prestwick Golf Club, in Ayrshire, Scotland. It is now regarded as the first Open Championship. Until his death in 1859, Allan Robertson was regarded as top golfer in the world. The Open ...

. Hunter's father was first hired as

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 ...

's successor but also had a short stint at Royal Blackheath in the 1860s. Hunter apprenticed as a club maker under the direction of Old Tom Morris 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 ...

. He returned to Prestwick in 1893 and joined his father in his club and ball making business. Some clubs they produced are marked "C & J Hunter" while others are marked with the name of one or the other of the Hunters. He had two brothers, David and William, who both emigrated to the United States and worked as golf professionals. David worked at the Essex Country Club in New Jersey for 29 years. Hunter also came to the U.S. for a short time but returned to live in Scotland.

Golf career

1898 Open Championship

The

was the 38th

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 ...

, held 8–9 June 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,

Harry Vardon Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the ...

won the Championship for the second time, a stroke ahead of

Willie Park, Jr. William Park Jr. (4 February 1864 – 22 May 1925) was a Scottish professional golfer. He won The Open Championship twice. Park was also a successful golf equipment maker and golf writer. In his later years, Park built a significant career as o ...

, the 1887 and 1889 winner. Hunter finished alone in eighth place with rounds of 82-79-81-77=319 and won £7 10s in prize money.

Death and legacy

Hunter died on 29 November 1946 in

. He is best remembered as a maker of fine golf clubs and for a top-10 finish in the 1898 Open Championship. He also won the 1907 Scottish PGA Championship.

Results in major championships

''Note: Hunter played only in The Open Championship.'' DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, John Scottish male golfers Golfers from Prestwick 1871 births 1946 deaths