Percy Frederick Barrett (1 January 1881 – 20 January 1927) was a Canadian professional golfer of English birth who played in the early 20th century. His best finish in a major tournament, a tie for third place, came in the 1905 U.S. Open at

Myopia Hunt Club Myopia Hunt Club is a foxhunting and private country club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, northeast of Boston. In the early years of the U.S. Open, the club hosted it four times: 1898, 1901, 1905, and 1908. History Myopia Hunt Club was foun ...

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. Barrett won the 1907 Canadian Open as well as the 1923 and 1925

Canadian PGA Championship The PGA Championship of Canada is a golf tournament organized by the PGA of Canada, an organization founded in 1911 at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. It was first played in 1912 as the Canadian PGA Championship. It was a Nationwide Tour event from 2 ...

Early life

Barrett was born in Matlock, Derbyshire,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, on 1 January 1881 to William Barrett (1860–1938) and his then girlfriend (but later wife) Emma Barrett née Kiddy (1857–1927). At the time of his birth, Percy's mother was unmarried and living with her parents, therefore his birth name was Percy Frederick Kiddy. In 1903 Barrett emigrated from England to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

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, and that same year was appointed as the head golf professional at Lambton Golf and Country Club in Toronto. Barrett, who was 23 years old at the time, had tutelage in England under the legendary

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 ...

. Under Vardon's watchful eye he apprenticed as a club maker. On 18 September 1907 he married May Owen (1883–1954) in Toronto and the couple had three children.

Professional career

In 1907 Barrett won the Canadian Open which was held at Lambton Golf and Country Club where he remained in the head professional post until 1914. Barrett twice won the

, in 1923 and again in 1925. Barrett was known for using a very short putter that was no more than 20-22 inches long.

Death

Upon his death on 20 January 1927, Barrett's finances were in disarray and he left his family "without provision for their future" according to an article published in the ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'' on 25 January 1927. He was survived by his wife and three children. An appeal for funds was sent out to collect donations for his estate.

Tournament wins (3)

: ''Note: This list may be incomplete.'' *1907 Canadian Open *1923

*1925

Results in major championships

''Note: Barrett played only in the U.S. Open.'' "T" indicates a tie for a place
? = unknown
Yellow background for top-10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Percy English male golfers Canadian male golfers Golfers from Toronto Canadian expatriate sportspeople in England English emigrants to Canada 1881 births 1927 deaths