Robert Thomson (16 December 1875 – 1954) 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 into the early 20th century. Thomson had two career 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 ...

. In

1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having been ...

he finished tied for 6th place and in

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...

finished 7th.

Early life

Thomson was born in

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...

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 ...

, on 16 December 1875. He was the son of William Thomson, a fisherman, and his wife Margaret Lawrie. His father died at an early age and Thomson resided with his mother and elder brothers James and

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

in Russell Square. One of his first postings as a professional was at Grantham Golf Club where he stayed only a short time before returning to the West Links.

Golf career

Thomson compiled an excellent playing career that included numerous

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for Scotland for the Home International Team from 1903–12, except the 1908 match which was cancelled due to inclement weather. He was frequently paired with

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

for the international events. Thomson was Scottish Professional Champion in 1908, beating Willie Watt from

Dirleton Dirleton is a village and civil parish in East Lothian, Scotland approximately east of Edinburgh on the A198. It contains . Dirleton lies between North Berwick (east), Gullane (west), Fenton Barns (south) and the Yellowcraigs nature reserve, ...

by 7 strokes in a 36-hole playoff. He was also runner-up in 1909 and 1911. Thomson became the professional at Romford Golf Club in April 1904 where he replaced James Braid who was moving to

Walton Heath Golf Club Walton Heath Golf Club is a golf club in England, near Walton-on-the-Hill in Surrey, southwest of London. Founded in 1903, the club comprises two 18-hole golf courses, both of which are well known for having heather covering many of the areas o ...

. Thomson was at Romford for about two years before moving back to North Berwick. In a tournament at

in 1904 he qualified for the match play competition in which he dispatched

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 ...

1 up. In the semi-finals, however, he was defeated by J. H. Taylor who went on to lose the final to Rowland Jones. Thomson was a frequent competitor in the News of the World Tournament and in 1912 won a prize at

Sunningdale Sunningdale is a large village with a retail area and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England. It has a railway station on the (London) Waterloo to Reading ...

. The 1904 Open Championship was the first in which the competitors only played 18 holes on the first two days. The opening day was cold and windy which led to some high scoring. Thomson led with 75 after reaching the turn in 34, a shot ahead of amateur John Graham, Jr. and

. The second day was less windy. Thomson had a 76 and was in second place, two shots behind Vardon. Thomson had a poor final day, scoring 80 and 84 and finishing tied for 12th place. The opening day of the 1910 Open Championship was abandoned because of rain but, when play resumed the following day, Thomson started with a 74 and was tied for second place at the end of the first round. He took 85 for his second round, including a 9 at the Road Hole, and made the cut by 2 shots. For some unknown reason he failed to appear when his name was called at the start of the third round and was disqualified.

Death

A lifelong bachelor, Thomson died in 1954 aged 78 years.

Tournament wins

*1908

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 ...

*1911 Dunlop Cup *1912 Dunlop Cup

Results in The Open Championship

''Note: Thomson played only 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 ...

.'' DNP = Did not play
CUT = Missed the cut
DQ = Disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10.

Team appearances

England–Scotland Professional Match The England–Scotland Professional Match was an annual men's professional golf competition between teams representing England and Scotland. It was played from 1903 to the start of World War I and was then revived in 1932 and played until the star ...

(representing Scotland): 1903 (winners), 1904 (tie), 1905 (tie), 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912 (tie) *Coronation Match (representing the Professionals):

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

(winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Robert Scottish male golfers Golfers from North Berwick 1875 births 1954 deaths