William Fernie (7 May 1855 – 24 June 1924) 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 ...

and golf course architect from

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 won the 1883 Open Championship at

Musselburgh Links Musselburgh Links, The Old Golf Course in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, is generally accepted as being one of the oldest golf courses in the world. The course is not to be confused with The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club or the Levenhall ...

. The tournament was scheduled to last four rounds of the nine-hole course on a Friday in November. Fernie tied with defending champion Bob Ferguson, with both men shooting 158. The following day Fernie won a playoff by a single stroke.

Early life

Fernie was born in

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 7 May 1855.

Golf career

Fernie was runner-up in the Open Championship in 1882, 1884, 1890 and 1891. When George Strath left

Royal Troon Royal Troon Golf Club is a links golf course in Scotland, located in Troon, South Ayrshire, southwest of Glasgow. Founding and early years The club, which now has a total of 45 holes, was founded in 1878, initially with five holes. It lies adj ...

in 1887, Fernie took over as club professional and served for 37 years only retiring in January 1924, a few months before his death. As a

golf course designer A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

he made alterations to the

Old Course at St Andrews The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course. It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links Trust under ...

and

, and designed Turnberry's Ailsa, Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club and

Isle of Arran The Isle of Arran (; sco, Isle o Arran; gd, Eilean Arainn) or simply Arran is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde and the seventh-largest Scottish island, at . Historically part of Butesh ...

courses. He also designed Appleby Golf Club in 1903, and Dumfries and County Golf Club in 1912.

Family

Two of his sons, Tom and Harry withdrew from 1924 Open qualifying at

Royal Liverpool Golf Club The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a golf club in Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club. It received the "Royal" designation in 1871 due to the patronage of the Duke of ...

because of their father's illness.

Tom Fernie Thomas Robert Fernie (1 February 1890 – 13 December 1952) was a Scottish professional golfer. He won the Scottish Professional Championship four times and finished in 5th place in the 1923 Open Championship. He was the son of Willie Fernie who ...

had finished fifth in the 1923 Open at Troon.

Death and legacy

Fernie died in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, on 24 June 1924. He is best remembered for winning the 1883 Open Championship and finishing second four times.

Golf courses (original design)

*Craigie Hill GC *Drumpellier Golf Club *Dumfries and County Golf Club *Dumfries and Galloway Golf Club *Elderslie Golf Club *Erskine Golf Club *Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club *Gatehouse of Fleet Golf Club *Greenock Whinhill Golf Club *Lamlash Golf Club *Machrie Bay Golf Club *New Cumnock Golf Club *Pitlochry Golf Club *Ralston Golf Club *Royal Troon (Portland Course) *Sanquhar Golf Club *Seacroft Golf Club *Shiskine Golf Club *Southerndown Golf Club *Stirling Golf Club *Strathaven Golf Club *Strathendrick Golf Club *Thornhill Golf Club *Turnberry (Ailsa) *Turnberry (Arran) *Whitecraigs Golf Club *Whitsand Bay GC

Golf Courses (Renovation)

*Royal Troon (Old) *St. Andrews (Old)

Major championships

Wins (1)

¹In a 36-hole playoff, Fernie defeated Ferguson by 1 stroke.

Results timeline

*''Note: Fernie 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 half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. 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)

References

External links

opengolf.com report on the 1883 Open Championship
* ttp://www.royaltroon.co.uk/clubpros/williefernie.htm Royal Troon, Club professionals, note on Willie Fernie* Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland
makers
Scottish male golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Golf course architects Golfers from St Andrews 1855 births 1924 deaths {{Scotland-golf-bio-stub