Christopher Thomas Kidd (c. 1848 – 16 January 1884) 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. He won the 1873 Open Championship on his home course 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 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 ...

Early life and career

He was a caddie from St Andrews and won the 1873 Open Championship over his home links. It was the first Open played on the Old Course. Conditions were wet and Kidd's winning score of 179 was the highest in any Open Championship played over 36 holes. His cash prize was £11. He was known as Tom Kidd or "Young Tom Kidd" to distinguish him from his father Tom Kidd who was also a caddie and died in the poorhouse in

Markinch Markinch (, (Scottish Gaelic: Marc Innis) is both a village and a parish in the heart of Fife, Scotland. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the village has a population of 2,420. The civil parish had a population of 16,530 (in 2011).Cens ...

in 1896. Kidd married Eliza (or Elizabeth) Lumsden in November 1874 aged 25, when he is described as a golf caddie. He died suddenly of a heart problem in 1884 and left two surviving children. His wife did not remarry and died in

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fif ...

in 1935. At a court for the renewal of drink licences in St Andrews in April 1884, the inspector of police said that the licensee of the Golf Inn, George Leslie, illegally bought clubs and similar items for drinks. After Kidd's death his cleek and iron were found in Leslie's possession together with the gold medal for winning the 1873 Open. Leslie had paid 2 shillings each for the club and 10 shillings for the gold medal. The three items were later bought by a third party and the gold medal returned to his widow. Leslie denied the allegation stating that he had bought the clubs but not the medal. The medal had been taken as surety for a 10 shilling loan. He claimed that, at the time Kidd was a " Good Templar" and "not a shilling" of the money had been spent in the inn. It was considered a "very suspicious case". After an adjournment the licence was granted by a majority of 3 to 2.

Death and legacy

Kidd died due to a heart problem on 16 January 1884, aged 35 or 36, and left behind a wife and two children. He won the 1873 Open Championship, and was also the first player to be awarded the

Claret Jug The Golf Champion Trophy, commonly known as the Claret Jug, is the trophy presented to the winner of The Open Championship (also called the "British Open"), one of the four major championships in golf. The awarding of the Claret Jug dates fr ...

, which has been the winner's trophy for The Open Championship ever since (although

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 ...

, who won the previous year, was the first whose name was engraved on the trophy).

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

*''Note:

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 ...

was the only major played during Kidd's lifetime.'' DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

References

Scottish male golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Golfers from St Andrews 1840s births 1884 deaths Year of birth missing {{Scotland-golf-bio-stub