Davie Grant, Sr. (16 July 1860 – 24 June 1903) 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. Grant was a frequent competitor 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 the 1880s and 1890s and was very consistent with his results. His best effort came in the 1888 Open Championship where he finished tied for sixth place. In total, he had six top-10 performances.

Early life

Davie Grant was born 16 July 1860 in Wilson Court, Elbe Street,

Leith, Scotland Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

. He was the illegitimate son of Jane Grant, daughter of Daniel Grant, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

. David was raised by his aunt, Cecilia Grant, in Lochend Road, Leith. His mother Jane married Lawrence Hay and they lived in Earlston. On leaving school Grant was employed cleaning train engines at St Margaret's Works,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, and at the age of 18 years he moved to

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 ...

and was living at 11 Forth Street. He married Isabella Thomson from North Berwick, part of the Thomson golfing dynasty. Her sister Catherine married

Ben Sayers Bernard "Ben" Sayers (23 June 1856 – 9 March 1924) was a Scottish professional golfer, who later became a distinguished golf teacher, golf course designer and manufacturer of golf clubs and equipment. Sayers had a reputation for making good q ...

and their brother was Wilfred Thomson. The eldest sister, Emily Thomson, married James White and their son

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 ...

won the 1904 Open Championship. Grant was a man of small stature with fair hair and a moustache. In 1892, he was engaged by Lord Tweeddale—chairman of the

North British Railway Company The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...

and former captain of North Berwick Golf Club (1890)—to design the course at

Silloth Silloth (sometimes known as Silloth-on-Solway) is a port town and civil parish in the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England. Historically in the county of Cumberland, the town is an example of a Victorian seaside resort in the North of Engl ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

. Grant was assisted by Mungo Park who became the first professional at Silloth. During his playing career Grant formed a formidable partnership with his brother-in-law

in fourball matches. On one occasion they defeated the brother duo of Andrew Kirkaldy and Hugh Kirkaldy in a well publicized money match.

1888 Open Championship

The 1888 Open Championship was held 6 October at 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 ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

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 ...

Jack Burns John Francis Burns (November 15, 1933 – January 27, 2020) was an American comedian, actor, voice actor, writer, and producer. During the 1960s, he was part of two comedy partnerships, first with George Carlin and later with Avery Schreiber. ...

won the Championship by a stroke from David Anderson, Jr. and Ben Sayers. Grant played solid golf and finished in a tie for sixth place. He carded rounds of 88-88=176 and won 10 shillings.

Death

Grant died on 24 June 1903 of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

at age 42. He left behind a wife and 10 children.

Results in The Open Championship

''Note: Grant 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
? = played, finish unknown
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Davie Scottish male golfers People from Leith Tuberculosis deaths in Scotland 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis 1860 births 1903 deaths