James Braid (6 February 1870 â€" 27 November 1950) was a Scottish professional golfer and a member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport alongside Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. He won The Open Championship five times. He also was a renowned golf course architect.
Braid was born in Earlsferry, Fife, Scotland, the son of James and Mary (née Harris). He played golf from an early age, working as a clubmaker before turning professional in 1896. Initially his game was hindered by problems with his putting, but he overcame this after switching to an aluminum putter in 1900. He won The Open Championship in 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910. In addition, Braid won four British PGA Matchplay Championships (1903, 1905, 1907 and 1911), as well as the 1910 French Open title. He was also runner-up in The Open Championship in 1897 and 1909. His 1906 victory in The Open Championship was the last successful defence of the title by a European until Pádraig Harrington replicated the feat in 2008.
In 1912, Braid scaled back his tournament golf, and became a club professional at Walton Heath. He developed a very successful career in golf course design, and is sometimes regarded as the "inventor" of the dogleg, although holes of similar design had been known for centuries (for example, the Road Hole at the Old Course at St Andrews). Among his designs are the "King's Course" and the "Queen's Course" at Gleneagles, and the 1926 remodelling of The Open Championship venue Carnoustie Golf Links.
Stranraer Golf Club's course was the final one that was designed by Braid in the year that he died, 1950. He was called out of retirement to plan Creachmore, which was to be his last commission. Braid never lived to see the course completed. He died in London on 27 November 1950.
Tournament wins (17)
Note: This list may be incomplete.
- 1901 The Open Championship, Lytham and St Anne's Professional Tournament
- 1902 Tooting Bec Cup, Greenore Professional Tournament
- 1903 News of the World Match Play, Tooting Bec Cup
- 1904 Tooting Bec Cup
- 1905 The Open Championship, News of the World Match Play
- 1906 The Open Championship
- 1907 News of the World Match Play, Tooting Bec Cup
- 1908 The Open Championship
- 1910 The Open Championship, French Open
- 1911 News of the World Match Play
- 1920 McVitie & Price Tournament (joint winner with Abe Mitchell)
Major championships are shown in bold.
Major championships
Wins (5)
Results timeline
Braid played in only The Open Championship.
NT = No tournament
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
- Englandâ€"Scotland Professional Match (representing Scotland): 1903 (winners), 1904 (tie), 1905 (tie), 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912 (tie)
- France vs Great Britain (representing Great Britain): 1908 (winners)
- Coronation Match (representing the Professionals): 1911 (winners)
- Great Britain vs USA (representing Great Britain): 1921 (winners)
- Seniors vs Juniors (representing the Seniors): 1928 (winners)
Golf courses designed by Braid
Braid designed over 200 courses including the following:
See also
- List of men's major championships winning golfers
- List of golfers with most wins in one PGA Tour event
References
Further reading
Darwin, Bernard (1952). James Braid. London: Hodder & Stoughton.Â
External links
- James Braid Profile at Golf Legends
- James Braid Profile at Golf About
- James Braid Golf Trail James Braid Golf Trail
- Golf House Club Elie Golf House Club, Elie
- SoHG Archives
- James Braid: A Man of Character, Article by Bernard Darwin
- James Braid on Golf Course Architecture
