Andrew Anderson Strath (1 March 1837 – 23 February 1868) 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 mid-19th century. He won the 1865 Open Championship. In total, he accumulated six 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 ...

Early life

Strath was born in

St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ 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 fourth-largest settleme ...

, Scotland, on 1 March 1837, the son of Alexander Strath and Susan Strath (née Reid). On 19 March 1858 he married Euphemia Johnston and the couple had six children. Strath had two brothers, Davie and George, who also became professional golfers.

Golf career

Like most professionals of his era Strath did not make his living from tournaments. He began his working life as an apprentice to a clubmaker and sometimes partnered Old Tom Morris in the challenge matches which were a feature of golf at the time. He was famous for the amount of backspin he could get on his iron shots. Golf matches at this time in history were generally contested on an alternate shot basis. For example, if Old Tom hit the drive off the tee box then Strath would play the second shot.Cook, Kevin - ''Tommy's Honor'', New York 2005, Gotham Books In May 1857, Strath was partnered with

Allan Robertson Allan Robertson (11 September 1815 – 1 September 1859) was considered to be one of the first professional golfers. Early years In the mid-19th century golf was played mainly by well-off gentlemen, as hand-crafted clubs and balls were expens ...

and played a challenge match against Old Tom Morris and

Willie Park, Sr. William Park Sr. (30 June 1833 – 25 July 1903) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was a 4-time winner of the Open Championship. Early life Park was born in Wallyford, East Lothian, Scotland. Like some of the other early professional gol ...

They won the match by six holes.

1865 Open Championship

Strath won

in 1865, becoming the only man to break the early domination of the event by

and the two Tom Morrises, father and son. His winning scorecard is on display in the clubhouse at Prestwick Golf Club, which also possesses Strath's application letter for the post of keeper of the green in 1865. He also finished third in

1860 Events January * January 2 – The astronomer Urbain Le Verrier announces the discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan (hypothetical planet), Vulcan at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 &ndas ...

, fourth in

1863 Events January * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate States of America an official war goal. The signing ...

, second in

1864 Events January * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...

and third in

1867 There were only 354 days this year in the newly purchased territory of Alaska. When the territory transferred from the Russian Empire to the United States, the calendric transition from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar was made with only 1 ...

. In 1865, he had succeeded Charlie Hunter, who moved to Blackheath less than a year after taking over from Old Tom Morris as green keeper at

Prestwick Prestwick () is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, and the small vi ...

. Strath's tenure only lasted three years as he died in Prestwick golfhouse of "pneumonia running on to phthisis" (i.e.

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

) at the age of 30. His brothers George and Davie were also golfers. Davie was considered the best player of the three, but like Andrew he died young. George, who died in 1919, served as the first professional at Royal Troon before emigrating to the United States.

Death and legacy

Strath died in

, Scotland, on 23 February 1868. His wife Euphemia died in 1869. Strath is best remembered for winning the 1865 Open Championship.

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

''Note:

was the only major played during Strath's lifetime.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strath, Andrew Scottish male golfers Winners of men's major golf championships 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Scotland Golfers from St Andrews Golfers from Prestwick 1837 births 1868 deaths