Robert Ferguson ( – 19 May 1915) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

professional

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

er who was one of the top players from the mid-1860s into the 1880s. He won a hat-trick of consecutive titles at

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 ...

1880 Events January *January 27 – Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the incandescent light bulb. Edison filed for a US patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." gr ...

, 1881 and

1882 Events January * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in New York at the ...

. In addition to the three Open Championship wins, he posted top-10 finishes seven times.

Early life

Ferguson was born in

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; ; ) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It had a population of as of . History The name Musselburgh is Old English language, Old English in ...

East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...

, Scotland, circa 1846.

Golf career

In addition to his three Open Championship titles, Ferguson was especially noted for his putting, not only on the green but off. He specialized in "run up" shots with his putter—the so-called "Musselburgh iron"—from well off the green. He is one of only four men who have won The Open three years in a row. The prize for his first win was £7. Ferguson's home town of Musselburgh was one of the three venues in the Open Championship rotation. He started caddying there at the age of eight, and played his first competition at

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

when he was 18. He was a tall man, and was known as a long driver. He sometimes partnered with fellow Musselburgh top player Willie Park Sr., a four-time Open champion, in stakes matches, facing opponents such as the father-and-son team of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, of St. Andrews, between the mid-1860s and mid-1870s. Both of the Morrises were four-time Open champions. He also faced Young Tom Morris in singles play during this era. His playing career was cut short by a bout of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

, and he became the custodian of the Links at Musselburgh.

Death and legacy

Ferguson died in Musselburgh on 19 May 1915.

Major championships

Wins (3)

Results timeline

*''Note: Ferguson played only in

.'' NT = No tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Bob Scottish male golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Golfers from Musselburgh 1840s births 1915 deaths