James Summers Forrester (1908 – 23 June 1938) 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 ...

. He won the

Northern Open The Northern Open is a golf tournament played annually in Scotland since 1931. For some years it was one of only two 72-hole tournaments on the "Tartan Tour", the PGA Tour in Scotland's schedule, the other being the Scottish PGA Championship, bu ...

in 1934 and the Scottish Professional Championship in 1936. In 1937 he replaced Henry Cotton at Waterloo Golf Club in Belgium but died the following year in a Belgian hospital following complications after an operation for appendicitis.

Golf career

Forrester was at

Balmore Balmore (from the Scottish Gaelic "Baile Mòr" meaning a large settlement) is a small village formerly in the county of Stirlingshire, but now lies in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, located 1 km west of Torrance and 5 km east of Mil ...

Golf Club, north of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

from about 1925 but he became the professional at

Cruden Bay Cruden Bay is a small village in Scotland, on the north coast of the Bay of Cruden in Aberdeenshire, north of Aberdeen. Just west of Slains Castle, Cruden Bay is said to have been the site of a battle in which the Scots under King Malcolm II ...

in April 1932 when James Mackie left for

Hunstanton Hunstanton (sometimes pronounced ) is a seaside resort, seaside town in Norfolk, England, which had a population of 4,229 at the 2011 Census. It faces west across The Wash. Hunstanton lies 102 miles (164 km) north-north-east of London an ...

. From this time Forrester was a regular competitor for Scotland in the annual international matches against England and Ireland, playing in both matches each year from 1932 to 1936. Forrester won the 1936 Scottish Professional Championship at

Moray Golf Club Moray Golf Club is situated in Lossiemouth (on the south coast of the Moray Firth), Moray, Scotland. The club has two eighteen-hole courses appropriately called the ''Old Course'' and the ''New Course''. The club has played host to many cha ...

taking the first prize of £55. His 4-round total of 289 was 5 strokes better than runner-up George Hutton. First-day rounds of 72 and 76 put him 2 shots behind the leaders but final-day rounds of 70 and 71 put him comfortably ahead of the field. At the start of 1937 Forrester replaced Henry Cotton at Waterloo Golf Club in Belgium. He continued to enter a few tournaments both in Britain and on the Continent.

Death

In June 1938 Forrester was operated on for appendicitis but he developed an ulcer on the brain and died age just 30 in a Belgian hospital.

Family

Forrester had a son, also called James Summers Forrester born in Aberdeen in early 1937. Forrester's widow emigrated to America and their son became a doctor, serving in the US Air Force, and later became a politician. His brother

Willie Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Allen (basketball) (born 1949), American basketball player and ...

was also a professional golfer.

Tournament wins

*1934

*1936 Scottish Professional Championship

Results in major championships

''Note: Forrester only played in The Open Championship.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

England–Scotland Professional Match The England–Scotland Professional Match was an annual men's professional golf competition between teams representing England and Scotland. It was played from 1903 to the start of World War I and was then revived in 1932 and played until the star ...

(representing Scotland): 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 *

Ireland–Scotland Professional Match The Ireland–Scotland Professional Match was an annual men's professional golf competition between teams representing Ireland and Scotland. It was played from 1932 to 1936. The match was played on a single day with 10 players in each team who play ...

(representing Scotland): 1932 (tie), 1933, 1934, 1935 (captain), 1936

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrester, Jim Scottish male golfers Golfers from Glasgow Deaths from ulcers 1908 births 1938 deaths 20th-century Scottish sportsmen