Percy Frederick Barrett (1 January 1881 – 20 January 1927) was a Canadian

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 ...

of English birth who played in the early 20th century. His best finish in a major tournament, a tie for third place, came in the 1905 U.S. Open at Myopia Hunt Club in

South Hamilton, Massachusetts South Hamilton is a postal address assigned to ZIP code 01982 by the Postal Service and is part of the town of Hamilton, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S ...

. Barrett won the 1907 Canadian Open as well as the 1923 and 1925

Canadian PGA Championship The PGA Championship of Canada is a golf tournament organized by the PGA of Canada, an organization founded in 1911 at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. It was first played in 1912 as the Canadian PGA Championship. It was a Nationwide Tour event from 2 ...

Early life

Barrett was born in

Matlock, Derbyshire Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire, England. It is in the south-eastern part of the Peak District, with the National Park directly to the west. The spa resort of Matlock Bath is immediately south of the town as well as Cromford lying fur ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, on 1 January 1881 to William Barrett (1860–1938) and his then girlfriend (but later wife) Emma Barrett née Kiddy (1857–1927). At the time of his birth, Percy's mother was unmarried and living with her parents, therefore his birth name was Percy Frederick Kiddy. In 1903 Barrett emigrated from England to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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, and that same year was appointed as the head golf professional at Lambton Golf and Country Club in Toronto. Barrett, who was 23 years old at the time, had tutelage in England under the legendary

Harry Vardon Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the ...

. Under Vardon's watchful eye he apprenticed as a club maker. On 18 September 1907 he married May Owen (1883–1954) in Toronto and the couple had three children.

Professional career

In 1907 Barrett won the Canadian Open which was held at Lambton Golf and Country Club where he remained in the head professional post until 1914. Barrett twice won the

, in 1923 and again in 1925. Barrett was known for using a very short putter that was no more than 20-22 inches long.

Death

Upon his death on 20 January 1927, Barrett's finances were in disarray and he left his family "without provision for their future" according to an article published in the ''

Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'' on 25 January 1927. He was survived by his wife and three children. An appeal for funds was sent out to collect donations for his estate.

Tournament wins (3)

: ''Note: This list may be incomplete.'' *1907 Canadian Open *1923

*1925

Results in major championships

''Note: Barrett played only in the U.S. Open.'' "T" indicates a tie for a place
? = unknown
Yellow background for top-10

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Percy English male golfers Canadian male golfers Golfers from Toronto Canadian expatriate sportspeople in England English emigrants to Canada 1881 births 1927 deaths