Bob Kirk
Kirk (right) with Old Tom Morris
on 17 May 1867 at Leith Links
Personal information
Full nameRobert Kirk
Born(1845-03-09)9 March 1845
St Andrews, Scotland
Died1 December 1886(1886-12-01) (aged 41)
St Andrews, Scotland
Sporting nationality Scotland
Career
Turned professionalc. 1862
Best results in major championships
The Open Championship2nd: 1869, 1870, 1878

Robert Kirk (9 March 1845 – 1 December 1886) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was born at St Andrews, Scotland, and died there. His golf career was highlighted by second-place finishes in The Open Championship in 1869 and again in 1878. Kirk also had a second-place finish in the 1870 Open Championship after winning a playoff against Davie Strath. Kirk played consistently well with nine top-10 finishes in The Open Championship beginning with a fourth-place finish in 1865 and ending with a second-place finish in 1878.[1]

Early life

Kirk was born on 9 March 1845 in St Andrews, Scotland.[2]

Golf career

1878 Open Championship

Kirk's best chance to win the Open Championship came in the 1878 Open Championship, held 4 October at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Fellow Scotsman Jamie Anderson won the Championship for the second successive year, by two strokes from runner-up Kirk.[1][3][4] Kirk fired rounds of 53-55-51=159 and won £5 in prize money.[1]

Details of play

In stormy overcast weather with some rain—typical conditions for early October at Prestwick—James Morris took the early lead with a first round of 50. Anderson, Kirk and the English amateur John Ball each scored 53, to be three shots behind. Morris began the second round badly and finished with a 56 for a total of 106. Anderson, with a second round of 53, was tied with him, while Kirk and Tom Morris, Sr. were both two strokes behind.[4]

Morris was in the third group out and had a final round 55 for a total of 161. Playing a few groups behind, Anderson began his third round with two sevens, but thereafter played steadily. With Morris finished he was told that he needed to play the last four holes in 17 to tie with Morris. At the Burn Hole (the 9th) he holed a full iron shot for a three, followed that spectacular shot with a four at the 10th, and at the Short Hole (the 11th) his tee shot landed on top of the hill behind the green. The ball then ran down the hill and into the hole for a hole-in-one. A five at the last gave him a round of 51 and a total of 157. Kirk, playing in the last group, was still in contention. On the last green he was told that if he holed his long putt he would tie Anderson. The putt lipped out and he missed the return putt but his score of 159 was enough to give him second place.[4]

1869 and 1870 Open Championships

Tom Morris, Jr. was the best golfer in the world in the late 1860s and early 1870s and he exhibited his considerable skills in the 1869 Open Championship and the 1870 Open Championship tournaments. At this point in time he was beating his legendary father, Tom Morris, Sr., on a regular basis. In the 1869 Open Championship, Morris, Jr. won going away by an 11-shot margin and bested that effort in the 1870 Open by trouncing the field by 12 shots. In both years Kirk was the distant second-place finisher.

Death

Kirk died on 1 December 1886 at the relatively young age of just 41.[5]

Results in The Open Championship

Kirk (third from left) at Leith Links in 1867
Tournament 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878
The Open Championship 4 5 5 7 2 2 NT DNP T3 DNP DNP T8 DNP 2

Note: Kirk played only in The Open Championship.

NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  2. ↑ "Births at St Andrews and St Leonards". OPR Births 453/00 0190 0296. ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Prestwick - Competition for the Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 5 October 1878. p. 7.
  4. 1 2 3 "Championship Competition". Dundee Evening Telegraph. 5 October 1878. Retrieved 22 December 2014 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "Deaths in the Parish of St Andrews and St Leonards in the County of Fife". Statutory Deaths 453/00 0129. ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
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