James Foulis
James Foulis | |
---|---|
Foulis in 1895 with the U.S. Open trophy | |
Personal information | |
Born | (1871-08-22)22 August 1871 St Andrews, Scotland |
Died | 3 March 1928(1928-03-03) (aged 56) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Sporting nationality | Scotland |
Career | |
Status | Professional |
Professional wins | 1 |
Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
PGA Championship | DNP |
U.S. Open | Won: 1896 |
The Open Championship | DNP |
James Foulis (22 August 1871 – 3 March 1928), also known as James Foulis Jr., was a Scottish professional golfer who won the second U.S. Open in 1896.[1] He also finished tied for third in the inaugural 1895 U.S. Open held at Newport Golf Club in Newport, Rhode Island.[2]
Early life
Foulis was born at the "Home of Golf", St Andrews in Scotland, on 22 August 1871.[3] His father was foreman at Old Tom Morris's golf shop and clubmaking business, and Foulis spent some time working at the shop. In 1895 he traveled to the United States to take up a job as a golf professional at Chicago Golf Club, which was the first club in the United States to have an 18-hole course. He was the first golf professional in the western States.
Golf career
1895 U.S. Open
Foulis was one of the eleven players who took part in the first U.S. Open in 1895, and he came third.[4][5] The following year he won the tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island. He was representing the Chicago Golf Club and he won $200. He was helped out by the fact that twice British Open champion Willie Park, Jr., who would have been odds-on favorite if he had reached the United States in time to play, did not arrive in America until the day after the tournament. The following year the Open was played at Foulis's home club, and he finished tied for third with Willie Dunn, Jr. The most notable aspect of his game was his driving; it is said that he often drove over three hundred yards using the relatively primitive clubs of his day. He continued to compete in the U.S. Open until 1911, but did not win again.
Golf inventions
Jim Foulis and his brother David ran a golf shop at the Chicago Golf Club, and played a significant part in the evolution of golf equipment. They invented the bramble patterning for Coburn Haskell's new rubber-cored ball. In response to the demands of the new ball they developed the "mashie-niblick", the modern 7-iron, which fell between the traditional mashie (5-iron) and niblick (9-iron), and patented the design. Jim Foulis also worked as a golf course designer from 1896 until his death, designing the first golf courses in many communities across the American midwest.
Family
Foulis had four brothers, all of whom also moved to the United States. Robert and David were also golf professionals, Simpson was a fine amateur golfer, and John was an expert ballmaker who also worked as a bookkeeper at Chicago Golf Club from 1901 to his untimely death in 1907. All five brothers are buried in Wheaton Cemetery, adjacent to Chicago Golf Club. His nephew, Jim, son of brother David, also a professional golfer, won the 1933 St. Paul Open.
Death and legacy
Foulis died on 3 March 1928. He is remembered as the winner of the 1896 U.S. Open. He finished third in the 1895 U.S. Open and was an inventor of golf equipment.
He was the original designer of the Country Club golf course in Denver, Colorado, included in Country Club Historic District, listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.[6]
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 18 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1896 | U.S. Open | 2 shot deficit | (78-74=152) | 3 strokes | Horace Rawlins |
Results timeline
Foulis played only in the U.S. Open.
Tournament | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Open | T3 | 1 | T3 | WD | T18 | T14 | 11 | T20 | WD | 9 | T32 | T22 | 47 |
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
References
- ^ "Great Golf By Foulis". The New York Sun. 18 July 1896. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "Rawlins is Champion". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 25 October 1895. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "Births in the United District of St Andrews and St Leonards in the County of Fife". Statutory Births 453/00 0163. ScotlandsPeople. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Gola, Hank (15 June 1995). "U.S. Open challenges golf's best". Wilmington Morning Star. (New York Daily News). p. 4C.
- ^ "10 pros, 1 amateur in first Open". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 13 June 1983. p. 58.
- ^ Sharon Elfenbein (May 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Country Club Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 17 April 2021. With accompanying 63 photos from 1977
External links
- James Foulis at Find a Grave
- Feature Interview with Jim Healey
- v
- t
- e
- 1895 Horace Rawlins
- 1896 James Foulis
- 1897 Joe Lloyd
- 1898 Fred Herd
- 1899 Willie Smith
- 1900 Harry Vardon
- 1901 Willie Anderson†
- 1902 Laurie Auchterlonie
- 1903 Willie Anderson†
- 1904 Willie Anderson
- 1905 Willie Anderson
- 1906 Alex Smith
- 1907 Alec Ross
- 1908 Fred McLeod†
- 1909 George Sargent
- 1910 Alex Smith†
- 1911 John McDermott†
- 1912 John McDermott
- 1913 Francis Ouimet#†
- 1914‡ Walter Hagen
- 1915 Jerome Travers#
- 1916 Chick Evans#
- 1919 Walter Hagen†
- 1920 Ted Ray
- 1921‡ Jim Barnes
- 1922 Gene Sarazen
- 1923 Bobby Jones#†
- 1924 Cyril Walker
- 1925 Willie Macfarlane†
- 1926 Bobby Jones#
- 1927 Tommy Armour†
- 1928 Johnny Farrell†
- 1929 Bobby Jones#†
- 1930 Bobby Jones#
- 1931 Billy Burke†
- 1932 Gene Sarazen
- 1933 Johnny Goodman#
- 1934 Olin Dutra
- 1935 Sam Parks Jr.
- 1936 Tony Manero
- 1937 Ralph Guldahl
- 1938 Ralph Guldahl
- 1939 Byron Nelson†
- 1940 Lawson Little†
- 1941 Craig Wood
- 1946 Lloyd Mangrum†
- 1947 Lew Worsham†
- 1948 Ben Hogan
- 1949 Cary Middlecoff
- 1950 Ben Hogan†
- 1951 Ben Hogan
- 1952 Julius Boros
- 1953‡ Ben Hogan
- 1954 Ed Furgol
- 1955 Jack Fleck†
- 1956 Cary Middlecoff
- 1957 Dick Mayer†
- 1958 Tommy Bolt
- 1959 Billy Casper
- 1960 Arnold Palmer
- 1961 Gene Littler
- 1962 Jack Nicklaus†
- 1963 Julius Boros†
- 1964 Ken Venturi
- 1965 Gary Player†
- 1966 Billy Casper†
- 1967 Jack Nicklaus
- 1968 Lee Trevino
- 1969 Orville Moody
- 1970‡ Tony Jacklin
- 1971 Lee Trevino†
- 1972 Jack Nicklaus
- 1973 Johnny Miller
- 1974 Hale Irwin
- 1975 Lou Graham†
- 1976 Jerry Pate
- 1977 Hubert Green
- 1978 Andy North
- 1979 Hale Irwin
- 1980 Jack Nicklaus
- 1981 David Graham
- 1982 Tom Watson
- 1983 Larry Nelson
- 1984 Fuzzy Zoeller†
- 1985 Andy North
- 1986 Raymond Floyd
- 1987 Scott Simpson
- 1988 Curtis Strange†
- 1989 Curtis Strange
- 1990 Hale Irwin†
- 1991 Payne Stewart†
- 1992 Tom Kite
- 1993 Lee Janzen
- 1994 Ernie Els†
- 1995 Corey Pavin
- 1996 Steve Jones
- 1997 Ernie Els
- 1998 Lee Janzen
- 1999 Payne Stewart
- 2000‡ Tiger Woods
- 2001 Retief Goosen†
- 2002‡ Tiger Woods
- 2003 Jim Furyk
- 2004 Retief Goosen
- 2005 Michael Campbell
- 2006 Geoff Ogilvy
- 2007 Ángel Cabrera
- 2008 Tiger Woods†
- 2009 Lucas Glover
- 2010 Graeme McDowell
- 2011‡ Rory McIlroy
- 2012 Webb Simpson
- 2013 Justin Rose
- 2014‡ Martin Kaymer
- 2015 Jordan Spieth
- 2016 Dustin Johnson
- 2017 Brooks Koepka
- 2018 Brooks Koepka
- 2019 Gary Woodland
- 2020 Bryson DeChambeau
- 2021 Jon Rahm
- 2022 Matt Fitzpatrick
- 2023 Wyndham Clark