Thomas Mitchell Morris (1821 - 1908)

Born 16 Jun 1821 in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom

Husband of Agnes (Bayne) Morris — married 21 Jun 1844 in Scotland, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 24 May 1908 at age 86 in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom

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Biography

Keeper of the Green at The Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland, and Pioneer of Professional Golf. He won the British Open Championship in the years 1861, 1862, 1864, and 1867, and still holds several golf records. Born in St. Andrews, Scotland, the "Home of Golf," he was apprenticed to Allan Robertson, who is generally considered the world's first professional golfer. Robertson made fetherie balls, teaching Morris the trade and how to play golf. Often paired together later in matches, they were never beaten. Fetherie balls were expensive and fragile, often breaking apart, tending to limit the game's appeal to all but the wealthy. When the better, cheaper, and longer lasting gutta percha golf ball was introduced in 1848, Robertson condemned the new ball, but Morris believed the new ball was the future of golf, and the two men went their separate ways in 1849. Morris then joined the newly formed Prestwick Golf Club, where he served as Keeper of the Greens. Morris would work as a greens keeper, club maker, and eventually as a course designer, along with playing tournament golf. In 1852, the railroad built a spur to St. Andrews; this would help make golf popular with the British public, and with its popularity, Morris would become more financially secure. In 1860, he entered the first British Open Championship, hosted by Prestwick, and came in second. The next year, he won the championship. Old Tom would play in every British Open Championship from 1860 until 1895. He currently holds the record as the oldest winner of The Open Championship (at age 46), and for the largest winning margin in the Championship (13 strokes ahead of second place, in 1862). And he and his son, "Young Tom," currently hold the record as the only father/son couple being winner and runner-up (1869, Young Tom beat his father!). Tom Morris is considered the Father of Modern Greens-Keeping, having introduced the concept of top-dressing greens and introducing numerous ideas on course management, including managing the course hazards. Morris also standardized the golf course length to 18 holes (at one time, St. Andrews' Old Course had 23 holes), and introduced the concept that players should return to the Club House at the end of nine holes. He introduced the modern concept that hazards should be placed so that the ball had to be routed around them. As a course designer, he has designed or remodeled about 75 courses; Prestwick is a model of his innovations in course designs. In 1865, he returned to St. Andrews as Keeper of the Greens, holding that position until his retirement in 1904. He established a club making shop near the 18th Green, and today, that green is named in his honor. But he considered his son, "Young Tom" Morris, as his greatest pride, for "Young Tom" not only followed in his father's footsteps, but surpassed his father's professional records in almost every way. "Old Tom" Morris died at age 86 after sustaining a fractured skull, when he fell down the stairs at The New Club, at St. Andrews. He was so highly respected that hundreds attended his funeral, spanning the entire length of South Street in St. Andrews.

Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson

Thomas Mitchell Morris was born on 16 June 1821, in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom, his father, John Morris, was 43 and his mother, Jean Bruce, was 48. He married Agnes "Nancy" Bayne on 21 June 1844, in Scotland, United Kingdom. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 1 daughter. He died on 24 May 1908, in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom, at the age of 86, and was buried in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Sources

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6867/tom-morris: accessed 25 August 2022), memorial page for Tom “Old Tom” Morris (16 Jun 1821–24 May 1908), Find a Grave Memorial ID 6867, citing St Andrew's Cathedral Graveyard, Saint Andrews, Fife, Scotland; Maintained by Find a Grave.

• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XB1D-2RX: 11 February 2020), Thomas Mitchel Morris, 1821.

• "Scotland Marriages, 1561-1910", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XT5Q-JL8: 11 February 2020), Thomas Morris, 1844.

• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XB1D-2RV: 11 February 2020), Thomas Morris in entry for Thomas Morris, 1846.

• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XB1D-2RL: 11 February 2020), Thomas Morris in entry for Thomas Morris, 1851.

• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XBGH-BLH: 11 February 2020), Thomas Morris in entry for Elizabeth Morris, 1852.

• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYBL-FX7: 12 February 2020), Thomas Morris in entry for James Ogilvy Fairlie Morris, 1856.

• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYBL-DXW: 12 February 2020), Thomas Morris in entry for John Morris, 1859.

• "Scotland Census, 1861," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VBWH-MQJ: 3 February 2020), Thomas Morris, Monkton & Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland; from "1861 England, Scotland & Wales census," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com: 2012.); citing p. 9, PRO RG 9, The National Archives UK, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 103,805.

• "Scotland Census, 1871," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VBG2-9X9: 4 February 2020), Thomas Morris, St Andrews & St Leonards, Fife, Scotland; from "1871 England, Scotland & Wales census," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com: 2012); citing p. 23, PRO T 1, The National Archives UK, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 103,995.

• "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPCV-DGX3: 17 April 2019), Thomas Morris in entry for James Hunter, Esq, Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, 2 Mar 1875, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm.

• "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPCN-Z27M: 17 April 2019), Thomas Morris in entry for Agnes Bayne Morris, Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Dundee, Forfarshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, 4 Nov 1876, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm.

• Wikipedia contributors. (2022, July 16). Old Tom Morris. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:58, August 25, 2022, from [1]