Davie Strath

David Strath (1849 – 28 January 1879) was a Scottish professional golfer. His golf career was highlighted with a trio of second place finishes in the 1870, 1873 and 1876 Open Championships. In 1876, he lost the playoff to fellow countryman Bob Martin.[1]

Davie Strath
Strath, c. 1875
Personal information
Full nameDavid Strath
Born1849
St Andrews, Scotland
Died28 January 1879(1879-01-28) (aged 29–30)
Melbourne, Australia
Nationality Scotland
Career
Turned professionalc. 1867
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open Championship2nd: 1872, 1876

Early life

Strath was born in St Andrews, Scotland, circa 1849, the son of Alexander Strath and Susan Reid.

Golf career

Strath toured Scotland and parts of England in the 1870s—both on his own and with fellow countryman Tom Morris, Jr.—playing exhibition matches on his own account, without official sanction; this was the first time this had been done.[2] He finished in second place in the Open Championship twice in 1872, and 1876.

The Strath family of four brothers all died, except George, of consumption as young men. Andrew, the second son, was the Open champion in 1865, but David was the star golfer in the family. When in the autumn of 1878 he fell ill, he decided on the advice of doctors in the Scottish town of North Berwick to embark on the 84-day voyage to Melbourne, Australia, to recover.[2]

Emigration to Australia

No one in Scotland had ever been able to determine what happened to the 29-year-old champion who helped design the North Berwick course. Many people assumed he had died on the ship when he did not return to Scotland. It was later discovered that Strath suffered acute laryngitis on the voyage and arrived in Melbourne in a weakened state, dying just 20 days later. He died in a house on Royal Terrace in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton next to the residence of a Professor Halford, who had studied at St Andrews University in Scotland and eventually founded the medical school at Melbourne University.[2]

Death

Strath died on 28 January 1879 in Melbourne, Australia. He was interred in an unmarked grave in the Presbyterian section of the Melbourne General Cemetery.[2] With the collaborative efforts of the golf club of St Andrews and the Golf Society of Australia, funding was provided to erect a proper stone grave marker for Strath in January 2006.[2]

Results in The Open Championship
Tournament 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877
The Open Championship 3 3 NT 2 5 T18 6 2 T5

Note: Strath played only in The Open Championship.

NT = No tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

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References
  1. 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. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  2. Clayton, Mike (29 January 2006). "Mystery of Scottish champ finally solved". The Age. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
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