Nationality Scotland Masters Tournament DNP The Open Championship 10th: 1861 Died 23 March 1888 | Status Amateur U.S. Open DNP PGA Championship DNP | |
Robert Chambers, Jr. (March 1832 – 23 March 1888) was a Scottish amateur golfer. Chambers placed tenth in the 1861 Open Championship.
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Early life
Chambers was born in Scotland 1832, son of Robert Chambers (publisher born 1802).
1861 Open Championship
Chambers placed 10th in the 1861 Open Championship, held at Prestwick Golf Club, Ayrshire, Scotland. It was the second 'national' competition at Prestwick, but the first to be 'open' to amateurs as well as professionals, and thus considered by many as the first true Open. Ten professionals and eight amateurs contested the event, with Tom Morris, Sr. winning the championship by 4 shots from Willie Park, Sr. Robert was the second best amateur, with a total was 187 for three rounds of the 12-hole Prestwick course.>
Grand Tournament 1858
Previously, Chambers had won the second Grand National Tournament held on the Old Course at St Andrews in 1858, when he beat Mr. Wallace of Leven in match play on the last hole. He represented Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society in this match. They played at Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh 1761-1876 and held a dinner in his honor to celebrate the result.
Robert was also member of other clubs. This included Tantallon Golf Club at North Berwick, where he was Captain for eight years. He tried unsuccessfully to get them to buy a clubhouse when the other North Berwick golfers did so.
Robert Chambers and George Morris (brother of Old Tom Morris) laid out the original golf course at Hoylake in 1869 for the club who would become the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. George's son, Jack Morris, stayed on as the first professional. George Morris was Robert Chambers long term caddie for 25 years.
Almost as famous as his golf victories, is the time when Robert umpired the match between Old Tom Morris and Willie Park Sr. in 1870 at Musselburgh. He stopped the match after the local crowd were interfering with play, which Willie Park refused to accept.
Chambers wrote extensively on golf, not surprisingly, as he owned a publishing company.
Death
Robert Chambers died in 1888 and is buried in Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh.