J S Higginbotham (see photograph), captain of Islay Golf Club from 1896, announced in December 1899 that Mr Iain Ramsay, the club president, had offered £100 as first prize in an open tournament at Machrie which would begin on Wednesday, 12 June 1901. Although there were stakes in challenge matches of greater value than this, no other open tournament had ever offered so large a first prize. It was four times the amount awarded to the winner of the Open Championship which would take place the weekend before at Muirfield.
The "great triumvirate", J H Taylor, James Braid and Harry Vardon were enticed across as were most of the other superstars of the day, Sandy Herd, Ben Sayers, Jack White, Andrew Kirkaldy and Willie Fernie. This was a particular effort on the part of Braid who hated travelling by sea and apparently spent a rough journey around the Mull flat on his back.
Local boys (such as those shown in the picture from he beginning of the twentieth century) caddied for the players. As The Scotsman newspaper described it, 'A group of caddies, barefooted many of them and bonnet-less and all chattering in Gaelic, awaited the players in front of the Machrie House. From among these Donalds, Ronalds, Dougalds, Malcolms and Anguses, Harry Vardon selected a sturdy little bare-legged chap, whose head barely reached to the head of the professional's jacket.'
The tournament was matchplay and, in the first round of 32 players, professionals were drawn against amateurs. The anticipated slaughter of the innocents took place and a new draw was made for the second round where the last two amateurs, who had won through the first round by walkovers, were eliminated. The draw was such that two members of the triumvirate would meet in the final but two met in a classic match in the third round. 'Seldom in the history of the game has a more exciting finish been seen' wrote The Scotsman's correspondent. Two down with three to play in heavy wind and rain, Vardon won the 16th and the 17th and they completed the round, all square, with threes at the last. They halved another five holes but, on the 24th, despite being stymied, Taylor ran his putt past Vardon's ball and into the hole to win. Onto the semi-finals. Braid defeated Andrew Kirkaldy and Taylor had the better of Sandy Herd. The stage was set for a great final.
The pupils at Port Ellen were given a half-day holiday the next day to watch the richest prize in golf being contested. This would help swell the crowd of thirty who watched the 36 hole match start at 10:30 under clear skies. Both completed the morning round in 79 and were all square. At the turn in the afternoon Braid was two up but both players made mistakes in the back nine and only two holes were halved coming to the 18th tee where they stood, once again, all square. Braid pulled his tee shot and had trouble getting out of the rough. He needed a ten yard putt for a half. What happens next depends on the account. The Scotsman wrote, 'Braid got the line nicely, the ball striking the back of the disc and bounding out'; a local version was that the 'final putt which was making stright for the hole when it was deflected by a sheep's dropping'. However it happened, J H Taylor won the £100 and Braid pocketed £40 as a consolation. Neither had time to savour the pleasures of Islay. Both were playing the next morning at Bogside in another exhibition over 36 holes and three days later, in front of 3000 people, a better turn out than on Islay ! at Blackhill in Glasgow.
I am indebted to Tom Dunn and Islay Golf Club for the use of pictures accompanying this article which come from John Cubbage's highly readable account of Islay and its golf club, Chronicle of the Islay Golf Club and the Machrie Links (1996).
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