James Robb (golfer)

James Robb, Jr. (1878 – 24 July 1949) was a Scottish amateur golfer who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. He won the Amateur Championship in 1906, finished runner-up in 1897 and 1900 and was a losing semi-finalist in 1898 and 1902.

James Robb
Robb in 1906
Personal information
Full nameJames Robb, Jr.
Born1878
Dunfermline, Scotland
Died24 July 1949 (aged 71)
St Andrews, Scotland
Nationality Scotland
Career
StatusAmateur
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT13: 1895
British AmateurWon: 1906

Early life and family

Robb was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1878, the son of Agnes (née Wilson) and James Robb.[1] His father was a shipper of potatoes for a London firm.[2] He had an older brother, Tom, who was also an amateur golfer.

Golf career

James and Tom Robb won the Glasgow Evening Times foursomes tournament in September 1895, representing St Andrews Thistle. James was still a teenager while Tom was just 21.[3]

In 1896 he won the Dundee Evening Telegraph Cup, the unofficial Scottish Amateur Championship.[4] In 1906 the golf writer Ernest Lehmann said of Robb, “Mr. Robb is one of those natural players of whom one says, the moment he takes club in hand, '"this man is a good player'". He has not got quite the length of some players with his wooden clubs, but any small deficiency in this respect is more than redressed by the deadly sureness of his short game. He hits the ball absolutely truly, and it runs to the hole in that smooth manner which terrifies the opponent and delights the striker, for each knows that the ball is going to have a good chance of going into the hole.” Robb's style of play was further described as one that employed "a great deal of supple wrist work in the address, a quick round swing, and a fine finish."[5]

1906 Amateur Championship

The afternoon round of the 1906 Amateur Championship final at Royal Liverpool Golf Club was going along normally until the two finalists reached the 6th hole. What happened next would become known as "the hole that was halved in 9". Robb and his opponent—Clifford Lingen—both failed to hit any quality golf shots for the onlooking spectators to admire. Instead, their performances on the hole were disastrous.[6]

The Times reported that "The 6th is a very long story. Dead against a strong wind Mr. Lingen drove out of bounds, dropped another onto a bad lie on the tee, got a poor third, topped his fourth, and sliced his fifth into a bunker. On the other hand Mr. Robb drove against the fence, played his second backwards, reached some rushes with his third, played his fourth to square leg, almost into a ditch, his fifth into the garden, and his sixth into the rushes near the green. Eventually both were †dead in 7. They both missed their putts and halved in 9."[6] The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser reported that the play at the hole "was the worst exhibition of golf that has probably ever been seen in a great match."[7]

Robb, however—in spite of his poor play at the 6th hole—went on to win the tournament.[8]

Career

Robb worked as a teller for Clydesdale Bank at St Andrews and Ayr.[9] He retired in 1938 after 40 years service.[4] In appreciation for his years of service with the bank, he was presented with an 18 carat gold pocket watch.[10]

Death and legacy

Robb died at the Memorial Cottage Hospital, St Andrews, in July 1949.[11] Robb is best remembered for winning the 1906 Amateur Championship and twice finishing runner-up in 1897 and 1900.

Tom Robb

James Robb's older brother Thomas Wilson 'Tom' Robb (1874[12] – 1920) played a number of times in the Amateur Championship, his best year being 1911 when he lost in the fourth round.[13] Tom played in the 1920 Amateur Championship, losing to Tommy Armour in the first round.[14] Just a few months later he died. He had played in a monthly medal two days before his death and had been to work at his job at Clydesdale Bank on the day of his death. He died of a heart seizure aged 46. Tom had lived in Glasgow since 1894.[15]

Major championships

Amateur wins (1)
YearChampionshipWinning ScoreRunner-up
1906The Amateur Championship4 & 3 Clifford Lingen

Results timeline
Tournament 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
The Open Championship T13 LA
The Amateur Championship R64 2 SF R64
Tournament 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
The Open Championship T49
The Amateur Championship 2 R32 SF R64 R64 R128 1 R32 R64
Tournament 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT
The Amateur Championship R32 R256 NT NT NT NT NT
Tournament 1920 1921 1922
The Open Championship
The Amateur Championship R128 R256 R256

Note: Robb only played in the Open Championship and the Amateur Championship.

  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

LA = Low amateur
NT = No tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

Sources: Open Championship,[16] 1898 Amateur,[17] 1899 Amateur,[18] 1901 Amateur,[19] 1902 Amateur,[20] 1903 Amateur,[21] 1904 Amateur,[22] 1905 Amateur,[23] 1907 Amateur,[24] 1909 Amateur,[25] 1911 Amateur,[26] 1913 Amateur,[27] 1920 Amateur,[28] 1921 Amateur,[29] 1922 Amateur,[30]

Team appearances

Notes

† In British golf parlance, "dead" or "stone dead" refers to a golf ball very close to the hole—so close that a missed putt is highly unlikely.

References
  1. "Deaths – Robb". Dundee Courier. 25 July 1949. Retrieved 16 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. "Well known St Andrews man dead". Dundee Courier. 22 December 1926. Retrieved 16 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "Golf – The "Evening Times" Trophy – Victory for St Andrews Thistle". The Glasgow Herald. 30 September 1895. p. 9.
  4. "Ex-amateur golf champion retires". Dundee Courier. 1 April 1938. Retrieved 16 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. Lehmann, Ernest (4 July 1906). Golf Notes and Notions. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  6. "Golf – The Amateur Championship – victory of Mr. James Robb". The Times. 26 May 1906. p. 10.
  7. "Golf Championship – Success of James Robb". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. 26 May 1906. Retrieved 16 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. "Scientific Golf". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 10 June 1906. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  9. "Ayr Post Office General and Trades' Directory for Ayr, Newton, and Wallacetown, 1911-1912". National Library of Scotland. p. 27. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  10. "Lot 1167P – 18 Carat Gold Pocket Watch". the-salesroom.com. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  11. "Ex-amateur golf champion dead". Dundee Courier. 25 July 1949. Retrieved 16 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. "Person Details for Thomas Wilson Robb, "Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950" — FamilySearch.org". familysearch.org.
  13. "Golf – The Amateur Championship – Defeat of Mr Ball". The Times. 1 June 1911. p. 14.
  14. "Golf at Muirfield – The Amateur Championship". The Times. 8 June 1920. p. 7.
  15. "Sudden death of Mr T W Robb –Well-known amateur golfer". Dundee Evening Telegraph. 20 October 1920. Retrieved 19 July 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. "Previous Opens". The Open. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  17. "Golf: The Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 27 May 1898. p. 11.
  18. "Golf: Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 24 May 1899. p. 10.
  19. "Golf: The Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 9 May 1901. p. 10.
  20. "Golf: Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 2 May 1902. p. 10.
  21. "Golf: Amateur Golf Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 20 May 1903. p. 13.
  22. "Golf: The Sandwich Meeting". The Glasgow Herald. 1 June 1904. p. 11.
  23. "Golf: Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 24 May 1905. p. 12.
  24. "Golf: Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 30 May 1907. p. 14.
  25. "Golf: Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 26 May 1909. p. 14.
  26. "Golf: Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 1 June 1911. p. 9.
  27. "The Amateur Golf Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 27 May 1913. p. 14.
  28. "Amateur Golf". The Glasgow Herald. 9 June 1920. p. 11.
  29. "Golf: Amateur Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 24 May 1921. p. 3.
  30. "Amateur Golf". The Glasgow Herald. 24 May 1922. p. 7.
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