David Ayton Sr.

David Ayton Sr. (25 May 1857 – 30 January 1931) was a Scottish professional golfer who played in the late 19th century. He had three top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. He was the son of William Ayton, one of the eleven founders of St Andrews Golf Club in about 1843.[1][2][3]

David Ayton, Sr.
Personal information
Born(1857-05-25)25 May 1857
St Andrews, Scotland
Died30 January 1931(1931-01-30) (aged 73)
St Andrews, Scotland
Sporting nationality Scotland
Career
StatusProfessional
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open Championship3rd: 1885

Early life

Ayton was born on 25 May 1857[4] in St Andrews, Scotland, to William Ayton, one of the eleven founders of St Andrews Golf Club circa 1843.[1][2][3]

Golf career

He was at the peak of his playing form in the 1880s with his best performance, a third place, in the 1885 Open Championship held at the Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland, finishing two strokes behind the winner Bob Martin. He is best remembered for an event that never took place.[5] Various sources (including his obituary in the Dundee Courier) refer to him taking 11 at the "Road hole" (the 17th[1]) but a contemporary newspaper report gives his scores there as 6 and 7.[6] He also had top-10 finishes in the 1882 and 1888 Open Championships.[7]

Family

His sons David Jr., Laurie Sr., George and Alex were all professional golfers,[1] as was his grandson Laurie Jr.

Death and legacy

Ayton died in St Andrews, Scotland, on 30 January 1931.[1] He is best remembered for a fine third place finish in the 1885 Open Championship and for reputedly taking an 11 on the Road hole (#17) on the Old Course which, in fact, never happened.[5]

Results in The Open Championship
Tournament 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895
The Open Championship T17 DNP DNP ? DNP DNP T11 DNP DNP T7 DNP DNP 3 DNP T12 9 DNP T17 T24 DNP DNP DNP WD

Note: Ayton played only in The Open Championship.

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
? = Competed, finish unknown
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References
  1. "Famous St Andrews golfer dead – David Ayton's great bid for "Open" recalled". Dundee Courier. 31 January 1931. Retrieved 19 September 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. "St. Andrews Native Josh Jamieson Signs Northwestern NLI". 31 May 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  3. "The 150 Years - A History of the St. Andrews Golf Club - 1843 to 1993: Chapter 6, Just A Minute 3 (1944–1993)". Archived from the original on 24 June 2014.
  4. "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  5. "Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Open Championship".
  6. "The Golf Championship". Dundee Advertiser. 5 October 1885. Retrieved 19 September 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. 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. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
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