James Kinnell

James Kinnell (1876 – 22 April 1918) was a Scottish professional golfer who played in the late 19th and early 20th century. Kinnell had five top-10 finishes in the Open Championship. His best performance came in the 1905 Open Championship when he finished in fourth place.[1] He served as the head professional at the Prestwick St Nicholas Golf Club in Prestwick, Scotland. His brother David, also a professional golfer, worked at the club as well.[2]

James Kinnell
Personal information
Born1876
Leven, Fife, Scotland
Died22 April 1918 (aged 42)
France
Sporting nationality Scotland
SpouseEllen Edith Kinnell
Career
Turned professional1894
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open Championship4th: 1905

Kinnell was killed in action in France on 22 April 1918 during World War I.[3]

Early life

Kinnell was born in 1876 in Leven, Fife, Scotland, to James Kinnell and his wife Janet. He became a licensed golf professional at North Berwick in 1894.[4]

Golf career

1905 Open Championship

The 1905 Open Championship was held 7–9 June at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Scottish linksman James Braid won the Championship for the second time, by five strokes from runners-up Rowland Jones and J.H. Taylor.[1]

Details of play

All entries played 18 holes on the first two days with all those within 14 strokes of the leader making the cut and playing 36 holes on the final day. Strong winds and hard ground conditions made scoring difficult on all three days and there were but just a scant few rounds under 80. Sandy Herd, Taylor and Harry Vardon led after the first round with scores of 80. Scoring was slightly better on the second day with Jones's 77 giving him the lead on 158. He was followed by Braid on 159 and Kinnell and Arnaud Massy on 161. Just 45 players made the cut of 172. Only one amateur, John Graham Jr., was able to survive the cut.[1]

Kinnell played steady golf despite having to deal with adverse playing conditions, particularly the blustery winds. On the final leaderboard he was in the fourth position and took home £10 as his share of the purse.

Death and legacy

Kinnell was killed in action in France on 22 April 1918 during World War I.[3] He was a private in the Queen's Own (Royal West Kent Regiment) 1st Battalion. He was buried in the Morbecque British Cemetery.[3] He is best remembered as a consistent and steady performer in the Open Championship with five top-10 finishes and for military service to his country.

Results in major championships
A group photo of the 1903 Scotland team. Kinnell is seated far left.
Tournament 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911
The Open Championship 23 WD T20 T15 T7 CUT T7 T6 T15 CUT 4 T28 T29 DNP DNP T8 CUT

Note: Kinnell played only in The Open Championship.

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

Team appearances

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. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  2. "Prestwick St Nicholas Golf Club -- David Kinnell". prestwicknicholas.com. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  3. "Commonwealth War Graves Commission -- Kinnell, James". cwgc.org. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  4. "North Berwick: Clubmakers, Professionals and Course Designers". Retrieved 21 January 2017.
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