James Anderson
3 Major Championships • 31th All-Time
Major Championship Wins
About James Anderson
James Anderson won 3 major championships during a 2-year span, with the first coming in 1877.
Learn more: Wikipedia
Career Highlights
- 1877 — Won The Open Championship at Musselburgh (160 over 36 holes) by 2 strokes over Bob Pringle
- 1878 — Captured second consecutive Open at Prestwick (157 over 36 holes) by 2 strokes over Bob Kirk
- 1879 — Won third straight Open at St Andrews (169 over 36 holes) by 3 strokes, joining elite company
- 1880 — Missed tournament due to late entry deadline announcement
- 1881 — Finished runner-up, narrowly missing fourth consecutive Open title
- Historic Achievement — One of only four golfers to win three consecutive Opens (with Young Tom Morris, Bob Ferguson, and Peter Thomson)
Did You Know?
- Late Bloomer: Unlike Young Tom Morris who won his first Open at 17, Anderson didn't reach championship form until age 35, proving success can come at any age
- St Andrews Legacy: Son of "Da" Anderson, the Old Course greenskeeper who famously sold tea and lemonade from a portable cart on the course, Jamie grew up caddying there during Allan Robertson's era
- Tragic End: Despite his three Open Championships, Anderson died impoverished in a poorhouse in Thornton, Fife — his nephew David later finished runner-up in 1888, and all of Jamie's sons became golf professionals