Tom Kidd
1 Major Championship • 90th All-Time
1
Wins
0
2nd Place
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First Win Age
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Last Win Age
Major Championship Wins
Career Highlights
- 1873 Open Championship — Won on his home course at St Andrews, the first Open played on the Old Course
- Highest Winning Score — His 179 total remains the highest winning score in any 36-hole Open Championship due to wet conditions
- First Claret Jug Recipient — First player to be awarded the famous Claret Jug trophy (though Young Tom Morris' name was engraved first for 1872)
- Prize Money — Won £11 cash prize for his Open Championship victory
- St Andrews Caddie — Worked as a caddie at St Andrews, the home of golf
Did You Know?
- Tragic End: Kidd died suddenly of a heart problem at age 35 in 1884, leaving behind a wife and two children in poverty
- Lost Treasures: After his death, his golf cleek, iron, and gold Open Championship medal were found in a pub owner's possession—allegedly pawned for drinks totaling just 14 shillings
- Known as "Young Tom": He was called "Young Tom Kidd" to distinguish him from his father, also named Tom Kidd, who was a caddie and died in a poorhouse