Tom Morris Jr.
4 Major Championships • 22th All-Time
4
Wins
0
2nd Place
17
First Win Age
21
Last Win Age
Major Championship Wins
About Tom Morris Jr.
Tom Morris Jr. won 4 major championships during a 4-year span, with the first coming in 1868.
Learn more: Wikipedia
Career Highlights
- Four Consecutive Opens — Won 1868, 1869, 1870, and 1872 (no tournament in 1871), a feat never repeated
- Youngest Major Champion — At age 17 in 1868, still the youngest major champion in golf history
- Challenge Belt — Retired the original Challenge Belt after three straight wins, prompting creation of the Claret Jug
- Possible First Albatross — May have scored golf's first-ever albatross (double eagle) in 1870 on a 578-yard hole
- Old Course Record — Broke the St Andrews record with 77 in 1869 playoff, a mark that stood for 20 years
- First Sub-4 Round — His 1870 opening round of 47 was first competitive round averaging under four strokes per hole
Did You Know?
- Tragic Death at 24: Young Tom died on Christmas Day 1875, just months after his wife and newborn baby died in childbirth
- Golf Innovator: First to use the rut iron as a pitching wedge for high shots over hazards, and first to intentionally shape shots in flight
- Father-Son Legacy: In 1868, he and his father Old Tom finished 1-2 at the Open, a unique family occurrence in major championship history