Robert Pringle (1851 – 8 September 1902) was a Scottish professional golfer who played in the late 19th century. Pringle had four top-10 finishes in The Open Championship. His best performance was second place in the 1877 Open Championship.[1]
| Bob Pringle | |
|---|---|
 Pringle holding his clubs, c. 1875 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 1851 Dalkeith, Scotland |
| Died | 8 September 1902, aged 51-52 Inveresk, Scotland |
| Sporting nationality |  Scotland |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | c. 1869 |
| Professional wins | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | 2nd: 1877 |
Early life
editPringle was born in Dalkeith, Scotland, in 1851. He was the son of David Pringle and his wife Mary Hilston.[2] He learned golf by starting out as a caddie. Pringle was described as having an admirable swing, one that was technically correct and aesthetically pleasing to see.[3] He was said to be a great stylist of the day, in the manner of Harry Vardon.[4]
In October 1874, Pringle stunned a strong field in a four-round tournament on the Musselburgh Links. His success in winning the tournament was described in a magazine article at the time as "the whole of the 'cracks' had been vanquished by a hitherto unknown caddie, named Pringle."[5]
Golf career
edit1877 Open Championship
editPringle's best result as a player came in the 1877 Open Championship held 6 April at Musselburgh Links, Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. Pringle played solid golf but Jamie Anderson won the Championship by two strokes. Pringle finished in second place, carding rounds of 44-38-40-40=162, and won £6.[1]
Details of play
editDavie Strath and Bob Ferguson played together but Strath had a disappointing 45 in the first round which left him well behind the leaders. Ferguson, too, began in disappointing fashion but managed to salvage a 40. William Brown led on 39 with Ferguson and Jamie Anderson on 40. After two rounds, three players were level on 80: Brown, Ferguson and William Cosgrove with Anderson and Pringle only two behind. Strath was five behind on 85.
Anderson carded a 37 in the third round while Ferguson could muster only a 40 and Davie Strath scored 38. Anderson now led on 119 with Ferguson on 120 and Strath on 123. In the final round Strath took a horrendous 9 at the second hole to drop out of contention. Ferguson also had a disappointing last round and Anderson's 41 was enough to give him the Championship.
Death
editPringle died on 8 September 1902.[2] A "nervous affliction" affected one of his hands, ending his playing career. He died in poverty at the Inveresk poorhouse.[2][3]
Tournament wins (1)
editNote: This list may be incomplete.
- 1874 Musselburgh Tournament[5]
Results in The Open Championship
edit| Tournament | 1873 | 1874 | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 | 1885 | 1886 | 1887 | 1888 | 1889 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | 20 | T14 | T7 | 2 | 22 | T4 | T23 | 4 | T16 | RET |
Note: Pringle played only in The Open Championship.
RET = retired
"T" indicates a tie for a place
References
edit- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c "Robert Pringle". northberwick.org.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Scotland's Veteran Caddies". Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes. Vol. 88. London: Vinton & Co. July 1907. p. 265. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ Baily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes. Vinton & Co. (London). 1896. p. 78. Retrieved 28 May 2015 – via Internet Archive.
golfer bob pringle.
- ^ a b "Pastimes: Musselburgh Golf". 1874. Retrieved 21 November 2017.