Mungo Park (22 October 1836 – 19 June 1904) was a member of a famous family of Scottish golfers. He won the 1874 Open Championship held at Musselburgh Links.[1]
| Mungo Park | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | 22 October 1836 Musselburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 19 June 1904 (aged 67) Inveresk, Scotland |
| Sporting nationality |  Scotland |
| Spouse | Margaret Johnston |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| The Open Championship | Won: 1874 |
Early life
editHe was born 22 October 1836 to farm labourer and occasional golfer[2] James Park (1797–1873) and his wife Euphemia (née Kerr; 1806–1860), at Quarry Houses in Musselburgh, which was to become one of the three towns that shared hosting responsibilities for The Open Championship through the 1870s and 1880s. He learned golf at the age of four, but then spent 20 years as a seaman.[citation needed]
Golf career
editAfter his career as a seaman concluded he returned to his home town in the early 1870s and won the 1874 Open Championship on the Musselburgh Links.[1] His winning score was 159 for 36 holes.[3] He spent his later life working as a teacher, golf course designer and clubmaker. Park would go on to post four more top-10 finishes in The Open Championship between 1875 and 1881.[3]
Golf course design
editPark was the first club professional at Alnmouth Golf Club and it is believed by those associated with the club that he was also responsible for the design of the course.[4] Park was also the first professional at Portmarnock Golf Club for one year having supervised the golf course design in 1893.[5]
Family
editPark's brother, Willie, and his nephew, Willie Park, Jr., both won The Open Championship.[3]
Mungo Park had a nephew, Mungo Park Jr., Willie Jr.'s younger brother, who was also a professional golfer. Mungo Jr. spent some time in Argentina and won the Argentine Open three times, in 1905, 1907 and 1912.[6]
Death
editPark died of pernicious anemia in the Inveresk poorhouse, aged 67.[7]
Major championships
editWins (1)
edit| Year | Championship | 18 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1874 | The Open Championship | 4 shot lead | 75-84=159 | 2 strokes | Tom Morris, Jr.
|
Results timeline
edit| Tournament | 1874 | 1875 | 1876 | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1882 | 1883 | 1884 | 1885 | 1886 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | 1 | 3 | T4 | 7 | 17 | 20 | T9 | 27 | WD | T33 |
Note: Park played only in the Open Championship.
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
References
edit- ^ a b "1874 Mungo Park". The Open. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
- ^ Fisher, Richard (2016). "Park, William [Willie], senior (1833–1903), golfer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/102422. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ "Alnmouth Golf Club Ltd - Golf club and golf course in Northumberland".
- ^ "Portmarnock Golf Club Timeline".
- ^ "Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers". antiquegolfscotland.com. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ "Deaths in the District of Inveresk and Musselburgh in the County of Edinburgh". Statutory Deaths 689/00 0124. ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 15 February 2015.