George Paxton (golfer)

George Paxton (born c. 1851) was a Scottish professional golfer who played during the late 19th century. Paxton took third place in the 1874 Open Championship.[1] In total, Paxton had five top-10 performances in the Open Championship between 1874 and 1883.

George Paxton
Personal information
Bornc. 1851
Musselburgh, Scotland
Nationality Scotland
Career
Turned professionalc. 1868
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open Championship3rd: 1874

Early life

Paxton was born in Musselburgh, Scotland, circa 1851. He had a younger brother, Peter, who was also a professional golfer.

Golf career

The 1874 Open Championship

The 1874 Open Championship was the 14th Open Championship, held 10 April at Musselburgh Links, Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. The winner of the Championship was Mungo Park, by two strokes from runner-up Tom Morris, Jr. This was the first Open Championship played at Musselburgh. Paxton—who finished third—played very consistently, carding rounds of 40-40-42-40=162 and won £3 (£281.00 today[2]).

Details of play

Play started at about 12 noon in dull and showery weather but later in the day the weather improved. The course, especially the greens, "were rather heavy".[3]

Many of the spectators followed Tom Morris, Jr. and Willie Park, Sr. who were paired together. Morris—who got off to a rough start—experienced difficulties in extricating his ball from a number of bunkers. Park scored 40 in the first round to Morris's 42. However, as the day progressed, Morris began to find fairways and improved while Park fell away. The best player in the first two rounds was Mungo Park with scores of 37 and 38. At this stage he led by 4 from G. McCachnie, 5 from George Paxton with Tom Morris, Jr., and Willie Park had fallen a full 8 shots behind.[3]

"During the last round the utmost excitement prevailed, and as each couple came in a knot of spectators gathered round them to ascertain what luck had attended them."

—Glasgow Herald

Mungo Park carded a third round 43 with G. McCachnie, George Paxton, Jamie Anderson and Tom Morris, Jr. each four behind at that stage. Bob Martin was a further shot behind after a third round 38. Mungo Park scored 41 in his final round and although Morris again played a useful round he still finished two behind. McCachnie fell away with a closing 47. A staff writer for the Glasgow Herald wrote, "During the last round the utmost excitement prevailed, and as each couple came in a knot of spectators gathered round them to ascertain what luck had attended them."[3]

Death and legacy

The date of death of Paxton is unknown. Paxton is best remembered for having five top-10 finishes (four of which were top-5) in the Open Championship.

Results in The Open Championship
Tournament 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883
The Open Championship 3 DNP T8 DNP DNP 4 T4 DNP DNP T5

DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10

References
  1. 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. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  2. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. "Golf - Competition for the Golf Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 11 April 1874. p. 5.
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