Tom Ball

Thomas John Ball (27 June 1882 – 18 February 1919) was an English professional golfer. Ball placed second in the 1908 Open Championship and tied for second place in the 1909 Open Championship.[2] He won the Belgian Open twice, in 1913 and again in 1914. He won the 1909 News of the World Match Play tournament.

For the Australian cricketer, see Tom Ball (cricketer).
Tom Ball
Ball, c. 1918
Personal information
Full nameThomas John Ball
Born(1882-06-27)27 June 1882[1]
Hoylake, England
Died18 February 1919(1919-02-18) (aged 36)
Wimbledon, Surrey, England
Nationality England
Career
StatusProfessional
Professional wins7
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open Championship2nd/T2: 1908, 1909

Golf career

1908 Open Championship

The 1908 Open Championship was held 18–19 June at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Scottish professional James Braid won the Championship for the fourth time, eight strokes ahead of runner-up Ball.[2] Ball's round-by-round scores were 76-73-76-74=299. The primary difference between Ball's score and Braid's was the first round scoring when Braid's superb 70 put him in excellent position to win—which he eventually did. Ball took home £25 for his fine performance.

1909 Open Championship

The 1909 Open Championship was held 10–11 June at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club in Deal, Kent, England. English star J.H. Taylor won the Championship for the fourth time, six strokes ahead of runners-up Ball and James Braid. Ball carded rounds of 74-75-76-76=301—winning £20 in the process—and finished six shots behind the winning score of 295 posted by J.H. Taylor.[2]

Family

Ball's father, William (1856–1926), was a greenkeeper from Hoylake.[3] His brothers Sydney, William Henry (Harry) and Frank were also professional golfers, as was Harry's son Errie.

Death and legacy

Ball died on 18 February 1919 in Wimbledon, Surrey, England.[4] He is best remembered for having three top-10 finishes in the Open Championship, including a second-place finish in 1908.[2]

Tournament wins (7)

Note: This list may be incomplete.

Results in major championships
Tournament 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914
The Open Championship CUT CUT T24 10 2 T2 T12 15 26 T30 WD

Note: Ball only played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

References
  1. "The professional golf tournament – Victory of Tom Ball". The Glasgow Herald. 8 Oct 1909. p. 9.
  2. 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.
  3. "Death of William Ball". The Times. 24 February 1926. p. 6.
  4. https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=ball&yearOfDeath=1919&page=3#calendar
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