| Frederick Guthrie Tait | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Frederick Guthrie Tait |
| Born | 11 January 1870 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 7 February 1900 (aged 30) |
| Nationality | Scotland |
| Career | |
| Status | Amateur |
| Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 2) |
|
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T3: 1896, 1897 |
| U.S. Amateur | DNP |
| British Amateur | Won: 1896, 1898 |
Frederick Guthrie Tait (11 January 1870 - 7 February 1900) was a Scottish soldier and amateur golfer.
Born in Edinburgh, the third son of eminent physicist and fanatical amateur golfer Peter Guthrie Tait, Frederick was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and Sedbergh School. He entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst at the second attempt and is credited with introducing golf there. Tait joined the 2nd battalion, the Leinster regiment (109th foot) and then the 2nd battalion, the Black Watch.
Tait was an extremely powerful and long hitter of the ball. At The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews on 11 January 1893, he hit the ball 250 yards, the ball then rolling on frozen ground and coming to rest 341 yards from the tee, thereby refuting his father's calculation that 190 yards was the maximum possible flight. Tait won The Amateur Championship twice (1896 and 1898), finished third in The Open Championship twice (1896 and 1897) and was leading amateur in the same competition on six occasions.
Tait was killed in action at Koodoosberg during the Second Boer War.
Contents |
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | The Amateur Championship | 8 & 7 | Harold Hilton |
| 1898 | The Amateur Championship | 7 & 5 | S. Mure Fergusson |
Note: Tait played in only The Open Championship and The Amateur Championship.
| Tournament | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T30 | T21 | DNP | 9 LA | T15 | T3 LA | T3 | 5 | T7 LA |
| The Amateur Championship | DNP | R32 | SF | SF | SF | 1 | R32 | 1 | 2 |
LA = Low Amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1892 British Amateur: The Glascow Herald, May 12, 1892, pg. 11.
Source for 1893 British Amateur: The Glascow Herald, May 12, 1893, pg. 11.
Source for 1894 British Amateur: The Glascow Herald, April 28, 1894, pg. 11.
Source for 1895 British Amateur: The Glascow Herald, May 10, 1895, pg. 11.
Source for 1897 British Amateur: The Scotsman, April 29, 1897, pg. 4.