Johnny Laidlay

Johnny Laidlay
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name	John Ernest Laidlay
Born	(1860-11-05)5 November 1860 Seacliff, East Lothian, Scotland
Died	15 July 1940(1940-07-15) (aged 79) Sunningdale, Berkshire, England
Nationality	Scotland
Career
Status	Amateur
Best results in major championships (Wins: 2)
U.S. Open	DNP
The Open Championship	2nd: 1893
U.S. Amateur	DNP
British Amateur	Won: 1889, 1891

John Ernest Laidlay (5 November 1860 – 15 July 1940) was a Scottish amateur golfer. He invented the most popular golf grip used today, although the grip is credited to Harry Vardon, who took it up after Laidlay.

Laidlay was born in Seacliff, two miles east of North Berwick, East Lothian. He became quite prominent at golf while a schoolboy from 1872-1878 at the Loretto School in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh. Following completion of his education at Loretto, he moved to North Berwick and played out of the famous North Berwick Golf Club. Laidlay won the British Amateur Championship twice, in 1889 and 1891, and was runner-up three more times, in 1888, 1890, and 1893, during a six-year stretch from 1888 to 1893. He was also runner-up in the 1893 British Open. He won over 130 amateur medals during his playing career, represented Scotland every year from 1902 to 1911, and also played cricket for Scotland. After World War I, he moved to Sunningdale, near London, where his former caddie Jack White was the club professional at the Sunningdale Golf Club. He has been called the 'last of the gentlemen golfers'.^[1]

Laidlay was using the grip which was credited to Harry Vardon for some years before either Vardon or John Henry Taylor adopted it. The grip is taken by overlapping the little finger of the bottom hand between the forefinger and middle fingers of the top hand, with thumbs pointing down and the remaining fingers of both hands wrapping around the club, with the club held lightly. The lead thumb should fit into the palm, along the lifeline of the trailing hand. Since 1900, most professionals, top amateurs, and average players around the world have adopted this grip, known as the Vardon or overlapping grip. Probably 90% of the world's golfers use it, although there are exceptions, including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Gene Sarazen.

Laidlay also played one match for the Scotland national cricket team in 1878.^[2]

Major championships

Amateur wins (2)

Year	Championship	Winning Score	Runner-up
1889	The Amateur Championship	2 & 1	Leslie Balfour-Melville
1891	The Amateur Championship	20 holes	Harold Hilton

Results timeline

Note: Laidlay played in only The Open Championship and The Amateur Championship.

Tournament	1885	1886	1887	1888	1889
The Open Championship	T13	T8 LA	4 LA	10	T4 LA
The Amateur Championship	R24	QF	DNP	2	1

Tournament	1890	1891	1892	1893	1894	1895	1896	1897	1898	1899
The Open Championship	T11	T20	DNP	2 LA	DNP	17	T18	29	DNP	32
The Amateur Championship	2	1	SF	2	SF	R16	R16	R64	DNP	R16

Tournament	1900	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909
The Open Championship	T26	T7	DNP	T37	DNP	DNP	T60	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Amateur Championship	R16	R32	R16	R64	SF	R64	R32	R256	R128	R16

Tournament	1910	1911	1912	1913	1914	1915	1916	1917	1918	1919
The Open Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT
The Amateur Championship	R32	R64	DNP	R64	R128	NT	NT	NT	NT	NT

Tournament	1920
The Open Championship	DNP
The Amateur Championship	R64

LA = Low Amateur
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
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 1885 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, April 21, 1885, pg. 7.

Source for 1886 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, September 23, 1886, pg. 5.

Source for 1892 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 14, 1892, pg. 4.

Source for 1894 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, April 28, 1894, pg. 11.

Source for 1895 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 9, 1895, pg. 3.

Source for 1896 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 21, 1896, pg. 11.

Source for 1897 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, April 28, 1897, pg. 10.

Source for 1899 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1899, pg. 8.

Source for 1900 British Amateur: Golf, July, 1900, pg. 21.

Source for 1901 British Amateur: Golf, June, 1901, pg. 413.

Source for 1902 British Amateur: Golf, June, 1902, pg. 397.