| Horace Rawlins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Horace Thomas Rawlins |
| Born | (1874-08-05)5 August 1874 |
| Died | 22 January 1935(1935-01-22) (aged 60) |
| Sporting nationality |  England |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Professional wins | 1 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | Won:1895 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Horace Thomas Rawlins (5 August 1874 – 22 January 1935) was an English professionalgolfer who won the firstU.S. Open Championship in1895.
In 1874, Rawlins was born atShanklin on theIsle of Wight,England, the son of Thomas Horatio and Sarah Maria Rawlins.[1] Thomas Horatio Rawlins had married Sarah Maria Brown inBombay in 1871.[2]
Rawlins had an older sister and two younger brothers; all of whom were born in India. Sarah was widowed by the time of the 1891 census and returned to the Isle of Wight, living inBrading. In 1891 Horace and his younger brother Harry are described as golf caddies.[3][4] The Royal Isle of Wight Golf Club was situated nearby.
Rawlins was one of a number of near-contemporaries who learnt their golf at the now-defunct Royal Isle of Wight Golf Club and went on to become successful professional golfers. The group includedRowland Jones, the cousinsAlfred andWalter Toogood, as well as his brother, Harry Rawlins.
Rawlins became the club professional at the Mid-Herts Golf Club when it opened in 1893.[5] He played in a professional event atStanmore Golf Club in June 1894 but finished well out of the prizes.[6] Rawlins later moved to Raynes Park.[5]
In early 1895, Rawlins travelled to theUnited States to take up a position atNewport Country Club inNewport, Rhode Island. The club hosted the inaugural U.S. Open on 4 October 1895, and he was one of 11 players to participate. Playing in just his third tournament, Rawlins shocked the more establishedWillie Dunn, winning the title by two strokes over 36 holes. The first U.S. Open was a one-day event played immediately after the three-dayU.S. Amateur, which received much more attention at the time. Rawlins won $150 plus a $50 gold medal and the Open Championship Cup, which went to his club.
Rawlins returned to England in late 1895 and took a position at Crowborough Beacon under the professional Arthur Jackson for the winter.[5] A match was arranged between Rawlins andJames Braid on 7 March 1896 at Crowborough, Braid winning 5&3.[7] Rawlins returned to America soon afterwards, moving to Sadaquada Golf Club nearUtica, New York. Rawlins finished second in the1896 U.S. Open, played on 18 July atShinnecock Hills Golf Club.[8]
Rawlins was also involved ingolf course design, having in 1910 done some work on The Springhaven Club course inWallingford, Pennsylvania, which was originally laid out byIda Dixon in 1904.[9]
After settling permanently in England in 1913 Rawlins seems to have played little golf. His only known appearance was as an unattached professional in the 1919 "Victory" tournament of the Southern Section of the PGA. Played at Walton Heath on 14 May, Rawlins scored 88 and 89 and finished well down the field.[10]
In 1911, Rawlins married Cicely Margaret Wright at St Saviour,Shanklin. Cicely had been born inGreat Chesterford,Essex in 1878.
Horace and Cicely travelled to the United States in April 1911 and April 1912 and spent the summer there. Their first child, Robert Cecil, was born in England in 1913, followed by Clifford Horace in 1916 and there is no indication that Rawlins returned to the United States after 1912.
Rawlins' mother, Sarah Maria, died inWealdstone on 7 June 1914 aged 73 at which time Rawlins was described as a "draper".[11]
Rawlins died on 22 January 1935 in Greenlands Nursing Home inReading, Berkshire, now part of the site of theRoyal Berkshire Hospital.[12] He had been living inBarkham nearWokingham and was buried there at the parish church of St. James. His gravestone reads "In ever loving memory of Horace Thomas Rawlins who passed peacefully away January 22nd 1935 aged 60 years Thy will be done".[13] Cicely died in early 1964 inParkstone,Dorset, aged 85.[14]
| Year | Championship | 18 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895 | U.S. Open | 2 shot deficit | 91-82=173 | 2 strokes |  Willie Dunn |
| Tournament | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | 1 | 2 | T8 | T19 | T13 | T30 | T17 | T16 | 12 | 14 | T37 | T25 | 60 | CUT |
Note: Rawlins only played in the U.S. Open.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place