James Morrison (golfer)

{{Infobox golfer

| name = James Morrison

| image = James Morrison golfer.JPG

| imagesize =

| caption = Morrison at the 2011 KLM Open

| fullname = James Ian Morrison

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|1|24|df=y}}

| birth_place = Chertsey, England

| death_date =

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| height = {{height|m=1.80|precision=0}}

| weight = {{convert|81|kg|lb st|abbr=on}}

| nationality = {{ENG}}

| residence = Weybridge, England

| spouse =

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| college = University of South Carolina

| yearpro = 2006

| retired =

| tour = European Tour

| extour =

| prowins = 2

| pgawins =

| eurowins = 2

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| masters = DNP

| usopen = CUT: 2010, 2018

| open = T20: 2015

| pga = 77th: 2015

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}}

James Ian Morrison (born 24 January 1985) is an English professional golfer.

Early life

Morrison attended Reed's School.{{cite journal |title=OR News |journal=The Reeder |date=2018 |page=44 |url=https://issuu.com/reedsschool/docs/the_reeder_2018_final |access-date=25 June 2022}} He played in the same England youth cricket teams as Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Tim Bresnan, with whom he remains friends.

Amateur career

At the age of 16, he switched to golf and his handicap fell from 18 to scratch in less than a year. He subsequently accepted a scholarship to the University of South Carolina.

Professional career

Morrison turned professional in 2006 and played initially on the PGA EuroPro Tour.

At the end of 2007, he played all three stages of Qualifying School and finished 44th, earning a regular place on the Challenge Tour. He finished 18th in the 2009 Challenge Tour Rankings to secure his place on the 2010 European Tour.{{cite web |url=http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/players/playerid=34610/bio/index.html |title=James Morrison: Biography |publisher=PGA European Tour |accessdate=3 May 2010 }}

In April 2010, he claimed his first win on the European Tour, winning the Madeira Islands Open BPI - Portugal, finishing on 20 under par.{{cite web |url=http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2010/tournamentid=2010017/news/newsid=120057.html#morrison+holds+first+tour |title=Morrison holds on for first tour win |date=11 April 2010 |publisher=PGA European Tour |accessdate=11 April 2010 }}{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/8615134.stm |title=George Murray delighted to finish third in Madeira |date=12 April 2010 |work=BBC Sport |accessdate=12 April 2010 }} Three weeks later he finished second at the Open de España, having lost a playoff for the title to Álvaro Quirós.{{cite news |url=http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/tours-and-news/tournews/453095/alvaro-quiros-wins-open-de-espa-a.html |title=Alvaro Quiros wins Open de España |last=Bisset |first=Fergus |date=2 May 2010 |work=Golf Monthly |accessdate=3 May 2010 }}

In May 2015, Morrison won the Open de España by shooting a final-round 69 for his second European Tour victory.{{cite news |url=https://golf.com/news/james-morrison-of-england-wins-spanish-open-by-4-shots/ |title=James Morrison of England Wins Spanish Open by 4 Shots |date=17 May 2015 |website=Golf.com |accessdate=8 August 2021}} Later that year, he finished second at the Alstom Open de France, three shots behind Bernd Wiesberger.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/33403967 |title=French Open: Bernd Wiesberger wins ahead of James Morrison |date=5 July 2015 |work=BBC Sport |accessdate=8 August 2021}}

In August 2021, Morrison recorded his best finish on the European Tour since 2015. He carded a final round 63 at the Hero Open to finish one shot behind Grant Forrest. Forrest birdied the final two holes to take the title from Morrison.{{cite web |url=https://www.europeantour.com/european-tour/news/articles/detail/big-finish-hands-forrest-maiden-title-in-scotland/ |title=Big finish hands Forrest maiden title in Scotland |publisher=European Tour |date=8 August 2021 |access-date=8 August 2021}}

Personal life

Morrison has suffered from the chronic auto-immune condition Crohn's disease since his mid-teens.{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/golf/07/01/france.golf.morrison.kaymer/ |title=Morrison battles Crohn's disease to lead in France |work=CNN |date=1 July 2011 |accessdate=7 April 2015}}