James Robb (golfer)

Robb was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1878, the son of Agnes (née Wilson) and James Robb.{{cite news |title=Deaths – Robb |work=Dundee Courier |date=25 July 1949 |accessdate=16 July 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000564/19490725/144/0006 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} His father was a shipper of potatoes for a London firm.{{cite news |title=Well known St Andrews man dead |work=Dundee Courier |date=22 December 1926 |accessdate=16 July 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000568/19261222/054/0003 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} He had an older brother, Tom, who was also an amateur golfer.

James and Tom Robb won the Glasgow Evening Times foursomes tournament in September 1895, representing St Andrews Thistle. James was still a teenager while Tom was just 21.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RGVEAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8rEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5445%2C7699004 |title=Golf – The "Evening Times" Trophy – Victory for St Andrews Thistle |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=9 |date=30 September 1895}}

In 1896 he won the Dundee Evening Telegraph Cup, the unofficial Scottish Amateur Championship. In 1906 the golf writer Ernest Lehmann said of Robb, “Mr. Robb is one of those natural players of whom one says, the moment he takes club in hand, '"this man is a good player'". He has not got quite the length of some players with his wooden clubs, but any small deficiency in this respect is more than redressed by the deadly sureness of his short game. He hits the ball absolutely truly, and it runs to the hole in that smooth manner which terrifies the opponent and delights the striker, for each knows that the ball is going to have a good chance of going into the hole.” Robb's style of play was further described as one that employed "a great deal of supple wrist work in the address, a quick round swing, and a fine finish."{{cite book|last1=Lehmann|first1=Ernest|title=Golf Notes and Notions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v_ARAAAAYAAJ&q=James+Robb+golf&pg=PA42|date=4 July 1906|accessdate=17 July 2015}}

The afternoon round of the 1906 Amateur Championship final at Royal Liverpool Golf Club was going along normally until the two finalists reached the 6th hole. What happened next would become known as "the hole that was halved in 9". Robb and his opponent—Clifford Lingen—both failed to hit any quality golf shots for the onlooking spectators to admire. Instead, their performances on the hole were disastrous.

The Times reported that "The 6th is a very long story. Dead against a strong wind Mr. Lingen drove out of bounds, dropped another onto a bad lie on the tee, got a poor third, topped his fourth, and sliced his fifth into a bunker. On the other hand Mr. Robb drove against the fence, played his second backwards, reached some rushes with his third, played his fourth to square leg, almost into a ditch, his fifth into the garden, and his sixth into the rushes near the green. Eventually both were ^†dead in 7. They both missed their putts and halved in 9."{{cite news |title=Golf – The Amateur Championship – victory of Mr. James Robb |newspaper=The Times |page=10 |date=26 May 1906}} The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser reported that the play at the hole "was the worst exhibition of golf that has probably ever been seen in a great match."{{cite news |title=Golf Championship – Success of James Robb |work=Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser |date=26 May 1906 |accessdate=16 July 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000206/19060526/123/0009 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}

Robb, however—in spite of his poor play at the 6th hole—went on to win the tournament.{{cite news|title=Scientific Golf|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1906-06-10/ed-1/seq-64/#date1=1906&sort=relevance&rows=20&words=James+Robb&searchType=basic&sequence=0&index=0&state=&date2=1906&proxtext=James+Robb&y=14&x=10&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2|accessdate=24 August 2015|newspaper=The Evening Star|location=Washington, D.C.|date=10 June 1906}}

Robb worked as a teller for Clydesdale Bank at St Andrews and Ayr.{{Cite web|url=https://digital.nls.uk/86629161|title=Ayr Post Office General and Trades' Directory for Ayr, Newton, and Wallacetown, 1911-1912|last=|first=|date=|website=National Library of Scotland|page=27|access-date=2018-02-18}} He retired in 1938 after 40 years service.{{cite news |title=Ex-amateur golf champion retires |work=Dundee Courier |date=1 April 1938 |accessdate=16 July 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000564/19380401/118/0008 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} In appreciation for his years of service with the bank, he was presented with an 18 carat gold pocket watch.{{cite web|title=Lot 1167P – 18 Carat Gold Pocket Watch|url=http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/taylors-auction-rooms/catalogue-id-srtay10033/lot-638a6b2f-8d31-4b90-bcb9-a4ba00fdba6a|website=the-salesroom.com|accessdate=18 July 2015}}

Robb died at the Memorial Cottage Hospital, St Andrews, in July 1949.{{cite news |title=Ex-amateur golf champion dead |work=Dundee Courier |date=25 July 1949 |accessdate=16 July 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000564/19490725/031/0002 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }} Robb is best remembered for winning the 1906 Amateur Championship and twice finishing runner-up in 1897 and 1900.

James Robb's older brother Thomas Wilson 'Tom' Robb (1874{{cite web|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYTR-F4S|title=Person Details for Thomas Wilson Robb, "Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950" — FamilySearch.org|work=familysearch.org}} – 1920) played a number of times in the Amateur Championship, his best year being 1911 when he lost in the fourth round.{{cite news |title=Golf – The Amateur Championship – Defeat of Mr Ball |newspaper=The Times |page=14 |date=1 June 1911}} Tom played in the 1920 Amateur Championship, losing to Tommy Armour in the first round.{{cite news |title=Golf at Muirfield – The Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Times |page=7 |date=8 June 1920}} Just a few months later he died. He had played in a monthly medal two days before his death and had been to work at his job at Clydesdale Bank on the day of his death. He died of a heart seizure aged 46. Tom had lived in Glasgow since 1894.{{cite news |title=Sudden death of Mr T W Robb –Well-known amateur golfer |work=Dundee Evening Telegraph |date=20 October 1920 |accessdate=19 July 2015 |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000563/19201020/092/0007 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription }}

Note: Robb only played in the Open Championship and the Amateur Championship.

{{legend|lime|Win}}

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

LA = Low amateur

NT = No tournament

"T" indicates a tie for a place

R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

Sources: Open Championship,{{cite web |url=http://www.theopen.com/Heritage/PreviousOpens#!/1895/St%20Andrews |title=Previous Opens |publisher=The Open |accessdate=23 December 2015}} 1898 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=18980527&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: The Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=27 May 1898 |page=11}} 1899 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=18990524&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=24 May 1899 |page=10}} 1901 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19010509&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: The Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=9 May 1901 |page=10}} 1902 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19020502&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=2 May 1902 |page=10}} 1903 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19030520&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: Amateur Golf Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=20 May 1903 |page=13}} 1904 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19040531&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: The Sandwich Meeting |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=1 June 1904 |page=11}} 1905 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19050524&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=24 May 1905 |page=12}} 1907 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19070530&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=30 May 1907 |page=14}} 1909 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19090526&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=26 May 1909 |page=14}} 1911 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19110601&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=1 June 1911 |page=9}} 1913 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19130527&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Amateur Golf Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=27 May 1913 |page=14}} 1920 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19200609&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Amateur Golf |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=9 June 1920 |page=11}} 1921 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19210524&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Golf: Amateur Championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=24 May 1921 |page=3}} 1922 Amateur,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19220524&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Amateur Golf |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |date=24 May 1922 |page=7}}

• England–Scotland Amateur Match (representing Scotland): 1902 (winners), 1903, 1905 (winners), 1906 (winners), 1907 (winners)

^† In British golf parlance, "dead" or "stone dead" refers to a golf ball very close to the hole—so close that a missed putt is highly unlikely.

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robb, James}}

Category:Scottish male golfers

Category:Amateur golfers

Category:Golfers from Dunfermline

Category:1878 births

Category:1949 deaths