James Ogilvie Fairlie

James Ogilvie Fairlie
Fairlie in a formal pose, c. 1862
Personal information
Full nameJames Ogilvie Fairlie
Born(1809-10-10)10 October 1809
Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
Died5 December 1870(1870-12-05) (aged 61)
Coodham, Symington, Ayrshire, Scotland
Sporting nationality Scotland
Spouse
Anne Eliza MacLeod
​
(m. 1840)​

Elizabeth Constance Houison-Crauford
​
​
(m. 1845)​
Children9
Career
StatusAmateur
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open Championship8th: 1861
Fairlie with his grooms and the three principal steeplechasers in his stables; painted by John Ferneley, c. 1840

James Ogilvie Fairlie (10 October 1809 – 5 December 1870) was a Scottish amateur golfer and landowner. He is best remembered as the principal organiser of the first Open Championship in 1860.[1] Fairlie was a founding member of Prestwick Golf Club in 1851.

Fairlie served as the captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and was the principal organiser of the inaugural 1860 Open Championship held at Prestwick. Fairlie was a friend and frequent playing partner of the Earl of Eglinton, Archibald Montgomerie,[2] who donated the Challenge Belt that was awarded to the Open Championship winner.[3] He was a mentor to Old Tom Morris who named his son, James Ogilvie Fairlie Morris, after him.[4]

Playing on the Old Course at St Andrews, Fairlie won the Silver Cross Medal in 1849, 1854 and 1860. He won the Gold Medal (King's Medal) in 1857 and 1862. He placed eighth in the 1861 Open Championship.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference LinksMag was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Everard, H. S. C. (1907). "A History of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club St. Andrews from 1754 to 1900". Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  3. ^ "The Open – 4th Open – Prestwick 1863". Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Lot 5: Original 1840s Salt Paper (Calotype) Photograph of J. O. Fairlie (Oldest Known Golf Related Photograph)". GreenJacketAuctions.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.