Early Golf Development
Morris learned golf from a young age over the Prestwick Golf Club links, which had been laid out by his father, the Club's professional and greenkeeper, in 1851. He bypassed the caddying and clubmaking roles, which were the usual entry to golf for young players at that time; he was the first future top player to do this.
Morris beat his father for the first time at the age of 13 in 1864 in a friendly game at St Andrews; at the time his father was Open Champion. Young Tom, just before his 13th birthday, travelled with his father to a tournament at Perth in April 1864, but was not allowed to compete in either the professional or amateur sections. The organisers instead arranged a match with a local youth champion. Young Tom won this match decisively and was awarded a prize of five pounds, a significant amount at the time; the two young stars had been followed by a large gallery. His match score would have won the professional tournament.
Read more about this topic: Young Tom Morris
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