Any golfer who visits St Andrews (as any true enthusiast for the game must surely do at least once) should make his way from the Course to the churchyard of the ruined Cathedral to stand for a moment before the monument to Young Tom Morris, Golf’s first Superstar, Pioneer of Modern Golf and Monarch of the Green – title of a splendid new biography by Stephen Procter, formerly a senior editor at The Baltimore Sun. Published by the Edinburgh firm, Birlinn, it is a companion piece to the biography by David Malcolm and Peter E Crabtree of Young Tom’s father, the white-bearded Old Tom, entitled “The Colossus of Golf” also published by Birlinn ten years ago.
The monument takes the form of an almost life-sized statue of Tommy, wearing tweed jacket, tie and Glengarry bonnet, in the act of addressing a putt, with a very open stance. Sixty golf societies, or clubs, throughout the United Kingdom subscribed to pay for it, which is itself remarkable. Even more so is the fact that the monument was unveiled by Lord Glencorse, Scotland’s senior judge, Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice-General, while the closing prayer was given by the Principal of St Andrews University. It was not long since caddies had been regarded as ruffians given to drink, but now caddies, turned professional golfers, had become respectable, thanks to Old Tom and his even more gifted son.
Tommy had died suddenly on Christmas Day 1875, aged only twenty-four. He had already won The Open four times and he had won more than two-thirds of all the Singles and Foursomes he had played against fellow-professionals.
