Drive to give Open golf legends ‘the recognition they deserve’

Stevie Hill, captain of Musselburgh Old Course Golf Club, wants to see game legends David ‘Deacon’ Brown, Bob Ferguson and Jack White remembered in the town’s graveyard at Inveresk.

While out for his daily exercise during the Covid-19 lockdown, he noticed there were grave markers for Mr Ferguson, a three-time Open champion, and Mr White, but no headstones.

He also wants to properly recognise Mr Brown, who is buried there too.

He said he was keen that headstones with details of their victories be installed, as a reminder of their sporting prowess on the links and their connections with Musselburgh, which is known as ‘the cradle of golf ’.

A social media plea put him in touch with relatives of Mr Brown and Mr Ferguson but, so far, he has been unable to locate the family of Mr White, who was born at Pefferside, near Whitekirk, in 1873 and died in Musselburgh in 1949, aged 75.

He is best remembered as the winner of the 1904 Open Championship at Royal St George’s.

Mr Hill, a member of the Society of Hickory Golfers, said he was anxious to get their permission before launching a GoFundMe online page in a bid to raise funds to purchase and install the headstones.

Mr Ferguson, who was born in Musselburgh in 1846 and died in the town in 1915, won a hat-trick of consecutive titles at the Open Championship in 1880 (at Musselburgh), 1881 and 1882.

In addition to the three Open wins, he posted top-10 finishes seven times.

He became Custodian of the Links at Musselburgh and taught the boys of Loretto School how to play golf.

Mr Brown, who born in Musselburgh in 1861 and died, aged 75, at Inveresk in 1936, won the 1886 Open Championship and finished second in the 1903 US Open.

In total, he had 12 top-10 finishes in major championship tournaments.

Mr Hill explained that it would cost around £750 for each of the three headstones, with additional costs for their installation in the cemetery.

He said: “Many youngsters learned to play golf at the Old Course, which attracts visitors from all over the world. I want to give these three golfers the recognition they deserve.”

The cemetery is also the last resting place of famous Open Champions Willie Park Snr, the first to lift the coveted title in 1860 at Prestwick, going on to become a four-time Open champion, and his son Willie Park Jnr, both from Wallyford.

In 1974, Musselburgh Town Council, with the Royal Musselburgh Golf Club, erected a stone to mark Willie Park Snr’s grave.

This, and Willie Jnr’s wall-mounted stone, were cleaned and re-lettered with help from the Old Musselburgh Club in 2007.

The only Open champion whose grave is as yet undiscovered is that of their relative Mungo Park, who won in 1874, coming from a career as a seaman to have his name inscribed on the Claret Jug.

No burial marker has yet been found for him.

He and Mr Brown were residents at the Inveresk Combination Poorhouse in the last years of their lives, although when Mr Brown lived there it would have been known as Wedderburn House.

Willie Park Snr’s great grandson, Mungo Park, praised Mr Hill’s efforts, saying: “I am glad to hear that Musselburgh’s golfers continue to take pride in their history.

“The town deserves recognition for the huge contribution that it made to the history of the game in the 19th century, when it was both the ‘cradle of golf ’ and its driving force.”

He added: “Musselburgh professionals were among the first to take the game to the rest of the world.

“It is fitting that all of the six Open Champions who lived in the town should be properly recognised. “These six exceptional golfers won 12 Open Championships between them but there were many others from the town who contributed much to the game and won significant competitions throughout the world.

“Musselburgh’s golf had strength and depth.

“I hope that this renewed interest in Musselburgh’s Open champions and its history will continue to grow, so that the town can make the most of its reputation, and benefit from its unique place in golf history.”