James McDowall (1896 – 5 November 1944)[1] was a Scottish professional golfer. He was one of the leading Scotland-based professionals of the inter-war period, winning the Northern Open, the Dunlop-Scottish Tournament and the Scottish Professional Championship.
| Jimmy McDowall | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | James McDowall |
| Born | 1896 Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Died | 5 November 1944 (aged 48) Ayr, Scotland |
| Sporting nationality |  Scotland |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Professional wins | 3 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T16: 1934 |
Golf career
editMcDowall was an assistant at the Links Golf Club, Newmarket before World War I.[2] He later became the professional at Williamwood Golf Club, Glasgow and then moved to Prestwick Golf Club and, in 1927, to Turnberry.[3]
McDowall won the inaugural Northern Open in 1931 by 7 strokes.[4] The following year he led by 7 strokes after 3 rounds but was caught on the final afternoon and lost a playoff.[5][6]
McDowall also won the inaugural Dunlop-Scottish Tournament played on the King's course at Gleneagles in October 1933. This was a match-play event, the equivalent of the Scottish Professional Championship which was stroke-play. McDowall received a bye in the first round.[7] After four rounds on the next two days, McDowall reached the final where he played Mark Seymour.[8][9] Seymour had won three of the previous four Scottish Professional Championships. In the 36-hole final, McDowall was 5 up after 7 holes, although the lead was reduced to 4 holes after the opening round. In the afternoon McDowall won 6 of the first 8 holes to be dormie 10. Seymour then won the next 5 holes before a half at the 14th gave McDowall a 5&4 victory.[10]
McDowall was runner-up in the Scottish Professional Championship in 1933 and 1934 behind Mark Seymour.[11][12] In 1935 he won the event, finishing 6 strokes clear of the field and 9 ahead of Seymour.[13]
McDowall was a regular competitor in the Open Championship, qualifying for 10 successive years from 1926 to 1935. His best finish was to be tied for 16th place in 1934. He was also a regular in the Scottish team from when the professional international matches were restarted in 1932 until 1936.
Professional wins (3)
editResults in major championships
edit| Tournament | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T44 | T30 | CUT | T37 | CUT | CUT | T40 | CUT | T48 | T16 | CUT |
Note: McDowall only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
edit- England–Scotland Professional Match (representing Scotland): 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936
- Ireland–Scotland Professional Match (representing Scotland): 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936
References
edit- ^ "Deaths – M'Dowall". The Glasgow Herald. 14 November 1944. p. 1.
- ^ "£400 Professional Tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 24 July 1913. p. 13.
- ^ "Scots Golf Professional Dies". The Glasgow Herald. 14 November 1944. p. 3.
- ^ "Northern Open tournament". The Glasgow Herald. 1 May 1931. p. 4.
- ^ "Thrilling tie at Nairn". The Glasgow Herald. 22 April 1932. p. 18.
- ^ "Troon assistant wins Nairn play-off". The Glasgow Herald. 23 April 1932. p. 16.
- ^ "Scots Professional Title". The Glasgow Herald. 12 October 1933. p. 17.
- ^ "Scots Professional Match-play Title". The Glasgow Herald. 13 October 1933. p. 4.
- ^ "Scots Professional Match-play Title". The Glasgow Herald. 14 October 1933. p. 17.
- ^ "A Remarkable Final". The Glasgow Herald. 16 October 1933. p. 21.
- ^ "Seymour wins again". The Glasgow Herald. 9 June 1933. p. 6.
- ^ "Professionals at Nairn: Seymour retains title: M'Dowall second". The Glasgow Herald. 8 June 1934. p. 7.
- ^ "M'Dowall wins by six strokes". The Glasgow Herald. 7 June 1935. p. 7.