Harold Horsfall Hilton (12 January 1869 – 5 May 1942) was an English amateur golfer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He won The Open Championship twice, The Amateur Championship four times, and the U.S. Amateur Championship once.

Career

Hilton was born in West Kirby and attended West Buckland School in Devon. In 1892, he won The Open Championship at Muirfield, becoming the second amateur to do so. He won again in 1897 at his home club, Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake. The only other amateurs who have won the Open Championship are John Ball and Bobby Jones. Hilton's autobiography My Golfing Reminiscences was published in 1907.

Hilton also won The Amateur Championship on four occasions, including 1911, when he became the only British player to win the British and U.S. Amateurs in the same year. Hilton retired with a 99–29 record (77.3%) at The Amateur Championship.

From 1905 to 1915, Hilton was a member at Ashford Manor Golf Club in Middlesex (now Surrey), the club having been incorporated in 1902.Ashford Manor Golf Club In 1912, he played a major part in designing Ferndown Golf Club in Dorset which became an Open Championship qualifying course and one of the top 100 courses in the UK.

Personal life Hilton died on 5 May 1942 at Gloucestershire, England at the age 73.

Legacy Hilton was also a golf writer. He was the co-author in 1912 of The Royal and Ancient Game of Golf with Garden Smith. The Donovan and Jerris golf book bibliography says about the book, "Quite simply stated, Hilton and Smith's "The Royal and Ancient Game of Golf" is one of the most magnificent books in the library of golf. Well-illustrated and sweeping in content…" He was also the first editor of Golf Monthly and also the editor of Golf Illustrated.

Hilton also designed many courses. In addition, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978.

Bibliography

1907 My Golfing Reminiscences 1912 The Royal and Ancient Game of Golf (with Garden Smith)

Tournament wins (47) Note: This list may be incomplete 1889 Royal Liverpool Summer Lubbock Gold Medal,Duncan, David Scott, ed. (1890). The Golfing Annual, 1889–90. London: Horace Cox. p. 205. Royal Liverpool Autumn Kennard Gold Medal, Royal Liverpool St. Andrew's Gold Cross Medal, West Lancashire Golf Club Challenge Gold Medal,Duncan (1890) p. 206. West Lancashire Golf Club Mayor's Prize, West Lancashire Golf Club St. Andrew's Challenge Gold Cross Medal 1891 Royal Liverpool Spring Club Gold Medal, Royal Liverpool Summer Lubbock Gold Medal, Birkdale Golf Club Crowther Cup 1892 Open Championship, Formby Cullen Silver Medal,Duncan, David Scott, ed. (1893). The Golfing Annual, 1892–93. London: Horace Cox. p. 196. Royal Liverpool Summer Lubbock Gold Medal,Duncan (1893) p. 245. West Lancashire Golf Club Gold Medal,Duncan (1893) p. 246. West Lancashire Golf Club Silver Challenge Cup, West Lancashire Golf Club St. Andrew's Gold Cross, West Lancashire Golf Club Easter Challenge Cup, Southport Golf Club Pilkington Centenary Gold Medal,Duncan (1893) p. 320. 1893 St. George's Challenge Cup, Formby Prestwich Gold Medal,Duncan, David Scott, ed. (1894). The Golfing Annual, 1893–94. London: Horace Cox. p. 228. Formby Cullen Silver Medal, Royal Liverpool Spring Club Gold Medal,Duncan (1894) p. 292. Royal Liverpool Spring Connaught Challenge Star Medal, Royal Liverpool Autumn Kennard Gold Medal, West Lancashire Golf Club Cookson Prize,Duncan (1894) p. 294. West Lancashire Golf Club Silver Cup, West Lancashire Golf Club St. Andrew's Challenge Gold Cross Medal, Lytham & St. Anne's Golf Club Silver Iron,Duncan (1894) p. 317. Lytham & St. Anne's Golf Club Thistleton Medal 1894 St. George's Challenge Cup 1897 Open Championship, Irish Amateur Open Championship 1899 Formby Prestwich Gold Medal,Duncan, David Scott, ed. (1900). The Golfing Annual, 1899–1900. London: Horace Cox. p. 254. Formby Cullen Silver Medal, Formby St. Andrew's Medal, Royal Liverpool Spring Club Gold Medal,Duncan (1900) p. 346. Royal Liverpool Spring Connaught Challenge Star Medal, Royal Liverpool Autumn Kennard Gold Medal,Duncan (1900) p. 347. Royal Liverpool Milligan St. Andrew's Gold Cross 1900 The Amateur Championship, Irish Amateur Open Championship 1901 The Amateur Championship, Irish Amateur Open Championship 1902 Irish Amateur Open Championship 1911 The Amateur Championship, U.S. Amateur 1913 The Amateur Championship 1914 Golf Illustrated Gold Vase Note: Major championship wins in bold

Major championships

Professional wins (2) YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up 1892 The Open Championship 2 shot deficit 78-81-72-74=305 3 strokes John Ball, Sandy Herd, Hugh Kirkaldy 1897 The Open Championship (2) 3 shot deficit 80-75-84-75=314 1 stroke James Braid

Amateur wins (5) YearChampionshipWinning scoreRunner-up 1900 The Amateur Championship 8 & 7 James Robb 1901 The Amateur Championship 1 up John L. Low 1911 The Amateur Championship4 & 3 Edward Lassen 1911 U.S. Amateur 37 holes Fred Herreshoff 1913 The Amateur Championship 6 & 5 Robert Harris

Results timeline Tournament1887The Glasgow Herald, August 4, 1887, p. 6. Google News18881889The Glasgow Herald, May 9, 1889, p. 10. Google NewsThe Open ChampionshipThe Amateur ChampionshipR16R16 Tournament1890The Glasgow Herald, May 2, 1890, p. 8. Google News189118921893The Glasgow Herald, May 10, 1893, p. 11. Google News1894The Glasgow Herald, April 27, 1894, p. 11. Google News1895The Glasgow Herald, May 9, 1895, p. 3. Google News18961897april 1897 The Scotsman, April 29, 1897, p. 4. archive.scotsman.com1898The Glasgow Herald, May 26, 1898, p. 11. Google News1899The Glasgow Herald, May 26, 1899, p. 11. Google NewsThe Open ChampionshipT81 LAT8WDWD231 LA3 LAT12The Amateur ChampionshipQF22R32QFR322R32R16QFU.S. AmateurNYFNYFNYFNYFNYF Tournament190019011902Golf, June, 1902, p. 397. United States Golf Association Museum1903Golf, July, 1903, p. 8. United States Golf Association Museum1904Golf, July, 1904, p. 9. United States Golf Association Museum1905Golf, June, 1905, p. 341. United States Golf Association Museum1906Golf, July, 1906, p. 29. United States Golf Association Museum1907The Glasgow Herald, May 30, 1907, p. 14. Google News1908The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1908, p. 14. Google News1909The American Golfer, July, 1909, p. 12 . la84foundation.orgThe Open ChampionshipT164 LAT6T25WDCUTWDThe Amateur Championship11QFR64QFR64R128R16R64R32U.S. Amateur Tournament1910The Glasgow Herald, June 3, 1910, p. 10. Google News19111912The American Golfer, July, 1912, p. 199 . la84foundation.org19131914Golf Illustrated, July, 1914, p. 28. United States Golf Association Museum19151916191719181919The Open ChampionshipT3 LAWDWDNTNTNTNTNTThe Amateur ChampionshipSF1R161R32NTNTNTNTNTU.S. Amateur1 MR32NTNT Tournament1920The Glasgow Herald, June 10, 1920, p. 9. Google News1921The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1921, p. 6. Google News1922The American Golfer, July 1, 1922, p. 31. United States Golf Association Museum19231924The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1924, p. 8. Google News1925The Glasgow Herald, May 26, 1925, p. 15. Google News19261927The Glasgow Herald, May 24, 1927, p. 10. Google NewsThe Open Championshipwww.opengolf.com. opengolf.comThe Amateur ChampionshipUSGA Championship DatabaseR32R64QFR128R256R256U.S. Amateur Note: Hilton only played in The Open Championship, U.S. Amateur, and The Amateur Championship.

LA = Low amateur M = Medalist NYF = Tournament not yet founded NT = No tournament CUT = missed the half-way cut WD = withdrew "T" indicates a tie for a place R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

Team appearances England–Scotland Amateur Match (representing England): 1902, 1903 (winners), 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910 (winners), 1911, 1912 Coronation Match (representing the Amateurs): 1911

References