Introduction
Alexander "Sandy" Herd (24 April 1868 – 18 February 1944) was a Scottish professional golfer from St Andrews. He won 1902 Open Championship at Hoylake.
Early life
Herd was born in St Andrews, Scotland, on 24 April 1868, to a golfing family; he had brothers who were also golf professionals.
Golf career
Herd was the club professional at Huddersfield Golf Club from 1892 to 1911. In 1902, he won The Open Championship at Hoylake. He had a three shot lead after 54 holes, but nearly let the title slip out of his hands by scoring an 81 in the final round. Harry Vardon and James Braid both had medium length putts at the final hole to force a play-off, but they missed and Herd took the Championship.
He was the first Open Champion to use the Haskell rubber-cored ball. In 1920 he became the oldest runner-up in The Open before Tom Watson in 2009. Herd's appearances in The Open Championship spanned fifty years, his last appearance being at St Andrews in 1939, when he was 71. On that occasion he failed to qualify for the tournament.
Herd's brother Fred won the 1898 U.S. Open.
Death and legacy
Herd died in London, England, of pneumonia on 18 February 1944. He is best remembered as the winner of the 1902 Open Championship.
Tournament wins
- Note: This list may be incomplete
- 1895 Irish Championship Meeting Professional Tournament
- 1896 Irish Championship Meeting Professional Tournament
- 1901 Irish Championship Meeting Professional Tournament
- 1902 The Open Championship
- 1904 Leeds Cup
- 1905 Leeds Cup
- 1906 News of the World Match Play
- 1911 Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament (with James Bradbeer)
- 1923 Roehampton Invitation
- 1926 News of the World Match Play
Major championships are shown in bold.
Major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | The Open Championship | 3 shot lead | 77-76-73-81=307 | 1 stroke |  James Braid,  Harry Vardon |
Results timeline
Herd played in only The Open Championship.
| Tournament | 1885 | 1886 | 1887 | 1888 | 1889 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | WD | DNP | DNP | 8 | T15 |
| Tournament | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | DNP | 13 | T2 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 5 | T17 | T16 |
| Tournament | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | T10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 15 | T19 | 12 | 4 | T8 |
| Tournament | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | 2 | T3 | 6 | T11 | T29 | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
| Tournament | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | 2 | T6 | T32 | T22 | T13 | T14 | T21 | T10 | CUT | CUT |
| Tournament | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Team appearances
- England–Scotland Professional Match (representing Scotland): 1903 (winners), 1904 (tie), 1905 (tie), 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912 (tie), 1913, 1932
- Coronation Match (representing the Professionals): 1911 (winners)
- Seniors vs Juniors (representing the Seniors): 1928 (winners)