September 13, 1872 – At the British Open Men’s Golf tournament held at the Prestwick Golf Club, there was a bit of dominant sports history being made. The reigning three-time champion of the event Tom Morris Jr. turned in his score card for a fourth consecutive title outlasting fellow Scottish countryman Davie Strath by 3 strokes for the weekend event.
The real amazing part of this story was that he had not even reached the age of 21 years on this earth yet thus earning him the moniker of “Young Tom Morris.” He had an advantage as he was raised on the grounds of St Andrews Golf Course where his father Tom Sr. was the groundskeeper.
Sadly the lad passed away at the age of 24, so we don’t know what more he could have accomplished. We do know that Tom’s first Open Championship win in 1868 at age 17 made him the youngest major champion in PGA history, a record which still stands to this day! His success on the links led many in Europe to start the following golf spreading the popularity of the game.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network

ACC Basketball’s Four-Way Tie
In my last article, I made a case for the 1988-89 season being the

Mark Morthier’s Favorite Sport Cards (1968 – 1971)
The first sports trading cards I remember collecting were the 1968 and 1969 Topps

What Atlanta Falcons Odds Suggest About the 2026 Season
Atlanta enters 2026 as a team that the betting market respects only in limited

How Sports Betting Went from Back-Alley Bookies to Big Business
Long before mobile apps and instant odds updates, betting on sports meant finding a

The Anatomy of a Perfect Long Run: Fuelling, Pacing, and Recovery Windows
Photo sourced via Pexels.com – Credit Kaan Durmus The long run is where good

Reliving the 1975 Los Angeles Rams Season
The Cleveland Rams joined the NFL in 1937 and won the NFL Championship in

Could the Heartland Support Another Women’s Professional Basketball League? (Part 2)
Last time, we explored a simple question. What if another women’s professional basketball league

My Book 10-Year Anniversary (NFL in the 1970s)
In 2008, I decided to write a book. I wanted this book to be