Robert Maxwell

Robert Maxwell (12 May 1876 – 25 July 1949) was a Scottish amateur golfer who played during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Maxwell had four top-10 finishes in The Open Championship. His best performance came in the 1902 Open Championship when he placed fourth. Maxwell won The Amateur Championship twice, in 1903 and 1909, both events having been played at Muirfield.

Early life Maxwell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 12 May 1876. He was the son of Francis Maxwell and Adelaide Maxwell (née Hay). At age four, he was living in North Berwick, Scotland with his parents, two brothers, and a sister. He received his education at Eton College and was an energetic boy. As a young man, he had powerful arms and wrists, a quick swing, and was a long hitter of the golf ball.

Golf career Maxwell, the upstart youngster, first entered the Amateur Championship when he was only 21 years old. He made news in the 1897 tournament at Muirfield by beating John Ball, the 4-time (and later 8-time) Amateur champion, and also knocked off Harold Hilton.

1909 Amateur Championship Muirfield was the host course once again for the Amateur Championship in 1909. Dressed in his normal brown tweeds and smoking his short, straight pipe—which he put into his pocket while still lit before hitting shots —Maxwell was in good form during the tournament and beat Cecil Hutchison 1 up in a closely contested match. He is best remembered for winning the Amateur Championship twice, in 1903 and again in 1909. He also had four top-10 finishes in the Open Championship, including a superb fourth-place finish in 1902.

Major championships

Amateur wins (2) YearChampionshipWinning scoreRunner-up 1903 The Amateur Championship 7 & 5 Horace Hutchinson 1909 The Amateur Championship 1 up Cecil Hutchison

Results timeline Note: Maxwell only played in the Open Championship and the Amateur Championship.

LA = Low amateur NT = No tournament CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

Sources: The Open, 1897 Amateur, 1899 Amateur, 1902 Amateur, 1904 Amateur, 1905 Amateur, 1906 Amateur, 1907 Amateur, 1910 Amateur

Team appearances England–Scotland Amateur Match (representing Scotland): 1902 (winners), 1903, 1904 (winners), 1905 (winners), 1906 (winners), 1907 (winners), 1909 (winners), 1910