Walter Gourlay

Walter Gourlay ( – September 1882) was a Scottish professional golfer. Gourlay placed sixth in the 1873 Open Championship and finished tied for eight place in the 1876 Open Championship.

Early life Gourlay was born in St Andrews, Scotland, circa 1853. The Gourlay family was well known for their club- and ball-making skills.

Golf career

The 1873 Open Championship The 1873 Open Championship was the 13th Open Championship, held 4 October at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Gourlay had rounds of 92-96=188 and finished in sixth place. Tom Kidd won the Championship by a stroke from Jamie Anderson. This was the first Open Championship not held at Prestwick.

Details of playing conditions In the days before the Championship heavy rains had soaked the course. However, when the first round got underway it was sunny with light winds—ideal conditions except for the wet turf. The winning score of 179 was the highest recorded while the Championship was over 36 holes. This was partly due to the fact that St Andrews was the toughest of the three courses used at that time for the Open and partly due to the difficult conditions. When the Open was next contested at St Andrews in 1876 the winning score was 176.