William Doleman

William Doleman (16 September 1838 – 8 July 1918) was a Scottish amateur golfer. Doleman placed sixth in the 1865 Open Championship. He placed fifth in the 1869 Open Championship and was third in the 1872 Open Championship. He is reputed to have been the first person to have played golf in Canada when he visited as a sailor in 1854.

He was a regular competitor in The Amateur Championship from its foundation in 1885, making his last appearance at Royal North Devon in 1912 at the age of 73.

He is best remembered for having seven top-10 finishes in the Open Championship, including a third-place finish in 1872.

Early life Doleman was born in Musselburgh, Scotland, on 16 September 1838. His brothers John, Alexander, and Frank were also golfers.

Golf career

1865 Open Championship The 1865 Open Championship was held on 14 September at Prestwick Golf Club. Andrew Strath won the championship by two shots from Willie Park, Sr. There were 12 competitors. Strath had the lead after the first round on 55, one stroke ahead of Willie Dow and Park, and two ahead of Old Tom Morris. Making his debut, Young Tom Morris scored 60. After two rounds, Park was in the lead with a total of 108 after a round of 52 with Strath a shot behind on 109. Both Dow and Morris dropped out of contention after poor rounds. In the final round, Park scored 56 while Strath took 53 to give him a two stroke victory. Doleman finished in sixth place. Doleman improved from his effort in the 1865 Open Championship by finishing in the fifth spot. He posted rounds of 60-56-59=175. Doleman died on 8 July 1918 in Glasgow, Scotland. He is buried in the lower southmost section of the Glasgow Necropolis.

He was married to Annie Young who died in 1932 and was buried with him.

Results in The Open Championship Note: Doleman played only in The Open Championship and The Amateur Championship.

NT = no tournament ? = competed, finish unknown "T" indicates a tie for a place