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David Brown

Scotland · born , Musselburgh, Scotland · died

1major championship

Summary

  • First major 1886 The Open
  • Runner-up in majors 1 time

Wins

  1. 1886 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · 157 · by 2 strokes from Willie Campbell

Near misses

  1. 1880 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · finished T4 · 169
  2. 1887 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished 9 · 174
  3. 1889 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · finished T4 · 162
  4. 1890 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished 10 · 175
  5. 1891 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 7 · 174
  6. 1895 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T6 · 337
  7. 1896 The Open Muirfield · finished T7 · 324
  8. 1897 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T7 · 324
  9. 1903 U.S. Open Baltusrol G.C. · runner-up to Willie Anderson · playoff: 18 holes, 82–84

Rivals

Beat him

Next in the chain: Willie Anderson's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1886 Open The champion was a little-known Musselburgh slater by trade.
  2. 1886 Open Brown later emigrated to America and lost the 1903 US Open play-off to Willie Anderson.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1886 The Open

    Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · 157 · by 2 strokes from Willie Campbell

    The champion was a little-known Musselburgh slater by trade.

    Brown later emigrated to America and lost the 1903 US Open play-off to Willie Anderson.

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1886.

    Career line, 1880–1903

    U.S. Open
    1903 U.S. Open: runner-up to Willie Anderson
    The Open
    1880 The Open: finished T41886 The Open: won1887 The Open: finished 91889 The Open: finished T41890 The Open: finished 101891 The Open: finished 71895 The Open: finished T61896 The Open: finished T71897 The Open: finished T7
    18801885189018951900

    10 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10

    David Brown was born in 1861 in Musselburgh, Scotland. Brown won one major championship: the 1886 Open.

    See David Brown in our rooms: U.S. Open, The Open and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (1)

    1. 1886 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · 157 · by 2 strokes from Willie Campbell

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1880 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · finished T4 · 169
    2. 1887 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished 9 · 174
    3. 1889 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · finished T4 · 162
    4. 1890 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished 10 · 175
    5. 1891 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 7 · 174
    6. 1895 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T6 · 337
    7. 1896 The Open Muirfield · finished T7 · 324
    8. 1897 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T7 · 324
    9. 1903 U.S. Open Baltusrol G.C. · runner-up to Willie Anderson · playoff: 18 holes, 82–84

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 3 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Sources

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. where2golf
    2. R&A 1886
    3. GC 1886
    4. R&A 1880
    5. R&A 1887
    6. Golf Compendium 1887
    7. R&A 1889
    8. R&A 1890
    9. Golf Compendium 1890
    10. R&A 1891
    11. Golf Compendium 1891
    12. R&A 1895
    13. R&A 1896
    14. R&A 1897