James Braid
5major championships
Summary
Wins
- 1901 The Open Muirfield · 309 · by 3 strokes from Harry Vardon
- 1905 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · 318 · by 5 strokes from Rowland Jones and J.H. Taylor
- 1906 The Open Muirfield · 300 · by 4 strokes from J.H. Taylor
- 1908 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · 291 · by 8 strokes from Tom Ball
- 1910 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · 299 · by 4 strokes from Sandy Herd
Near misses
- 1894 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T10 · 341
- 1896 The Open Muirfield · finished 6 · 323
- 1897 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · runner-up to Harold Hilton · 315
- 1898 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished T10 · 321
- 1899 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T5 · 322
- 1900 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 3 · 322
- 1902 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · runner-up to Sandy Herd · 308
- 1903 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished 5 · 310
- 1904 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · runner-up to Jack White · 297
- 1907 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T5 · 318
- 1909 The Open Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club · runner-up to J.H. Taylor · 301
- 1911 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T5 · 305
- 1912 The Open Muirfield · finished 3 · 303
- 1914 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished T10 · 316
Rivals
Beat him
Next in the chain: Sandy Herd's rivals →
Moments
- 1901 Open Braid hooked his opening drive of the Championship over a wall and out of bounds.
- 1901 Open On his approach to the 72nd hole his club shaft snapped, yet the ball still reached the green about 200 yards away and he made 4.
- 1905 Open Braid went onto the railway line at the 15th and 16th in the final round and took 6 on each.
- 1905 Open Players disliked the Old Course's new pot bunkers and called them "spittoons".
- 1906 Open Amateur John Graham Jr. led after the first round with a 71 and finished fourth.
- 1906 Open Braid's closing 73 was one of only two final rounds under 77, overturning Taylor's three-stroke lead.
- 1908 Open Braid took an 8 at the 3rd in round three after going out of bounds from the Cardinal bunker.
- 1908 Open He still won by eight, and his 291 set a new Championship record.
- 1910 Open A thunderstorm flooded the course on the first day and voided all scores; Braid kept playing after being told at the 13th, in case the news was wrong.
- 1910 Open Third-round leader George Duncan shot 83 and fell to third as Braid won his fifth title.
Records and firsts
- — Open largest margin since 1900 · 8 (J.H. Taylor 1900; James Braid 1908; J.H. Taylor 1913 (derived); Tiger Woods 2000)
- — Open 5 titles · 5 each (James Braid; J.H. Taylor; Peter Thomson; Tom Watson)
Results by championship
Best day
1908 The Open
Prestwick Golf Club · 291 · by 8 strokes from Tom Ball
Braid took an 8 at the 3rd in round three after going out of bounds from the Cardinal bunker.
He still won by eight, and his 291 set a new Championship record.
Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1908.
Career line, 1894–1914
The Open
1894 The Open: finished T101896 The Open: finished 61897 The Open: runner-up to Harold Hilton1898 The Open: finished T101899 The Open: finished T51900 The Open: finished 31901 The Open: won1902 The Open: runner-up to Sandy Herd1903 The Open: finished 51904 The Open: runner-up to Jack White1905 The Open: won1906 The Open: won1907 The Open: finished T51908 The Open: won1909 The Open: runner-up to J.H. Taylor1910 The Open: won1911 The Open: finished T51912 The Open: finished 31914 The Open: finished T10
18951900190519101915
19 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.
- Major win
- Runner-up
- Top 10
James Braid was born on February 6, 1870, in Earlsferry, Scotland. Braid won 5 major championships: 5 Open Championships (1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910).
See James Braid in our rooms: U.S. Open, The Open and Every Ground.
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The record
Wins in the majors (5)
- 1901 The Open Muirfield · 309 · by 3 strokes from Harry Vardon
- 1905 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · 318 · by 5 strokes from Rowland Jones and J.H. Taylor
- 1906 The Open Muirfield · 300 · by 4 strokes from J.H. Taylor
- 1908 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · 291 · by 8 strokes from Tom Ball
- 1910 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · 299 · by 4 strokes from Sandy Herd
Near misses
Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.
- 1894 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T10 · 341
- 1896 The Open Muirfield · finished 6 · 323
- 1897 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · runner-up to Harold Hilton · 315
- 1898 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished T10 · 321
- 1899 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T5 · 322
- 1900 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 3 · 322
- 1902 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · runner-up to Sandy Herd · 308
- 1903 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished 5 · 310
- 1904 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · runner-up to Jack White · 297
- 1907 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T5 · 318
- 1909 The Open Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club · runner-up to J.H. Taylor · 301
- 1911 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T5 · 305
- 1912 The Open Muirfield · finished 3 · 303
- 1914 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished T10 · 316
Records and firsts
Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.
- — Open largest margin since 1900 · 8 (J.H. Taylor 1900; James Braid 1908; J.H. Taylor 1913 (derived); Tiger Woods 2000)
- — Open 5 titles · 5 each (James Braid; J.H. Taylor; Peter Thomson; Tom Watson)
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.