1895 Amateur Championship: Leslie Balfour-Melville wins at St Andrews Links (Old Course)
Leslie Balfour-Melville won the 1895 Amateur Championship at St Andrews Links (Old Course) in St Andrews, Fife, beating John Ball won on 19th hole in the final.
Updated 23 October 2026
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- Edition
- 11th
- Dates
- 7 May 1895 to 10 May 1895
- Course
- St Andrews Links (Old Course), St Andrews, Fife
- Format
- match play
- Champion
- Leslie Balfour-Melville · age 41 · Scotland · Royal Liverpool
- Champion's title
- 1st Amateur Championship title
- Runner-up
- John Ball · age 33 · England
- Final
- won on 19th hole (18-hole final)
- Match-play field
- 68
- Losing semifinalists
- Freddie Tait and Laurie Auchterlonie
- Defending champion
- John Ball · lost in final
- Entries
- 68
What happened at the 1895 Amateur Championship
Leslie Balfour-Melville won his quarter-final (W. Greig), semi-final (Laurie Auchterlonie) and final all at the 19th hole; in each case his opponent found the Swilcan Burn at the extra hole
Semi-final: John Ball beat Freddie Tait 5 & 3 before thousands; Ball won the first three holes
The draw
Every match is recorded through the round of 16; earlier rounds are partial (round of 32 (14 of 16 matches with full result)).
The final, 1895 Amateur Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leslie Balfour-Melville | def. | John Ball | won on 19th hole |
Semifinals, 1895 Amateur Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Ball | def. | Freddie Tait | 5 & 3 |
| Leslie Balfour-Melville | def. | Laurie Auchterlonie | won on 19th hole |
Quarterfinals, 1895 Amateur Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Ball | def. | David Simpson | 4 & 2 |
| Freddie Tait | def. | Alexander Stuart | 6 & 4 |
| Leslie Balfour-Melville | def. | W. Greig | won on 19th hole |
| Laurie Auchterlonie | def. | J. Rose | 6 & 5 |
Round of 16, 1895 Amateur Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Simpson | def. | D. Leitch | 3 & 2 |
| John Ball | def. | W. B. Taylor | 6 & 5 |
| Freddie Tait | def. | Johnny Laidlay | 5 & 3 |
| Alexander Stuart | def. | W. Turpie | 7 & 5 |
| W. Greig | def. | R. T. Boothby Jr. | 3 & 1 |
| Leslie Balfour-Melville | def. | W. A. Henderson | 2 & 1 |
| Laurie Auchterlonie | def. | J. Cunningham | 5 & 4 |
| J. Rose | def. | J. B. Pease | 1 up |
Round of 32, 1895 Amateur Championship
| Winner | Beaten | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D. Leitch | def. | A. C. Aikman | 1 up |
| David Simpson | def. | R. H. Johnston | 2 & 1 |
| John Ball | def. | J. Sutherland | 4 & 3 |
| W. B. Taylor | def. | W. Doleman | 7 & 5 |
| Johnny Laidlay | def. | W. N. Boase | 6 & 4 |
| Freddie Tait | def. | J. Kirk | 6 & 5 |
| W. Turpie | def. | W. E. Fairlie | unknown |
| W. Greig | def. | Harold Hilton | 3 & 2 |
| R. T. Boothby Jr. | def. | H. H. Harley | 5 & 4 |
| Leslie Balfour-Melville | def. | H. A. Bethune | 4 & 2 |
| W. A. Henderson | def. | Samuel Mure Fergusson | 2 & 1 |
| J. Cunningham | def. | Eric Hambro | 3 & 2 |
| Laurie Auchterlonie | def. | E. D. Prothero | 4 & 3 |
| J. B. Pease | def. | W. Foggo | 6 & 5 |
| J. Rose | def. | David I. Lamb | 1 up |
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's Amateur Championship data set (research collected through 20 October 2026). "unknown" means no source confirmed it; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the R&A's own record is used.
Values found only on Wikipedia, kept and flagged: champion_nationality, runner_up_nationality.
Data: the-amateur.json.