Who's who: George Duncan

  • Padraig Harrington
  • Laura Davies
  • Annika Sörenstam
  • José María Olazábal
  • Michelle Wie
  • Edoardo Molinari
  • Lee Trevino
  • Natalie Gulbis

Who's who: George Duncan

  • Name:

    George Duncan
  • Country:

    Scotland
  • Lived:

    [1883-1964]. Born on Sept 16, 1883 in Methlick, Aberdeenshire. Died on Jan 15, 1964 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England (aged 80).
  • Original/Home Club:

  • Occupation:

    Professional golfer; golf course designer; golf instructor.
  • Turned Pro:

    c.1901

Roll of Honour

MAJORS (1): The Open (1920). European wins (6). Ryder Cup player (1927, 1929, 1931); Ryder Cup captain (1929).

Did you know?

Duncan was well known for his fast pace of play. He regarded practice swings as unnecessary and barely legal, akin to practising on the course.

Top tournaments won by George Duncan

Category

Europe

Winner (holder)

Duncan, George

Score

299

Prize money

Title sponsor

x

Played as the Open de France. Second-placed and defending champion Aubrey Boomer (Eng) finished 2 shots behind Duncan (Scot). [Saint Germain GC, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, nr Paris].

Category

Europe

Winner (holder)

Duncan, George

Score

312

Prize money

Title sponsor

x

The inaugural Irish Open Championship. Second-placed Henry Cotton (Eng) finished 1 shot behind Duncan (Scot), who triumphed on a final day played in brutal weather conditions. [Portmarnock GC, nr Dublin, Ireland].

Category

Europe

Winner (holder)

Duncan, George

Score

300

Prize money

£300

Title sponsor

Daily Mail

Played as the Daily Mail £1000 Tournament. Second-placed and defending champion Ted Ray (Jersey) finished 4 shots behind Duncan (Scot). [The Old Course, St Andrews, Fife].

Category

Majors

Winner (holder)

Duncan, George

Score

303

Prize money

£50

Title sponsor

R&A

The Open Championship (55th) (Jun 30-Jul 1). Second-placed Alex "Sandy" Herd (Scot) finished 2 shots behind Duncan (Scot). [Royal Cinque Ports GC, Deal, Kent].

Category

Europe

Winner (holder)

Duncan, George

Score

291

Prize money

£100

Title sponsor

Daily Mail

Played as the Daily Mail £580 Tournament (formerly called St Andrews Tournament). Second-placed Abe Mitchell (Eng) finished 7 shots behind defending champion Duncan (Scot). [Royal North Devon GC, Westward Ho!, Bideford, Devon].

Category

Europe

Winner (holder)

Duncan, George

Score

312

Prize money

£87 10s

Title sponsor

Daily Mail

Played as the St Andrews Tournament. George Duncan (Scot) and Abe Mitchell (Eng) finished in a tie for first place. They split the first place (£100) and second place (£75) prize money, receiving £87 10 shillings each. Harry Vardon was a shot further back in third place. [The Old Course, St Andrews, Fife].

1913
Europe
Chantilly (Veneuil)
304
x

Category

Europe

Winner (holder)

Duncan, George

Venue

Chantilly (Veneuil)

Score

304

Prize money

Title sponsor

x

Played as the Open de France. Second-placed James Braid (Scot) finished 3 shots behind Duncan (Scot). [Vineuil course, Golf de Chantilly, nr Paris].

1913
Europe
3 & 2
£100
News of the World

Category

Europe

Winner (holder)

Duncan, George

Score

3 & 2

Prize money

£100

Title sponsor

News of the World

Played as the News of the World Match Play (Oct 6-9). Duncan (Scot) beat James Braid (Scot) 3 and 2 in the 36-hole final. [Old course, Walton Heath GC, Walton on the Hill, Surrey].

Category

Europe

Winner (holder)

Duncan, George

Score

144

Prize money

Title sponsor

x

Played as the Belgian Open (July 5). Duncan (Scot) beat Ted Ray (Jersey) and Tom Ball (Eng) in an 18-hole playoff (Duncan 70, Ray 71, Ball 78). The 36 regulation holes and 18 extra holes were all played in the same day. [Zoute GC, Knokke-Heist, West Flanders, Belgium].

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

Sony Open in Hawaii: played at Waialae Country Club near Honolulu, the Sony Open takes over the spotlight from The Sentry as the PGA Tour’s calendar-year opening event (Jan 15-18). The Sentry (not being played in 2026) was formerly known as the Tournament of Champions, with a field typically restricted to golfers who won a PGA Tour event in the previous calendar year.

Dubai Desert Classic: the DP World Tour’s first Rolex Series event of 2026, is contested for the 37th time (Jan 22-25). First won by Englishman Mark James in 1989, it now boasts a four-time winner, Rory McIlroy. Played on the Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis course, this once desert-surrounded course is the long-time flagship for Golf in Dubai.

Recently visited

Our visit last month included two rounds at Golf de Chantilly, one of France’s most prestigious clubs.
It offers two superb layouts: Le Vineuil, a five-star championship course with a rich history, and Longères, an excellent four-star course that provides a strong and enjoyable test.

The wider Paris region offers plenty more. Courses such as Fontainebleau, Golf de Saint-Germain, and several other top-rated layouts make this area one of Europe’s most rewarding golf destinations, offering a mix of woodland, heathland, and parkland designs.

The Dutch GC, The Netherlands

The Dutch: "It's no' just a game", as they say in Scotland, and that's certainly true at The Dutch. With 5-star services throughout, a lavishly comfortable Loch Lomond-inspired clubhouse, and a superbly designed and presented golf course, one could not ask for more from this top-end private club.

Join us at The Dutch from August 21–24 for the Festival of Golf, featuring the HotelPlanner Tour. Experience four days of top-tier sport, live music, incredible food, and unexpected surprises. Explore the grounds, connect with others, embrace new challenges, and dive into an unforgettable celebration. Click here to buy tickets.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

Popular videos

You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.

Bethpage State Park (New York) host of the Ryder Cup 2025

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein

Golf de Chantilly (Picardie, France)