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A keen golfer from a young age, Braid received little encouragement to play the game from his father who believed it was a waste of time!
However, the determined Braid continued to play and caddy in Elie before he moved to St Andrews and then Edinburgh to work as a joiner and then later to London where he became a club maker. His standard of play impressed and he was offered the post of professional at Romford Golf Club in 1895.
James Braid was now firmly established as a leading professional golfer, but unlike his contemporaries, Braid rarely competed outside the United Kingdom. A fear of the sea made him an unwilling traveller and although he ventured across the channel to France on a few occasions, he never went to the United States.
Instead he concentrated on domestic tournaments and was rewarded when he won the Open for the first time at Muirfield in 1901. After coming close to success in the next three years he won again in 1905 at St Andrews, at Muirfield in 1906 and at the original home of the Open, Prestwick, in 1908.
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As Braid set out on his opening round conditions were calm, but as so often happens at a links venue, the weather changed rapidly and by the time Braid reached the 13th with greens flooding, the committee had taken the decision to abandon play and begin the tournament again the following morning. Braid was taking no chances and decided to continue his round, in case he had been mis-informed!
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