Henry Cotton

English golfer and three-time Open Champion who ended a decade of American dominance of the Open Championship, later knighted for his contribution to British golf.

Born Thomas Henry Cotton on 26 January 1907 in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, Henry Cotton turned professional in 1924 and quickly established himself as an ambitious, driven talent who practised until his hands bled. His breakthrough came at the 1934 Open Championship, where his victory ended a decade of American domination of the sport's oldest major. Cotton won the Open again in 1937 at Carnoustie, memorably defeating the touring American Ryder Cup team, which included Byron Nelson, in atrocious flooding conditions that nearly saw the course declared unplayable. He completed his hat-trick of Open titles in 1948 at Muirfield at age 41, leading after a second-round 66 watched by King George VI. Cotton represented Great Britain in four Ryder Cup teams and served as captain in 1947 and again in 1953. He won 11 European Open championships across the continent and became one of the first British professionals to elevate the status and earning potential of the profession, cultivating a debonair, sophisticated public image far removed from the era's typical working-class golf professional. After retiring from competitive golf in the early 1950s, Cotton built a successful career designing golf courses, including Penina in Portugal, and established the Golf Foundation to introduce young people to the sport. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1980 and knighted for his services to golf shortly before his death on 22 December 1987 at age 80.

Ambitious, technically precise player renowned for his relentless practice ethic

The leading British golfer of his generation and a pioneer for the status of the professional game