James Morrison (golfer)
| James Morrison | |
|---|---|
Morrison at the 2011 KLM Open | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | James Ian Morrison |
| Born | 24 January 1985 Chertsey, England |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb; 12.8 st) |
| Sporting nationality | England |
| Residence | Weybridge, England |
| Career | |
| College | University of South Carolina |
| Turned professional | 2006 |
| Current tour | Challenge Tour |
| Former tour | European Tour |
| Professional wins | 4 |
| Highest ranking | 80 (4 October 2015)[1] |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 2 |
| Challenge Tour | 2 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | 77th: 2015 |
| U.S. Open | CUT: 2010, 2018 |
| The Open Championship | T20: 2015 |
James Ian Morrison (born 24 January 1985) is an English professional golfer.
Early life and amateur career
Morrison attended Reed's School.[2] He played in the same England youth cricket teams as Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Tim Bresnan, with whom he remains friends.
At the age of 16, he switched to golf and his handicap fell from 18 to scratch in less than a year. He subsequently accepted a scholarship to the University of South Carolina.
Professional career
In 2006, Morrison turned professional. He played initially on the PGA EuroPro Tour.
At the end of 2007, he played all three stages of Qualifying School and finished 44th, earning a regular place on the Challenge Tour. He finished 18th in the 2009 Challenge Tour Rankings to secure his place on the 2010 European Tour.[3]
In April 2010, he claimed his first win on the European Tour, winning the Madeira Islands Open BPI - Portugal, finishing on 20 under par.[4][5] Three weeks later he finished second at the Open de España, having lost a playoff for the title to Álvaro Quirós.[6]
In May 2015, Morrison won the Open de España by shooting a final-round 69 for his second European Tour victory.[7] Later that year, he finished second at the Alstom Open de France, three shots behind Bernd Wiesberger.[8]
In August 2021, Morrison recorded his best finish on the European Tour since 2015. He carded a final round 63 at the Hero Open to finish one shot behind Grant Forrest. Forrest birdied the final two holes to take the title from Morrison.[9]
In June 2025, Morrison won the Blot Play9 on the Challenge Tour, beating Max Kennedy in a playoff. It was his first tournament victory in over 10 years.[10] In November, he won the Rolex Grand Final, jumping to sixth position in the season rankings, gaining status to play on the 2026 European Tour.[11] Morrison had originally intended for event to be his final professional appearance but changed his plans after winning the tournament.[12]
Personal life
Morrison has suffered from the chronic auto-immune condition Crohn's disease since his mid-teens.[13]
Professional wins (4)
European Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Apr 2010 | Madeira Islands Open BPI - Portugal | −20 (67-65-66-70=268) | 1 stroke | Oliver Fisher |
| 2 | 17 May 2015 | Open de España | −10 (70-71-68-69=278) | 4 strokes | Édouard España, David Howell, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Francesco Molinari |
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010 | Open de España | Álvaro Quirós | Lost to par on first extra hole |
Challenge Tour wins (2)
| Legend |
|---|
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other Challenge Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Jun 2025 | Blot Play9 | −6 (64-66-74-70=274) | Playoff | Max Kennedy |
| 2 | 2 Nov 2025 | Rolex Grand Final | −15 (71-67-65-70=273) | 3 strokes | Stefano Mazzoli |
Challenge Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | SWALEC Wales Challenge | Rhys Davies | Lost to par on third extra hole |
| 2 | 2025 | Blot Play9 | Max Kennedy | Won with par on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | |||||||
| The Open Championship | T23 | T20 | CUT | ||||||
| PGA Championship | 77 | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Championship | |
| Match Play | |
| Invitational | |
| Champions | T27 |
"T" = Tied
See also
- 2009 Challenge Tour graduates
- 2013 European Tour Qualifying School graduates
- 2025 Challenge Tour graduates
References
- ^ "Week 40 2015 Ending 4 Oct 2015" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "OR News". The Reeder: 44. 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ "James Morrison: Biography". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ "Morrison holds on for first tour win". PGA European Tour. 11 April 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ "George Murray delighted to finish third in Madeira". BBC Sport. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
- ^ Bisset, Fergus (2 May 2010). "Alvaro Quiros wins Open de España". Golf Monthly. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ "James Morrison of England Wins Spanish Open by 4 Shots". Golf.com. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "French Open: Bernd Wiesberger wins ahead of James Morrison". BBC Sport. 5 July 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Big finish hands Forrest maiden title in Scotland". European Tour. 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "James Morrison Wins Blot Play9 After 10-Year Title Drought". The Golf House. 23 June 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Rolex Grand Final: Englishman James Morrison secures DP World Tour return with title win". Sky Sports. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Retirement plans halted - James Morrison's remarkable year on path back to DP World Tour". European Tour. 3 November 2025. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
- ^ "Morrison battles Crohn's disease to lead in France". CNN. 1 July 2011. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
External links
- James Morrison at the European Tour official site
- James Morrison at the Official World Golf Ranking official site