Monarch of the Green

Shortlisted for The Telegraph Sports Book Awards Biography of the Year

'A splendid new biography. How good was young Tom Morris? Stephen Proctor makes his case cogently. Young Tom Morris was one of the greatest of them all' - Allan Massie

Young Tom Morris, the son of the legendary pioneer of golf, Tom Morris, was golf's first superstar.

Born at a pivotal moment in history, just as the new and inexpensive 'gutty' ball was making golf affordable and drawing thousands of new players to the game, his genius and his swashbuckling personality would set a game that had been frozen in amber for four centuries on the pathway to becoming worldwide spectator sport we know today.

Exhaustively researched and beautifully illustrated, Monarch of the Green is a stirring and evocative history of Tommy's life (which also includes, for the first time, a compilation of his competitive record in stroke-play tournaments, singles matches, and foursomes) and demonstrates how, in one dazzling decade, this young superstar dominated the sport like few others have ever done.



Stephen Proctor is a prizewinning journalist and experienced editor of several large newspapers. He is an avid golfer and has spent the past decade studying the history of the royal and ancient game. Monarch of the Green is his first book. He lives in Malabar, Florida.



'Brings to sharp focus the impact this young golfing genius had on the formative years of the game. Proctor's clean and readable style, grounded in solid research … puts into context what the prodigy accomplished. …Proctor paints Young Tom in a fresh light, as the young man who revolutionized the way the game was played and whose brilliant star was so quickly extinguished in tragedy. If you would know Young Tom and his impact on golf [this] is the book you must read'



'Very ably convinces us young Tom was a giant on the links, equally as talented as anyone that came after him—Ballesteros, Hagen, Jones, Nicklaus, Woods ... but he saves his best, most moving and poignant writing for Morris's tragic death, on Christmas Day 1875, at just 24 years old'



'To write about Tommy Morris is a very brave thing to do. [Proctor] has been successful in bringing something new to the table. … An informative, charming book'



'The short but very intense life of this star of golf is told with detail and passion in this compelling book'



'Tells of the short but significant life of golfing legend young Tom Morris. Proctor sets his achievements within the context of the time. A useful book to newcomers to the game of golf, who want to understand its history and traditions'



'A splendid new biography. How good was young Tom Morris? Stephen Proctor makes his case cogently. Young Tom Morris was one of the greatest of them all'



'a stirring work and a great read for any golfer who appreciates the history of the game'