A Grand Match
The building up of the rivalry and the dramatic way in which challenges were brazenly thrown down, would have been the work of the manipulative backers, who would have been looking to hype up the game, improve the stakes and ultimately make more money from their "horse".
Nevertheless, Robertson and Morris’ backers ignored public challenges for a "Grand Match" time and time again. So Park’s gentlemen duly upped the stakes.
On the 11th October 1855, in the week before the St Andrews autumn meeting, they placed a new advert in Bell’s Life. In this, Park offered to play anyone in a match over the links of St Andrews, Musselburgh and North Berwick for £200. This was serious money.
The huge sums whetted the appetites of the heavy gambling St Andrews elite. Suddenly they had lots to gain, which was worth far more than an artisan like Robertson’s pride.
Morris and Robertson were duly lined up against Park and Willie Dunn. This was to be the greatest of the greatest playing each other.
There was incessant chatter in the press before the match and the crowds flocked to see the battle of the St Andrews "Invincibles" versus the Musselburgh contenders.
In the end, the St Andrews team won by two holes but the backers from each corner knew that this was a winning formula.
Park’s backers demanded once again for a proper Grand Match.
In 1855, Tom Morris’ backers finally acquiesced. Morris and Park agreed to play for £100. The date was set for April 1856. There would be three rounds of golf on each of the Musselburgh, North Berwick and St Andrews courses, finishing at St Andrews on the 10th May.
Park won by 6 holes.
The Earl of Wemyss, one of Morris’ backers and a prominent member of the R&A, immediately instructed Morris to issue an immediate challenge for another match. This started in St Andrews on the 26th October 1856.
Park won again.
Dunn’s backers pushed him forward for the challenge too but he lost easily to Park.
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