Richard Burton (11 October 1907 – 30 January 1974) was an English professional golfer. Burton, a former four-loom weaver at Cobden Mill, is mainly remembered for winning The Open Championship (British Open) in 1939, when it was played on the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland and holding the Open title for the longest time – from 1939 till after World War II. He played for Great Britain in the Ryder Cup in 1935, 1937, and 1949, and won two of his five matches. Early life Burton was born on a farm at Winter Hill in Darwen, Lancashire. The Burton family lived next to the Darwen Golf Club before moving to Lynwood Avenue. Richard was the youngest, but tallest, of three boys and with his brothers, Tom and John, used to watch members playing past their farm which was just above the clubhouse. As they had no golf equipment themselves, they had to make do with hitting bobbins from their mother's workbasket around the farm with an old walking stick. Eventually the brothers were given a few old hickory shafted clubs. Burton had started out as a caddie at Darwen Golf Club before applying for the position of greensman. After a number of years, in 1929, he then replaced his brother John as the club professional when John moved to the Hillside Club in Southport. Three years later, in 1932, Burton was appointed the professional at Hooton Golf Club, which is now known as Ellesmere Port Golf Club, which gave him more opportunity to play competitive golf. Also around this time Burton's remaining brother, Tom, was appointed the club professional at Darwen to complete a unique trio for the Burton family. Career In 1934, Burton won the Northern Professional Championship, the first of many titles, the following year he collected the Dunlop-Northern Tournament and made his first appearance in the Ryder Cup for Great Britain. He was also runner-up in the Dunlop-Southport Tournament, semi-finalist in the News of the World Match Play and third in the Scottish Penfold Tournament. In 1936, Burton added the Yorkshire Evening News Tournament at Leeds Golf Club to his list of titles and he was runner-up in the Dunlop-Southport Tournament again but made the England team to play the annual match against Scotland, the first of three consecutive appearances. 1937 saw Burton win the Dunlop-Southport Tournament and he also appeared in the Coronation Match