France, Société de Golf de Paris, silver award plaques by O.-G. Lelièvre (2), m

The medals and awards to Arnaud Massy, the first player from outside the British Isles to win the British Open Golf Championship, 1907. Sold by Order of the Family France, Société de Golf de Paris, silver award plaques by O.-G. Lelièvre (2), male golfer taking a swing, watched by a couple standing under a tree and his caddy, revs. golf clubs, some in a bag, panel at right named (Grand Championnat Omnium, 1906, Open Championship of France, 1er Prix; Grand Championnat Omnium, 1907, 1er Prix), edges impressed argent and 1 argent, both with cornucopias, both 80 x 65mm, 184.83g, 183.57g (cf. ICE e5, 138); Golf de Vallière, c. 1920, a uniface bronze award plaque by G. Gardet, two deer stand by a tree, one examining a set of golf clubs propped against the trunk, tablet at right, un-named, 70 x 49mm; Golf de Chantilly, a silver award medal by M. Lordonnois, male golfer taking a swing, rev. townscape, named (A. Massy, Octobre 1925), edge impressed argent and with foundry marks, 36mm, 17.58g (cf. DNW 134, 584); together with a set of the recipient’s miniature golf clubs, all impressed a massy special, woods (3), irons (8), 1-5, 7-9 [Lot]. Very fine and better, a very rare group, and sold with associated ephemera; last two medals in fitted cases of issue, golf clubs in contemporary holdall, this somewhat distressed £2,400-£3,000 --- Arnaud Massy, aka Arnaud George Watson Massy (1877-1950), b Biarritz; son of a sheep farmer, he worked on a sardine boat, supplementing his income by caddying at the then-new Biarritz golf course, patronised by many elite British golfers. He moved to North Berwick, East Lothian in 1898 and quickly rose through the amateur ranks. His first major success was in winning the French Open in Paris in 1906 (medal), repeating the performance in 1907 against a strong British contingent (medal) and then backing that up by winning the British Open at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake), where he was completely dominant over the two qualifying and four competitive rounds. Not content with that, he rushed home to Edinburgh at the conclusion of the contest where his wife had just given birth to their first daughter, who he named Hoylake in commemoration! In 1910 he won the inaugural Belgian Open and in 1911 conceded at the 55th hole of a play-off against Harry Vardon at the British Open at Royal St George’s. By then a published author on the game, which contributed to its growing popularity in Europe, he took victory at the first Spanish Open in 1912. During World War I he served in the army and was wounded at Verdun but, resuming his golfing career in 1919, he placed sixth at the 1921 British Open at St Andrews and, at the age of 48, captured a fourth French Open title in 1925 and back-to-back Spanish Opens in 1927-8. After World War II he retired to Étretat, where he died in poverty. The lot also includes a silver cigarette case by Beddoes & Co, hallmarked Birmingham 1930 (150.28g); a framed photograph of the 1907 Open trophy, a photograph of Arnaud Massy and his wife Mary, née Henderson, taken in later years, a photograph of Arnaud aged 5 with a golf club, other photographs and press cuttings, and an autograph book with the signatures of many famous golfing contemporaries, including Harry Vardon, Alex Herd and Henry Cotton. Part lot only illustrated