The 1899 U.S. Open was the fifth U.S. Open, held September 14–15 at Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, Maryland.[1] Willie Smith won his only major title, a record eleven strokes ahead of three runners-up.[2][3]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | September 14–15, 1899 |
| Location | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Course(s) | Baltimore Country Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Format | Stroke play − 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 72 |
| Prize fund | $750 |
| Winner's share | $150 |
| Champion | |
 Willie Smith | |
| 315 | |
On Thursday, Smith and future four-time champion Willie Anderson co-led with 77 in the morning and Anderson took the lead in the afternoon at 158, with Smith a stroke back.[4] In the third round on Friday morning, Anderson's 85 allowed Smith to take a four-stroke lead over Alex Campbell, and his 77 in the afternoon distanced him from the field; Campbell ballooned to 94 and fell to twelfth.
Playing out of Midlothian Country Club in Chicago,[2] Smith was the only player to record three sub-80 rounds, and did not score higher than a seven on any hole in the championship. Val Fitzjohn, George Low, and Bert Way tied for second, eleven strokes behind.[3][5] Smith's margin of victory was the largest in the U.S. Open for 101 years, until Tiger Woods won by fifteen shots in 2000. Smith's brother Alex, a future two-time champion, finished seventh.
Smith won a gold medal and was given custody of the Championship Cup for a year.[6]
Round summaries
editFirst round
editThursday, September 14, 1899 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | |
| 3 | 80 | |
| T4 | 81 | |
| T6 | 82 | |
| T9 | 83 | |
| Arthur Smith |
Second round
editThursday, September 14, 1899 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77-81=158 | |
| 2 | 77-82=159 | |
| 3 | 82-79=161 | |
| T4 | 83-80=163 | |
| 82-81=163 | ||
| T6 | 85-80=165 | |
| Alexander Patrick | 82-83=165 | |
| 80-85=165 | ||
| 9 | 81-85=166 | |
| 10 | 81-86=167 |
Third round
editFriday, September 15, 1899 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77-82-79=238 | |
| 2 | 83-80-79=242 | |
| T3 | 77-81-85=243 | |
| 88-80-75=243 | ||
| 5 | 85-80-79=244 | |
| T6 | 82-81-82=245 | |
| 80-85-80=245 | ||
| T8 | 81-86-80=247 | |
| 84-86-77=247 | ||
| 10 | 82-79-89=250 |
Final round
editFriday, September 15, 1899 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77-82-79-77=315 | 150 | |
| T2 | 85-80-79-82=326 | 125 | |
| 82-79-89-76=326 | |||
| 80-85-80-81=326 | |||
| 5 | 77-81-85-84=327 | 80 | |
| 6 | 88-80-75-85=328 | 70 | |
| 7 | 82-81-82-85=330 | 50 | |
| 8 | 81-86-80-84=331 | 25 | |
| T9 | 86-87-82-78=333 | 0 | |
| 84-86-77-86=333 |
References
edit- ^ "Open tourney on today". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 14, 1899. p. 7.
- ^ a b c d Murphy, James Shields (September 16, 1899). "Smith is the champion". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 6.
- ^ a b "New Golf Champion of the United States". The San Francisco Call. September 16, 1899. p. 9. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c Murphy, James Shields (September 15, 1899). "Anderson in the lead". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 8.
- ^ a b c d e Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of The Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. p. 202. ISBN 9780786453955. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ "The Golf Championship". North Adams Transcript. Massachusetts. September 16, 1899.