1908 U.S. Open (golf)
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 27–29, 1908 |
| Location | South Hamilton, Massachusetts |
| Course(s) | Myopia Hunt Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Format | Stroke play − 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 84, 48 after cut |
| Cut | 183 |
| Winner's share | $300 |
| Champion | |
| Scotland Fred McLeod | |
| 322 | |
Hunt Club
Hunt Club
The 1908 U.S. Open was the fourteenth U.S. Open, held August 27–29 at Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, northeast of Boston. Fred McLeod defeated 1899 champion Willie Smith in an 18-hole playoff to win his only major title.[1][2] High winds on Thursday caused scores in the first two rounds to soar, with only two players managing to break 80. Willie Smith carded rounds of 77-82 for a three-stroke lead over Myopia club pro John Jones, with brother Alec Smith four back and Fred McLeod five behind.[3] On Friday, Smith struggled to an 85 in the third round in the morning but still held the lead by one over McLeod and two over Alex. In the final round that afternoon, McLeod tied for lowest score of the tournament by carding a 77, while Smith managed a 78 to force a playoff.[4] In the playoff on Saturday, McLeod and Smith were even through 13 holes, but McLeod took the lead at the 14th after Smith missed a par putt. McLeod dominated the rest of the way, going 1-under on the last five holes to shoot a 77 to Smith's 83.[1] McLeod only broke 80 in one round of the tournament, while Smith and Gilbert Nicholls were the only players to shoot in the 70s twice. The winning score of 322 was the third-highest in U.S. Open history.
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, August 27, 1908 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotland Willie Smith | 77 |
| 2 | Scotland Alex Smith | 80 |
| 3 | England John Jones | 81 |
| T4 | Scotland Jock Hutchison | 82 |
| Scotland Fred McLeod | ||
| T6 | England Herbert Barker | 84 |
| United States Richard Kimball | ||
| T8 | Scotland Willie Anderson | 85 |
| Scotland Laurie Auchterlonie | ||
| United States Alex Campbell | ||
| United States Tom McNamara |
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Second round
Thursday, August 27, 1908 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotland Willie Smith | 77-82=159 |
| 2 | England John Jones | 81-81=162 |
| 3 | Scotland Alex Smith | 80-83=163 |
| 4 | Scotland Fred McLeod | 82-82=164 |
| T5 | Scotland Jock Hutchison | 82-84=166 |
| England Gilbert Nicholls | 89-77=166 | |
| T7 | Scotland Jack Hobens | 86-81=167 |
| United States Tom McNamara | 85-82=167 | |
| T9 | Scotland Laurie Auchterlonie | 85-83=168 |
| Scotland Alex Campbell | 85-83=168 |
Third round
Friday, August 28, 1908 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotland Willie Smith | 77-82-85=244 |
| 2 | Scotland Fred McLeod | 82-82-81=245 |
| 3 | Scotland Alex Smith | 80-83-83=246 |
| 4 | England John Jones | 81-81-87=249 |
| 5 | Scotland Peter Robertson | 89-84-77=250 |
| T6 | Scotland Willie Anderson | 85-86-80=251 |
| Scotland Laurie Auchterlonie | 85-83-83=251 | |
| 8 | Scotland Jack Hobens | 86-81-85=252 |
| T9 | Scotland Jock Hutchison | 82-84-87=253 |
| United States Richard Kimball | 84-86-83=253 | |
| United States Tom McNamara | 85-82-86=253 |
Final round
Friday, August 28, 1908 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Scotland Fred McLeod | 82-82-81-77=322 | Playoff |
| Scotland Willie Smith | 77-82-85-78=322 | ||
| 3 | Scotland Alex Smith | 80-83-83-81=327 | 100 |
| 4 | Scotland Willie Anderson | 85-86-80-79=330 | 80 |
| 5 | England John Jones | 81-81-87-82=331 | 70 |
| T6 | Scotland Jack Hobens | 86-81-85-81=333 | 45 |
| Scotland Peter Robertson | 89-84-77-83=333 | ||
| T8 | England Percy Barrett | 94-80-86-78=338 | 28 |
| Scotland Jock Hutchison | 82-84-87-85=338 | ||
| T10 | United States Richard Kimball | 84-86-83-86=339 | 0 |
| United States Tom McNamara | 85-82-86-86=339 |
Source:[2][4] Amateurs: Travis (347), Hylan (356), J. Anderson (357).
Playoff
Saturday, August 29, 1908
| Place | Player | Score | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotland Fred McLeod | 39-38=77 | 300 |
| 2 | Scotland Willie Smith | 38-45=83 | 150 |
Source:[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "M'Leod takes golf title". Chicago Sunday Tribune. August 30, 1908. p. 3, sec. 3.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 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. pp. 210–11. ISBN 9780786453955. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Smith of Mexico leads golfers". Chicago Daily Tribune. August 28, 1908. p. 7.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Smith and M'Leod tied at Myopia". Chicago Daily Tribune. August 29, 1908. p. 7.