"The rest of the field"
Francis Ouimet defeating Harry Vardon and Ted
Ray in an 18 hole playoff to win the 1913 U.S. Open has always been a huge story
as it should be. After all Vardon and Ray were the top 2 golfers in the world at
the time.
However what should not be overlooked is the rest of the field. Many
will take some of these tournaments lightly, but before doing so consider that
for many years the U.S. Amateur was considered the major U.S. tournament. Also it is
important to remember that travel was not convenient so State Opens and amateurs
brought high levels of competition, regional tournaments like the Metropolitan
Open drew very competitive fields.
Keep on mind also the Western Open well as the North-South
were majors. With this in mind let's take a look at few other players from
the 1913 U.S. Open.......
![A vintage photo of golfer MacDonald Smith.](macdonald_smith_topofdrive.jpg)
MacDonald Smith
1912 Western
Open Champion
1914 Metropolitan Open Champion
24 PGA Tour wins
![A vintage photo of golfer Louis Tellier.](Louis_Tellier.jpg)
Louis Tellier
One of the top
four golfers in France, one of the four French "mousqueleirs"
![A vintage photo of golfing legend Wlter Hagen.](Walter_Hagen.jpg)
Walter Hagen
1914 U.S. Open Champion
44 PGA Tour wins including
11 Majors
![A vintage photo of golfer JH Barnes](Jim_Barnes.jpg)
J.H.
Barnes
1914
Western Open Champion
1916,1919 PGA Champion
1917
North-South Champion
1917
Western Open Champion
1919
Western Open Champion
1921 U.S. Open Champion
1925 British Open Champion
20 PGA Tour wins
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![A vintage photo of golfing great JJ McDermott.](JJ_McDermott.jpg)
J.J.
McDermott
1911 U.S. Open Champion
1912 U.S. Open Champion
![A vintage photo of golfer Herbert Strong.](herbert_strong.jpg)
Herbert
Strong
former professional of the
Royal St. George's Club,
Sandwich
![A vintage photo of golfer WC Fownes](wc_fownes.jpg)
W. C. Fownes
1910 U.S.
Amateur Champion
4 time Pennsylvania Amateur Champion
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![A vintage photo of golfing great Jerome Travers..](Jerome_Travers.jpg)
Jerome Travers
1907
U.S. Amateur Champion
1908 U.S. Amateur Champion
1912 U.S. Amateur Champion
1913 U.S. Amateur Champion
1915 U.S. Open Champion
![A vintage photo of golfer and sports writer John G. Anderson](john_g_anderson.JPG)
John G. Anderson
2 time French
Amateur Champion
2 time U.S. Amateur runner-up
1911 Massachusetts Amateur
Champion
![A vintage photo of Boston golfer Mike Brady.](mike_brady.jpg)
Mike Brady
1917
North-South Champion
1922 Western Open Champion
![A vintage photo of golfer George Sargent.](George_Sargent.jpg)
George
Sargent
1909 U.S. Open Champion
1912 Canadian Open Champion
Charter
member and future
President PGA of America
![A vintage photo of golfer Alec Ross, brother to architect Donald Ross.](Alec_Ross.jpg)
Alec Ross
1907 U.S. Open Champion
4 time Swiss Open
Champion
6 time North-South Champion
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![A vintage photo of golfer Alec Campbell.](alec_campbell.jpg)
Alec Campbell - 1907 U.S. Open
runner up. Lost by one stroke. Suffered a 2 stroke penalty in final round as a
result of his gelatin filled ball decompressing in mid-flight.
Served
as the official referee in the 1913 U.S. Open 3 way playoff.
![A vintage photo of golfer Alec Smith.](alec_smith.jpg)
Alec Smith
1906 U.S. Open Champion
1910 U.S. Open Champion
![A vintage photo of Boston golfer Tom McNamara.](Tom_McNamara.jpg)
Tom McNamara
1912 North-South Champion
1913 North-South Champion
Fred
Herreshoff
Fred was the player at the time that
carried the label - "Greatest player to never win a
major". Every leader board of every amateur tournament of any
significance had Fred's name on
it. His 2 greatest claims to fame were at 16
he was a finalist in the 1904 United States Golf Association Amateur
Championship losing to H. Chandler Egan,and finishing 2nd to H.H.
Hilton of blessed by the Golf
Gods fame in 1911.
Patrick Doyle
Instructor to President Taft, Joseph Kennedy, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis
1918 Jacksonville Open Champion
(photo not available) |
On this list we
have named 16 players other than Vardon and Ray, among these top 16 players you will
find 41 career major victories. Throw in Vardon and Ray and you have 18 players
and you add in 9 more career majors. Oh and let us forget not J. H.
Taylor,
finishing T30 with his 5 majors including the 1913 British Open Championship or
Fred McLeod 1908 US Open champion, one of only 6 players to have improved scores
the 2nd day of the 1913 Open. I don't know about you but I think this might
have been one highly anticipated and competitive event. How the golf Gods
aligned this one, amazing. One man short for the qualifying rounds, who do we
get ? Why not the kid that won the Massachusetts Amateur, he lives directly
across the street from The Country Club and works for George
Wright, surely George will give him the day off to play in the
qualifier.
Francis Ouimet, no thought given to his chances
at qualifying, not even who will caddie for him, let alone any thought given to what history brought
forth.....The 1913 US Open
To learn more about these
great golfing pioneers, continue your
search here........
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