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]
| 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 | |
 Fred McLeod | |
| 322 | |
Hunt Club
Hunt Club
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
editFirst round
editThursday, August 27, 1908 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willie Smith |
77 |
| 2 | Alex Smith |
80 |
| 3 |  John Jones |
81 |
| T4 | Jock Hutchison |
82 |
| Fred McLeod
| ||
| T6 | Herbert Barker |
84 |
 Richard Kimball
| ||
| T8 | Willie Anderson |
85 |
| Laurie Auchterlonie
| ||
| Alex Campbell
| ||
| Tom McNamara
|
Second round
editThursday, August 27, 1908 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willie Smith |
77-82=159 |
| 2 | John Jones |
81-81=162 |
| 3 | Alex Smith |
80-83=163 |
| 4 | Fred McLeod |
82-82=164 |
| T5 | Jock Hutchison |
82-84=166 |
| Gilbert Nicholls |
89-77=166 | |
| T7 | Jack Hobens |
86-81=167 |
| Tom McNamara |
85-82=167 | |
| T9 | Laurie Auchterlonie |
85-83=168 |
| Alex Campbell |
85-83=168 |
Third round
editFriday, August 28, 1908 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willie Smith |
77-82-85=244 |
| 2 | Fred McLeod |
82-82-81=245 |
| 3 | Alex Smith |
80-83-83=246 |
| 4 | John Jones |
81-81-87=249 |
| 5 | Peter Robertson |
89-84-77=250 |
| T6 | Willie Anderson |
85-86-80=251 |
| Laurie Auchterlonie |
85-83-83=251 | |
| 8 | Jack Hobens |
86-81-85=252 |
| T9 | Jock Hutchison |
82-84-87=253 |
| Richard Kimball |
84-86-83=253 | |
| Tom McNamara |
85-82-86=253 |
Final round
edit
Friday, August 28, 1908 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Fred McLeod |
82-82-81-77=322 | Playoff |
| Willie Smith |
77-82-85-78=322 | ||
| 3 | Alex Smith |
80-83-83-81=327 | 100 |
| 4 | Willie Anderson |
85-86-80-79=330 | 80 |
| 5 | John Jones |
81-81-87-82=331 | 70 |
| T6 | Jack Hobens |
86-81-85-81=333 | 45 |
| Peter Robertson |
89-84-77-83=333 | ||
| T8 | Percy Barrett |
94-80-86-78=338 | 28 |
| Jock Hutchison |
82-84-87-85=338 | ||
| T10 | Richard Kimball |
84-86-83-86=339 | 0 |
| Tom McNamara |
85-82-86-86=339 |
Amateurs: Travis (347), Hylan (356), J. Anderson (357).
Playoff
editSaturday, August 29, 1908
| Place | Player | Score | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fred McLeod |
39-38=77 | 300 |
| 2 | Willie Smith |
38-45=83 | 150 |
Source:[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "M'Leod takes golf title". Chicago Sunday Tribune. August 30, 1908. p. 3, sec. 3.
- ^ 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. pp. 210–11. ISBN 9780786453955. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Smith of Mexico leads golfers". Chicago Daily Tribune. August 28, 1908. p. 7.
- ^ a b c "Smith and M'Leod tied at Myopia". Chicago Daily Tribune. August 29, 1908. p. 7.