"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.......
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 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
6 time North-South Champion
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Fred
Herreshoff 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.
To learn more about these great golfing pioneers, continue your search here........