1914 U.S. Open (golf)
The 1914 U.S. Open was the 20th U.S. Open, held August 20–21 at Midlothian Country Club in Midlothian, Illinois, a suburb southwest of Chicago. 21-year-old Walter Hagen held off amateur Chick Evans by a single stroke to win the first of his two U.S. Open titles.[1][2] It was the first of Hagen's eleven major championships.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 20–21, 1914 |
| Location | Midlothian, Illinois |
| Course(s) | Midlothian Country Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Format | Stroke play − 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,421 yards (5,871 m)[1] |
| Field | 66 players |
| Winner's share | $300 |
| Champion | |
.svg.png){kind=small} | |
| 290 (+2) | |
Hagen opened with a U.S. Open record 68, a stroke ahead of defending champion Francis Ouimet. He led Tom McNamara by a shot after 36 holes,[3][4] then took a two-stroke lead over McNamara into the final round, with Ouimet three back. McNamara and Ouimet, however, fell back with rounds of 83 and 78, respectively. That left the hard-charging Evans as the last player capable of catching Hagen. Evans needed a two on the 18th to tie, but his chip from the edge of the green came up just short. Hagen birdied the 18th for the fourth consecutive round, a feat unmatched by any U.S. Open champion before or since, and prevailed by one over Evans. Evans' 141 over the final 36 holes set a new U.S. Open record, but it was broken just two years later.
Two-time champion John McDermott, age 22, tied for ninth in his sixth and final U.S. Open appearance.
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred McLeod |  | 1908 | 78 | 73 | 75 | 71 | 297 | +9 | T3 |
| George Sargent |  | 1909 | 74 | 77 | 74 | 72 | 297 | +9 | T3 |
| Francis Ouimet (a) | | 1913 | 69 | 76 | 75 | 78 | 298 | +10 | T5 |
| John McDermott | | 1911, 1912 | 77 | 74 | 74 | 75 | 300 | +12 | T9 |
| Alec Ross | | 1907 | 72 | 75 | 82 | 76 | 305 | +17 | T22 |
Did not play: Alex Smith (1906, 1910), Laurie Auchterlonie (1902), Harry Vardon (1900), Willie Smith (1899).
Round summaries
First round
Thursday, August 20, 1914 (morning)
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Hagen | | 68 | −4 |
| 2 | Francis Ouimet (a) | | 69 | −3 |
| T3 | James Donaldson | | 72 | E |
| Tom McNamara | | |||
| Louis Tellier | .svg.png){kind=small} | |||
| T6 | Jim Barnes | | 73 | +1 |
| George Simpson | | |||
| T8 | J. J. O'Brien |  | 74 | +2 |
| George Sargent | | |||
| T10 | Jack Burke Sr. | | 75 | +3 |
Source:[3]
Second round
Thursday, August 20, 1914 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Hagen | | 68-74=142 | −2 |
| 2 | Tom McNamara | | 72-71=143 | −1 |
| 3 | Francis Ouimet (a) | | 69-76=145 | +1 |
| T4 | Joe Mitchell | | 77-69=146 | +2 |
| J. J. O'Brien | | 74-72=146 | ||
| T6 | Alec Ross | | 72-75=147 | +3 |
| James Simpson | | 76-71=147 | ||
| Louis Tellier | | 72-75=147 | ||
| T9 | Jim Barnes | | 73-76=149 | +5 |
| George Simpson | | 73-76=149 | ||
| Tom Kerrigan | | 76-73=149 |
Source:[3]
Third round
Friday, August 21, 1914 (morning)
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Hagen | | 68-74-75=217 | +1 |
| 2 | Tom McNamara | | 72-71-76=219 | +3 |
| 3 | Francis Ouimet (a) | | 69-76-75=220 | +4 |
| T4 | Chick Evans (a) | | 76-74-71=221 | +5 |
| Louis Tellier | | 72-75-74=221 | ||
| 6 | J. J. O'Brien | | 74-72-77=223 | +7 |
| T7 | Mike Brady | | 78-72-74=224 | +8 |
| George Simpson | | 76-71-77=224 | ||
| T9 | James Donaldson | | 72-79-74=225 | +9 |
| John McDermott | | 77-74-74=225 | ||
| George Sargent | | 74-77-74=225 |
Source:[2]
Final round
Friday, August 21, 1914 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Hagen | | 68-74-75-73=290 | +2 | 300 |
| 2 | Chick Evans (a) | | 76-74-71-70=291 | +3 | 0 |
| T3 | Fred McLeod | | 78-73-75-71=297 | +9 | 125 |
| George Sargent | | 74-77-74-72=297 | |||
| T5 | Mike Brady | | 78-72-74-74=298 | +10 | 75 |
| James Donaldson | | 72-79-74-73=298 | |||
| Francis Ouimet (a) | | 69-76-75-78=298 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Louis Tellier | | 72-75-74-78=299 | +11 | 60 |
| T9 | John McDermott | | 77-74-74-75=300 | +12 | 45 |
| Arthur Smith | 79-73-76-72=300 |
Source:[2]
- (a) denotes amateur
References
- "Hagen captures Open golf title". Milwaukee Sentinel. August 22, 1914. p. 8. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
- Davis, J.G. (August 22, 1914). "Hagen triumphs, beating C. Evans by only 1 stroke". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 13.
- Davis, J.G. (August 21, 1914). "Course record broken by Hagen in Open tourney". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 10.
- "Hagen leads field in national meet". Milwaukee Sentinel. August 21, 1914. p. 5. Retrieved May 17, 2013.