1899 U.S. Open (golf)


The 1899 U.S. Open was the fifth U.S. Open, held September 14–15 at Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, Maryland. Willie Smith won his only major title, a record eleven strokes ahead of three runners-up.
On Thursday, Smith and future four-time champion Willie Anderson co-led with 77 in the morning and Anderson took the lead in the afternoon at 158, with Smith a stroke back. In the third round on Friday morning, Anderson's 85 allowed Smith to take a four-stroke lead over Alex Campbell, and his 77 in the afternoon distanced him from the field; Campbell ballooned to 94 and fell to twelfth.
Playing out of Midlothian Country Club in Chicago, Smith was the only player to record three sub-80 rounds, and did not score higher than a seven on any hole in the championship. Val Fitzjohn, George Low, and Bert Way tied for second, eleven strokes Smith's margin of victory was the largest in the U.S. Open for 101 years, until Tiger Woods won by fifteen shots in 2000. Smith's brother Alex, a future two-time champion, finished seventh.
Smith won a gold medal and was given custody of the Championship Cup for a year.

Past champions in the field

Source:
Did not play: Joe Lloyd

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, September 14, 1899
PlacePlayerCountryScore
1Willie Anderson77
1Willie Smith77
3Bert Way80
T4Henry Gullane81
T4Horace Rawlins81
T6George Low82
T6Alexander Patrick82
T6Writ Thompson82
T9Alex Campbell83
T9David Foulis83
T9Arthur Smith83

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Second round

Thursday, September 14, 1899
PlacePlayerCountryScore
1Willie Anderson77-81=158
2Willie Smith77-82=159
3George Low82-79=161
T4Alex Campbell83-80=163
T4Alex Smith82-81=163
T6Val Fitzjohn85-80=165
T6Alexander Patrick82-83=165
T6Bert Way80-85=165
9Horace Rawlins81-85=166
10Henry Gullane81-86=167

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Third round

Friday, September 15, 1899
PlacePlayerCountryScore
1Willie Smith77-82-79=238
2Alex Campbell83-80-79=242
T3Willie Anderson77-81-85=243
T3Jack Park88-80-75=243
5Val Fitzjohn85-80-79=244
T6Alex Smith82-81-82=245
T6Bert Way80-85-80=245
T8Henry Gullane81-86-80=247
T8Peter Walker84-86-77=247
10George Low82-79-89=250

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Final round

Friday, September 15, 1899
PlacePlayerCountryScoreMoney
1Willie Smith77-82-79-77=315150
T2Val Fitzjohn85-80-79-82=326125
T2George Low82-79-89-76=326125
T2Bert Way80-85-80-81=326125
5Willie Anderson77-81-85-84=32780
6Jack Park88-80-75-85=32870
7Alex Smith82-81-82-85=33050
8Henry Gullane81-86-80-84=33125
T9Laurie Auchterlonie86-87-82-78=3330
T9Peter Walker84-86-77-86=3330

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