1901 U.S. Open Tournament Winner and Scores
Winner: Willie Anderson, 331
Where it was played: Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Massachussetts
Tournament dates: July 13-16, 1901
Leader after first round: Laurie Auchterlonie, 81
Leader after second round: Alex Smith, 164
Leader after third round: Stewart Gardner, 249
What Happened in the 1901 U.S. Open
Willie Anderson defeated Alex Smith in an 18-hole playoff to win the 1901 U.S. Open, the first of four victories in this event by Anderson. In fact, all four of Anderson's wins happened in the 5-year period from 1901 through 1905.During that span, Anderson became the first 2-time winner of a U.S. Open, the first back-to-back winner, the first 3-time winner, and the first 4-time winner. He remains, to this day, the only golfer to win the U.S. Open three consecutive years (1903-05). And he still shares — with Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus — the U.S. Open record for wins (four).
This was the first of two times that Alex Smith finished runner-up to Anderson in a U.S. Open, but Smith also won the U.S. Open in 1906 and 1910. Smith's brother, Willie Smith (the 1899 champion), finished third, two strokes out of the playoff.
Smith had a putt to win on the 72nd hole, but missed. He and Anderson tied at 331, and no higher winning score has ever been recorded in the U.S. Open.
The playoff (pushed back from Sunday to Monday because the course was reserved for member play on Sundays) was the very first playoff in a U.S. Open. Smith led by five with five holes to play, but Anderson finished with five consecutive 4s while Smith, on holes 14-17, scored 5-7-5-4. When Smith missed a 4-foot putt on the 18th green, Anderson was the champion. Anderson shot 85 to Smith's 86 in the playoff.
The tournament was played at Myopia Hunt Club, and the club pro, John Jones, finished 12th. He then caddied for Anderson in the playoff. Every golfer who finished in the Top 10 was originally from Scotland, except for Englishman Bernard Nicholls.
1901 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Willie Anderson | 84-83-83-81—331 (85) |
| Alex Smith | 82-82-87-80—331 (86) |
| Willie Smith | 84-86-82-81—333 |
| Stewart Gardner | 86-82-81-85—334 |
| Laurie Auchterlonie | 81-85-86-83—335 |
| Bernard Nicholls | 84-85-83-83—335 |
| David Brown | 86-83-83-84—336 |
| Alex Campbell | 84-91-82-82—339 |
| George Low | 82-89-85-85—341 |
| Jack Park | 87-84-85-85—341 |
| James Foulis | 88-85-85-89—347 |
| John Jones | 87-84-87-80—338 |
| Val Fitzjohn | 86-86-89-87—348 |
| Gilbert Nicholls | 87-87-88-87—349 |
| Robert Simpson | 88-87-87-87—349 |
| Isaac Mackie | 87-88-85-90—350 |
| Arthur Fenn | 87-90-87-87—351 |
| a-Arthur Lockwood | 82-89-89-91—351 |
| Horace Rawlins | 90-84-88-89—351 |
| Joe Lloyd | 90-87-86-89—352 |
| Donald Ross | 94-86-91-84—355 |
| Walter Clark | 88-90-92-87—357 |
| Alex Taylor | 94-84-92-87—357 |
| Harry Turpie | 92-87-88-90—357 |
| David Hunter | 91-92-89-87—359 |
| R.S. Patrick | 90-91-87-91—359 |
| Willie Davis | 88-91-92-89—360 |
| John Dingwall | 89-96-89-87—361 |
| Ed Fitzjohn | 90-86-92-93—361 |
| John Harland | 92-92-93-84—361 |
| Willie Hunter | 88-96-91-86—361 |
| Launcelot Servos | 94-83-91-93—361 |
| Joe Mitchell | 94-94-92-83—363 |
| William Kirk | 99-86-93-88—366 |
| Jack Hobens | 90-90-88-90—358 |
| John Harrison | 92-93-93-90—368 |
| Alex Patrick | 90-90-94-95—369 |
| John Anson | 100-94-95-90—379 |
| C.D. Cronin | 99-93-92-100—384 |
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