1925 U.S. Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Willie Macfarlane, 291
Where it was played: Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachussetts
Tournament dates: June 3-5, 1925
Leader after first round: Francis Ouiment, 70
Leader after second round: Willie Macfarlane and Leo Diegel, 141
Leader after third round: Willie Macfarlane, 213
What Happened in the 1925 U.S. Open Golf Tournament
In the second round of the 1925 U.S. Open, Willie Macfarlane set a new tournament record of 67. In the final round, he scored 11 shots higher (78), which cost him outright victory. But he still won, and by beating Bobby Jones in a playoff.The U.S. Open was just a two-day tournament in 1925, with the first and second rounds played on Day 1 and the third and final rounds on Day 2. (This was the last year that was the case.) And at the end of Day 1, after 36 holes of play, Macfarlane was tied for the lead with Leo Diegel. Jones was six shots behind, tied for 10th.
In the third round Macfarlane scored 72 to Jones' 70, and Jones moved into a tie for fourth. (Diegel scored 77-78 on Day 2 and was not a factor.) Then Macfarlane struggled through that final-round 78, but still managed to tie the 291 posted by Jones after a 74.
The playoff was only scheduled for 18 holes, but Macfarlane and Jones tied again at 75. There was no proviso in the rules for a sudden-death playoff, so they played another 18 in the afternoon.
In that second 18, Jones went ahead by four after nine holes. But Macfarlane evened the score after the 13th and they remained tied going to the 18th hole. Jones hit his approach to that 18th green into a bunker and was unable to get up-and-down for par. Macfarlane was able to two-putt and win the championship. Macfarlane scored 33 over the second nine.
An incident in the first round led to one of Jones' best-known quotes. Jones (and only Jones) saw his ball move after he addressed it in the rough. USGA officials, unable to say themselves whether the ball had moved, left the ruling up to Jones. He call the penalty on himself. Afterward, praised by spectators, fellow-competitors and the media for his integrity in calling a penalty on himself, Jones said, "You might as well praise me for not robbing a bank."
1925 U.S. Open Final Scores
| Willie Macfarlane | 74-67-72-78—291 (75-72-147) |
| a-Bobby Jones | 77-70-70-74—291 (75-73-148) |
| Johnny Farrell | 71-74-69-78—292 |
| a-Francis Ouimet | 70-73-73-76—292 |
| Walter Hagen | 72-76-71-74—293 |
| Gene Sarazen | 72-72-75-74—293 |
| Mike Brady | 74-72-74-74—294 |
| Leo Diegel | 73-68-77-78—296 |
| Laurie Ayton | 75-71-73-78—297 |
| Al Espinosa | 72-71-74-80—297 |
| Macdonald Smith | 73-79-72-75—299 |
| Joe Turnesa | 76-74-71-78—299 |
| Willie Hunter Jr. | 75-77-75-73—300 |
| Al Watrous | 78-73-74-75—300 |
| Bob Macdonald | 75-77-77-72—301 |
| Bill Mehlhorn | 78-72-75-76—301 |
| Clarence Hackney | 78-72-73-79—302 |
| Johnny Golden | 76-75-82-70—303 |
| Tom Kerrigan | 75-79-74-75—303 |
| Tom Boyd | 73-79-75-77—304 |
| Jack Forrester | 71-76-76-81—304 |
| Emmet French | 77-74-77-76—304 |
| Francis Gallett | 73-70-84-77—304 |
| Harry Hampton | 79-75-76-74—304 |
| Bob Shave | 81-72-77-74—304 |
| Charles Mayo | 75-74-78-78—305 |
| Jock Hutchison | 78-78-79-71—306 |
| Wilfred Reid | 79-75-73-79—306 |
| Jim Barnes | 75-76-71-85—307 |
| George Heron | 75-77-77-78—307 |
| George Kerrigan | 75-75-78-80—308 |
| Arthur DeMane | 76-73-83-77—309 |
| Thomas Harmon | 80-73-79-77—309 |
| Frank Clarke | 75-81-76-78—310 |
| Pat Doyle | 78-77-74-81—310 |
| Charles Guest | 79-77-74-80—310 |
| Herbert Lagerblade | 76-79-77-79—311 |
| Tommy Armour | 76-84-80-73—313 |
| Alex Ayton | 76-80-83-74—313 |
| George Dernbach | 75-79-81-78—313 |
| Tom Kennett | 78-77-78-80—313 |
| Fred Novak | 78-77-79-79—313 |
| George Christ | 75-81-76-82—314 |
| Bill Klein | 72-81-79-82—314 |
| Peter Harmon | 79-77-79-80—315 |
| Joe Kirkwood | 81-83-82-79—325 |
| William Creavy | 83-80-73-80—316 |
| Joe Novak | 77-85-76-78—316 |
| Jack O'Connor | 75-78-76-87—316 |
| Cyril Walker | 81-73-80-82—316 |
| Martin O'Loughlin | 80-82-74-81—317 |
| Craig Wood | 81-78-77-81—317 |
| George Stark | 82-78-81-77—318 |
| Robert Barnett | 82-81-79-77—319 |
| Alex Cunningham | 77-78-82-82—319 |
| George Aulbach | 74-82-77-87—320 |
| Harold Long | 77-83-76-84—320 |
| Eddie Murphy | 82-82-77-79—320 |
| Jimmy Thomson | 84-78-81-78—321 |
| Clarence Booth | 81-77-83-81—322 |
| a-Ernest Carter | 80-77-78-87—322 |
| Eddie Gayer | 75-81-81-86—323 |
| Willie Hunter | 77-78-86-82—323 |
| Victor East | 75-81-83-85—324 |
| Tom Jones | 83-79-84-81—327 |
| James Fee | 87-88-83-82—340 |
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