| | Dawning Of A New Age
Ouimet's Open Victory
Ushered In U.S. Golf Awareness
February 1, 2008
OnJune 3, 2008, theUSGAMuseumandArnoldPalmerCenterfor Golf History will open to the public following a
three-year renovation and expansion project. The new
exhibitions in thePalmerCenterwill present the game's history in a unique and
original way, viewing golf within the context of American
social, cultural and political history. USGA champions and
memorable moments in championship history will be placed at
the forefront of the visitor experience. Central to each
gallery is a main story - an iconic moment - pivotal for
understanding the game's development. Our national
identity is inextricably linked to these defining
championships.
This is the first in a six-part series highlighting each
iconic moment.
Click here to go back to the main page
.
By Doug Stark, USGA
Far Hills, N.J. - On Sept. 20, 1913, golf in America changed
forever. The change wasn't subtle or difficult to detect
to the naked eye. It wasn't something that would need to
be re-interpreted by journalists and writers 20 years in the
future. Academics would not need to discuss the merits of
what happened or place it within some theoretical framework.
The change was immediate and radical. It was understood by
everyone. The first turning point for golf in America had
arrived.
On that early New England fall day, 20-year-old amateur and
former caddie Francis Ouimet defeated legendary British
professionals Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff to win
the U.S. Open.
Ouimet's victory, his dethroning of the great British
golfers of the day, paralleled America's relationship
with Great Britain. In 1913, the balance of power in the
world was shifting. Great Britain, long a powerful empire,
found its dominance challenged by an upstart, the United
States. America was growing, asserting itself on the world
stage as expansionist policies gave it a presence in Asia and
Latin America. America was poised to take that next
step.
Golf in 1913 was still Scottish in its appearance, manner and
sensibility. There was little that was uniquely American
about the game. Even though the United States Golf
Association had been established in 1894 to conduct
championships and write the Rules, the game was still viewed
as a foreign import. Even the few American stars of the day
had little connection with the sporting public. Golf did not
resonate with the masses.
Ouimet single-handedly changed all that. He did so in
dramatic fashion.
When Ouimet took to the course for the first round at The
Country Club in Brookline, Mass., all eyes were focused on
Ray and Vardon. Prior to the championship, the two golf stars
had traveled across the country, playing matches that were
contested before record or near-record galleries. The
Americans they played had improved considerably since
Vardon's last tour of the United States in 1900, but both
were heavily favored at the U.S. Open. As play started, it
was generally assumed that one of them would win.
Ouimet hung around, slowly working himself into contention as
the championship progressed. He tied Vardon and Ray at the
end of four rounds, aided by a crucial birdie on the 71
st
hole. Expected to wilt under the pressure of the playoff the
following day, Ouimet played his best golf of the
championship in a driving rain, shooting 72 against
Vardon's 77 and Ray's 78. His startling victory
placed golf on the front page of many American newspapers for
the first time and inspired a new generation to take up the
game.
In a country celebrating the rags to riches stories of
Horatio Alger, where immigrants were coming ashore daily
seeking a new life, Ouimet's triumph resonated with an
entire generation. It was the century's first great golf
moment. In a country still searching for a sports identity,
Ouimet's victory made golf American.
His story and its themes would become part of America's
national identity. David defeating Goliath. A young upstart,
not given much of a chance, overcomes adversity to become a
champion. An immigrant works his way to the top while staying
humble and never forgetting his roots.
In Ouimet, America found its first golf hero and the dawn of
America's century of golf had begun.
DouglasStarkis the USGA's Curator of Education and Outreach.
E-mail him with questions or comments at dstark@usga.org.
|