Willie Smith (golfer)

Willie Smith (8 October 1876 – 26 December 1916) was a Scottish golfer. He won the 1899 U.S. Open.

Willie Smith
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Smith
Born(1876-10-08)8 October 1876
Dundee, Scotland
Died26 December 1916(1916-12-26) (aged 40)
Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality Scotland
Career
StatusProfessional
Professional wins3
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenWon: 1899
The Open ChampionshipT5: 1910

Early life

Willie Smith was born in Dundee, Scotland on 8 October 1876.[1] He learned to play golf in Carnoustie. His brothers Alex and Macdonald were also expert golfers.

Golf career

1899 U.S. Open

Smith worked as a club professional at Midlothian Country Club, near Chicago, in his early adulthood. During this time he won the 1899 U.S. Open, played at Baltimore Country Club's Roland Park Course.[2] He won by a margin of eleven shots. This record wasn't broken during the entire 20th century and wasn't surpassed until Tiger Woods won the 2000 championship by fifteen shots. Smith's prize was $150. He played in nine U.S. Opens in total, and made the top-10 in eight of them, but he did not win again.

Western Open and California State Open

In 1899, Smith won the first Western Open in a playoff against Laurie Auchterlonie. He also won the 1900 California State Open.

Later life

In 1904, Smith moved to Mexico City to become the golf pro at the Mexico City Country Club. He was injured during the Mexican Revolution. He had refused to leave his post at the country club and was found trapped under a fallen beam after Emiliano Zapata's troops ransacked the club which they saw as a symbol of the corrupt ruling class.[3] He was tasked with designing a new course, the Club de Golf Chapultepec, however due to his death it was completed by his brother Alex Smith. It has hosted the Mexican Open multiple times, and the WGC-Mexico Championship since 2017.[4][5]

Death

He died of pneumonia on 26 December 1916.[6][7] His body was returned to Scotland for burial in the family plot.

Major championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunners-up
1899U.S. Open4 shot lead77-82-79-77=31511 strokes Val Fitzjohn, George Low, Bert Way

Results timeline

Smith played in only the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

Tournament 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP 5 1 5[8] 3 4[9] T9 DNP T13 2 DNP 2 DNP DNP
The Open Championship WD DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T5

DNP = Did not play
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

References
  1. "Births in the District of St Andrews in the Burgh of Dundee". Statutory Births 282/04 01543. ScotlandsPeople. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  2. Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  3. Kelly, Bill. "Kelly's Golf History". kellysgolfhistory.blogspot.com. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  4. "Chapultepec - Mexico". Top 100 Golf Courses. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  5. Ralph, Pat (19 February 2019). "Five things to know about Club de Golf Chapultepec". Golf.com. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  6. "Willie Smith is Dead" (PDF). The New York Times. 27 December 1916.
  7. "Willie Smith, Golf Pro., Dies in Mexico City". Trenton Evening Times. New Jersey. 27 December 1916.
  8. "Vardon Was the Winner - Took the Open Golf Championship at Wheaton Yesterday". The Saint Paul Globe. Minnesota. 6 October 1900. Retrieved 9 April 2015 – via Minnesota Historical Society.
  9. "Open Golf Champion". The Saint Paul Globe. Minnesota. 12 October 1902. Retrieved 26 August 2015.


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