1911 U.S. Open (golf)

The 1911 U.S. Open was the 17th U.S. Open, held June 23–26 at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. Nineteen-year-old John McDermott became the first American-born U.S. Open champion by defeating Mike Brady and George Simpson in an 18-hole playoff.

Contents

• Final leaderboard
• Playoff
• References

Two past champions, Alec Ross and Fred McLeod, shared the 36-hole lead on Friday, with John McDermott, Mike Brady, and George Simpson part of a group three shots back. Ross struggled on the rainy final day, shooting rounds of 81-82 to finish in 9th place. Simpson posted a 307 total with rounds of 79-75, while Brady tied Simpson with a final round 75. McDermott made a birdie on the 18th of the final round to card a 79 and match Simpson and Brady, forcing a three-way playoff.

In the playoff on Monday, McDermott led Brady by four after the turn, with Simpson five back. Brady then played the next four holes in 1-under par while McDermott made three consecutive bogeys, evening up the contest heading to the 15th. McDermott took the lead after Brady missed a 4-footer for par, then sealed the championship with an approach to the 18th that settled 10 feet from the hole. He two-putted from there for an 80, two ahead of Brady and five ahead of Simpson.

At 19, McDermott became the youngest U.S. Open champion, a mark that still stands. He was also the first American-born champion of the U.S. Open. He successfully defended his title the following year, but by 1914 he began suffering from mental illness and his career was essentially over by age 23.