What did Francis Ouimet do for golf?
Francis Ouimet was an American amateur golfer who was born on May 8, 1893 and died on September 2, 1967. He is often referred to as the “father of amateur golf”. His victory at the 1913 US Open set off an explosion in the sport in the United States that transformed the game as we know it. What did he achieve?
Who is Francis Ouimet and why does he matter?
The storyline of the 1913 U.S. Open is simple: Francis Ouimet, a 20-year-old amateur and former caddie who lived across the street from The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., where the Open was being played, tied British pros Harry Vardon and Ted Ray after 72 holes, then beat them in an 18-hole playoff.
When did Louis Ouimet win the US amateur?
The following year, 1914, the mild-mannered Ouimet achieved his primary ambition in golf: He won the U.S. Amateur in a 6 and 5 final over Travers at Ekwanok Country Club in Manchester, Vt. In 1931, he won the Amateur again in a 6 and 5 final at Beverly Country Club in Chicago.
Who was Francis Ouimet's wife?
Lieutenant Francis Ouimet, former amateur national golf champion, and Stella Sullivan were married in Boston ^ "Francis Ouimet, Golfer, Is Dead; First Amateur to Win U.S. Open; Gardener's Son Who Won in 1913 Showed Sport Wasn't Only for the Affluent". The New York Times. United Press International. September 2, 1967. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
See more
What course did Francis Ouimet win U.S. Open?
Ray, the British Open champion in 1912, won the U.S. Open in 1920. The tournament inspired the Mark Frost book The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf (2002)....1913 U.S. Open (golf)Tournament informationCourse(s)The Country ClubOrganized byUSGAFormatStroke play − 72 holesStatistics11 more rows
What tournament did Francis Ouimet win?
Ouimet won the U.S. Amateur championship in 1914 (when he also won the French Amateur) and in 1931. He played on the U.S. Walker Cup team from 1922 through 1936 and was nonplaying captain from 1936 through 1949, excluding the war years.
Did Francis Ouimet win the U.S. Open?
Francis DeSales Ouimet (/wiːˈmɛt/) (May 8, 1893 – September 2, 1967) was an American amateur golfer who is frequently referred to as the "father of amateur golf" in the United States....Francis OuimetU.S. OpenWon: 1913The Open ChampionshipT56: 1914U.S. AmateurWon: 1914, 1931British AmateurT3: 192318 more rows
What year did Ouimet win U.S. Open?
Francis Ouimet won the most important tournament in the history of U.S. golf with 10-year-old Eddie Lowery on the bag. Realize it or not, Ouimet's U.S. Open win at The Country Club in 1913 is what you're blown away by in those rare moments when championship golf is ethereal.
What course was the greatest game ever played?
The film's screenplay was adapted by Mark Frost from his 2002 book, The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf. It was shot in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with the Kanawaki Golf Club, in Kahnawake, Quebec, the site of the golf sequences.
Which golf legend is known as the king?
Nicknamed The King, Palmer was one of golf's most popular stars and seen as a trailblazer, the first superstar of the sport's television age, which began in the 1950s.
Has an amatuer ever won a golf major?
The last amateur man to win a major championship is Johnny Goodman, who won the 1933 U.S. Open as an amateur, beating Ralph Guldahl by a shot at North Shore Country Club in Illinois. Before then, Bobby Jones was the last amateur to win a men's major.
Who was the youngest person to ever win the U.S. Open?
Carlos AlcarazCarlos Alcaraz, 19, wins US Open to become youngest world No. 1 in men's tennis history.
What is the highest U.S. Open winning score?
Highest winning score: - 331 (84-83-83-81), by Willie Anderson in 1901.
Who has won the Open 5 times?
Peter Thomson (five titles) Peter Thomson is the only golfer to win three consecutive Open Championships in the 20th century. In each of his Open Championship wins, Thomson either led or was tied going into the final round. He won the Open titles in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, and 1965.
What is the lowest score in U.S. Open history?
In the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, Rory McIlroy carded rounds of 65, 66, 68 and 69. That total of 268 is the lowest winning score in tournament history, and by three strokes.
How far did Francis Ouimet hit the ball?
Now, with two holes to play and a three-stroke lead, he drove to almost the exact spot where he had hit his tee shot on the Friday. Lowery handed Ouimet his mashie, which is the equivalent of a modern-day 5-iron, and he hit one of the best approach shots of his life. He was 18 feet from the hole.
Did Vardon beat Ouimet?
The 1913 U.S. Open Championship was famously won by amateur Francis Ouimet over British stalwarts Harry Vardon and Ted Ray at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
What did Francis Ouimet shoot in the 1913 U.S. Open?
Ouimet became the first amateur to win the U.S. Open, shooting 72 to Vardon's 77 and Ray's 78.
How many championships did Francis Ouimet?
Ouimet won three major championships of his day, one professional major (he played as an amateur) and two amateur majors.
How much of the Greatest Game Ever Played is true?
As far as historical accuracy is concerned, The Greatest Game Ever Played takes liberties, but fewer than it might. This is a reasonably faithful account of what happened during the 1913 U.S. Golf Open.
What did he achieve?
Pretty much everything in the amateur game. But he’s known more than a century on for taking down Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, two of the greatest players who have ever lived, as a 20-year-old at the 1913 US Open at The Country Club, Brookline.
Who was his caddie?
Eddie Lowery was 10-years-old when he caddied for Ouimet at the 1913 US Open after his brother, originally set to carry for Francis, took on another paying bag at the tournament. The pair would remain lifelong friends and the photograph of the pair during the event, and in the celebrations afterwards, has been legendary.
What was the film made about Francis Ouimet?
Francis Ouimet’s story was so magical, it was given the full Disney treatment in ‘The Greatest Game Ever Played’.
Who was his wife?
Stella Sullivan, whom he married in September 1918. The couple had two daughters, Janice and Barbara.
How did he swing?
Gracefully and powerfully – no small feat when considering the hickory clubs with which he and his contemporaries played. But you can see for yourself in this short YouTube video piecing together a series of photos of his swing.
What clubs did he use?
Mark Frost, in his book The Greatest Game Ever Played, had Francis Ouimet carrying 11 clubs – 10 and a putter. They were a driver, a brassie (modern 2-wood), spoon (3-wood), wooden cleek (5-wood), sammy (utility), jigger (low-lofted iron), mid-iron (2-iron), mashie (5-iron), mashie-niblick (7-iron), niblick (9-iron), and putter.
How old was Francis Ouimet when he won the 1913 US Open?
Twenty-year old Francis Ouimet with lucky horseshoe in hand, gets lifted up by fans after winning the 1913 US Open playoff. Courtesy The Ouimet Scholarship Fund.
How many times did Francis Ouimet beat Ted Ray?
He really beat them twice, to stretch a point on the figure of speech. The first time was when he tied them for the title, when apparently quite out of the running; the second time was yesterday. . . . Francis Ouimet, center, with Harry Vardon, left, and Ted Ray at The Country Club after the 1913 US Open.
How many feet does a mashie golfer have?
His mashie work needs, perhaps a little strengthening, but his putting, generally speaking, is the equal of that of any amateur or professional in the world — his greatest weakness, curiously enough, being on those of four to five feet. . . . The day was epoch-making in the history of American and British golf.
What sentiments did Francis have?
Hundreds were glad beyond measure simply for the sake of Francis alone. His modesty and geniality make him exceedingly popular among those whom he numbers as personal friends; his game on its own account won the admiration of hundreds of others, not even omitting the men whom he defeated.
What is Ouimet's strongest feature?
One of the strongest features of Ouimet’s game is the smoothness and evenness of his strokes. His drive is the most deceptive, in the matter of power, of almost any other first-class golfer in the front ranks.
What is the first step toward American supremacy in golf?
Ouimet’s victory may be the first step toward American supremacy in golf, as in most other sports. The swimmer knows what it is to stand on the edge of the water and hesitate about taking the plunge, but once he has “gone under” he comes to the surface and wonders why he ever hesitated.
When did Travis win the British Championship?
When Travis won in 1904 he of course broke the ice, but there was no one else ready to step in and help keep the surface stirred up so that it would not weld again. Since then American golf has taken wonderful strides forward so that now that Ouimet has downed two of the most renowned of all British golfers, other Americans are likely to go into a British championship in that frame of mind which helps so much toward victory.
When did Ouimet win his first major?from en.wikipedia.org
In 1913, Ouimet won his first significant title at age 20, the Massachusetts Amateur, an event he won five more times. He participated in the U.S. Amateur at the Garden City Golf Club in Long Island, New York, in early September, losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion, Jerome Travers.
What was Ouimet's success?from en.wikipedia.org
Ouimet's U.S. Open success is credited for bringing golf into the American sporting mainstream. Before his win over Vardon and Ray, golf was dominated by British players. In America, the sport was restricted to players with access to private facilities.
What is the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund?from en.wikipedia.org
Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund. In 1949, a group of Ouimet's friends started a scholarship in his honor, naming it the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund. The scholarship was created to give college scholarship aid to young people who worked as caddies at clubs in Massachusetts.
What did Ouimet do in high school?from en.wikipedia.org
When he was a junior in high school, his father insisted that he drop out and do "something useful" with his life. Ouimet worked at a drygoods store before landing a job at a sporting goods store owned by future Baseball Hall of Famer George Wright.
How old was Ouimet when he started playing golf?from en.wikipedia.org
Ouimet became interested in golf at an early age and started caddying at The Country Club at the age of 11. Using clubs from his brother and balls he found around the course, he taught himself to play. His game soon caught the eye of many country club members and caddie master Dan MacNamara.
How do I get a Ouimet scholarship?from en.wikipedia.org
The Ouimet Fund overview can be found at www.ouimet.org and is the second largest "caddie" scholarship in the U.S. and the largest independent scholarship fund in Massachusetts. Students complete a rigorous application and interview process, similar to the college process, before being selected as a Ouimet Scholar. The final step is an interview with a group of Ouimet Alumni, directors and/or donors. Once selected, students may attend any school they wish, and annually, these Scholars attend approximately 150 different colleges or universities across the country. Since the Ouimet Fund is a need-based scholarship, awards can range anywhere from a few thousand dollars to $80,000 or more over four years.
Why did Ouimet use the overlapping grip?from en.wikipedia.org
Two other aspects of Ouimet's golf career are important: He used the overlapping grip to hold the club and was among the first top players to use this method. He very likely used the grip to emulate Vardon, who often is credited with developing the grip. Many great golf champions since have used this technique. The method is named for the "overlapping' of the little finger of the top hand between the forefinger and middle finger of the bottom hand. Ouimet mentored and encouraged the young Gene Sarazen, who developed into one of golf's greatest champions.
Sept. 16, Qualifying, First Day
Sept. 17, Qualifying, Second Day
- Ted Ray led all qualifiers with a 36-hole course-record 74-74–148, and Ouimet wound up with the fifth-best qualifying score overall. Henry Leach, an Englishman writing for The American Golfer, wrote that Ray’s scores “were the result of sound careful play in every part of the game … but it struck me that he could have driven a little further if he ...
Sept. 18, Rounds 1 and 2
- Boston Daily Globe headlines on Sept. 19 1. AMERICA HAS A FIGHT ON HANDS 2. British Golfers' Showing Is Most Formidable 3. Small Chance of Heading Them Off Now Ouimet shot 77-74–151, tied for seventh, four shots behind co-leader Vardon and two shots behind Ray. Ray, after opening with a disappointing 79, broke the course record with a 70 in his second round. After Ray’s first r…
Sept. 19, Rounds 3 and 4
- Boston Daily Globe headlines, Sept. 20 1. IT IS OUIMET AGAINST GREAT BRITAIN’S BEST IN PLAYOFF 2. Brookline Boy to Fore 3. Ties Both Ray and Vardon On a dreary, rainy Friday, Ouimet opened with the best round of the day, a 74, to tie Vardon (78) and Ray (76) for the lead. All three shot 79 in the final round, setting up an 18-hole playoff the following day. Vardon and Ray both f…
Sept. 20, 18-Hole Playoff
- The New York Times headlines, Sept. 21, 1913 1. GREAT BRITISH GOLFERS DEFEATED BY MASSACHUSETTS BOY IN NATIONAL OPEN TOURNEY 2. USED TO BE A CADDY 3. ESTABLISHES A RECORD 4. First Amateur to Win the American Open Golf Title 5. OUIMET’S MOTHER JOSTLED 6. Little Woman Holds Her Ground Until She Congratulates Her Son Cards of the playoff: Ouimet …
What Did He Achieve?
Who Was His Caddie?
- Eddie Lowery was 10-years-old when he caddied for Ouimet at the 1913 US Open after his brother, originally set to carry for Francis, took on another paying bag at the tournament. The pair would remain lifelong friends and the photograph of the pair during the event, and in the celebrations afterwards, has been legendary. Lowery became a successful businessman – a millionaire car d…
What Was The Film Made About Francis Ouimet?
- Francis Ouimet’s story was so magical, it was given the full Disney treatment in ‘The Greatest Game Ever Played’. Released in 2005, it’s based on the book of the same name by Mark Frost. The author even wrote the screenplay. It follows Ouimet from childhood until his victory at Brookline. Shia LaBeouf played Ouimet with Stephen Dillane as Harry Var...
Who Was His Wife?
- Stella Sullivan, whom he married in September 1918. The couple had two daughters, Janice and Barbara.
How Did He Swing?
- Gracefully and powerfully – no small feat when considering the hickory clubs with which he and his contemporaries played. But you can see for yourself in this short YouTube video piecing together a series of photos of his swing.
What Clubs Did He use?
- Mark Frost, in his book The Greatest Game Ever Played, had Francis Ouimet carrying 11 clubs – 10 and a putter. They were a driver, a brassie (modern 2-wood), spoon (3-wood), wooden cleek (5-wood), sammy (utility), jigger (low-lofted iron), mid-iron (2-iron), mashie (5-iron), mashie-niblick (7-iron), niblick (9-iron), and putter. There are some variations, however, with a Golf Channel article …
Subscribe to NCG