John McDermott (golfer)

American professional golfer (1891–1971)

John McDermott, Jr.

Personal information
Full name| John J. McDermott, Jr.
Born| (1891-08-12)August 12, 1891
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died| August 1, 1971(1971-08-01) (aged 79)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sporting nationality|  United States
Career
Turned professional| 1908
Professional wins| 7
Best results in major championships
(wins: 2)
U.S. Open| Won: 1911, 1912
The Open Championship| T5: 1913

John J. McDermott Jr. (August 12, 1891 – August 1, 1971) was the first U.S.-born golfer to win the U.S. Open, in 1911 and 1912, and he remains the youngest player to win the event, at age 19, as well as the second youngest to win any of golf's four major tournaments after Young Tom Morris. He was the first player to break par over 72 holes in a significant event, which he did at the 1912 U.S. Open. He was one of the world's top players between 1910 and 1914.

## Contents

* 1 Early life
* 2 Turns professional
* 3 Hits peak form
* 4 Serious setbacks
* 5 Legacy
* 6 In popular culture
* 7 Tournament wins
* 8 Major championships
* 8.1 Wins (2)
* 8.2 Results timeline
* 9 Team appearances
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Early life[edit]

McDermott was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of a mailman. He was a good student at West Philadelphia High School, but dropped out before graduation to become a professional golfer.[1] He worked as a caddie at the Aronimink Golf Club, and learned golf from its longtime head professional Walter Reynolds.

## Turns professional[edit]

McDermott's first professional job was at the Merchantville Field Club (now the Merchantville Country Club) in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He moved to the Atlantic City Country Club, where his practice regimen became legendary. As a teenager, he made his debut in the U.S. Open in 1909, scoring 322 for 49th place.[1]

"He had a long, loose, flowing swing," according to golf historian Robert Sommers, "somewhat like the old St. Andrew’s swing of the feather-ball period, but with more body turn".[2]

## Hits peak form[edit]

The first sixteen Opens had all been won by British golfers who had learned the game in England or Scotland, and visited the United States to play in tournaments, or in most cases, lived in the U.S. and worked as club professionals. By 1910 the U.S. was starting to produce its own professionals in quantity.

McDermott improved his game dramatically in one year, and lost out in an 18-hole playoff to Alex Smith in the 1910 U.S. Open, held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club (St. Martin's course); Macdonald Smith, the younger brother of Alex, was also in the playoff. The three players had tied at 298 over 72 holes. Early in 1911, McDermott challenged Philadelphia-area professionals to matches at $1,000 each, after he won three straight, the competition vanished.[1]

Defending champion McDermott with the U.S. Open trophy in 1913

Later that year he won the U.S. Open by three shots at the Chicago Golf Club, following another three-way playoff, where he won over George Simpson and Mike Brady; the three players had tied at 307 for 72 holes. McDermott remains the youngest U.S. Open Champion of all time at 19 years, 10 months and 14 days, and he was the first American-born champion. In 1912 he retained his title at the Country Club of Buffalo in New York State. He shot 294 for four rounds on a par 74 course, a score of two under par, making him the first man to break par for 72 holes in a high-standard event. Following his second straight national championship, McDermott's finances blossomed, with golf clubs being marketed under his name, endorsements for golf balls, and demand for his high-standard golf with lucrative exhibition matches. McDermott made his first attempt at the British Open in 1912, but failed to qualify for the championship proper. But he returned to Britain the next year, and tied for fifth place in the Open at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. This was the best finish by an American player to that stage.[1]

In 1913, McDermott won the Western Open, then the second most prestigious professional tournament in the United States. He also won the Philadelphia Open Championship three times: 1910, 1911, and 1913.

Also in 1913, McDermott won the Open tournament at Shawnee-on-Delaware, Pennsylvania, finishing ahead of top Englishmen Harry Vardon and Ted Ray.[3]

## Serious setbacks[edit]

After the 1912 British Open, McDermott lost heavily on investments. Then, following his 1913 win at Shawnee over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, he boasted excessively, was criticized by his fellow players and the crowd for this, and had to apologize; it seems there were no lasting hard feelings. As the defending champion, he finished four strokes behind the leaders at the 1913 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Boston, in a tie for 8th place.[4] He tied for 9th place in the 1914 U.S. Open, as Walter Hagen won over the Midlothian Club near Chicago.

In 1914, McDermott visited the United Kingdom again to compete in the British Open, but because of travel difficulties, he arrived too late to play. On his way home his ship, the SS Kaiser Wilhelm II, collided with another vessel, the British-flagged grain carrier Incemore, in foggy, misty conditions in the English Channel. The ship returned to port and the passengers were transferred to the SS Imperator the next day.[5] This dangerous incident apparently had a serious effect upon him. Shortly afterward, upon his return home, he blacked out when entering the clubhouse at the Atlantic City Country Club, where he was the club professional. He was only 23 years old. He spent the rest of his life in mental hospitals and rest homes, or living with his family in Philadelphia, suffering from mental illness. He competed sporadically in regional golf events into the 1920s, but without notable success.[6] He occasionally spectated at important golf events near his home, and watched the 1971 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, some six weeks before his death.[4]

## Legacy[edit]

Although McDermott was the first American U.S. Open champion, it is Francis Ouimet's 1913 U.S. Open victory that is most often cited as the key event that sparked widespread interest in golf in the United States. Ouimet won a three-man playoff against Vardon and Ray (widely regarded as the best golfers in the world at the time), and this led to a dramatic rise in Americans' interest in golf. McDermott, along with Ouimet and Walter Hagen, all three of whom were born between 1891 and 1893, represented the new wave of American-born golf talent. The three showed they could compete on even terms with the best players in the world, and American dominance of golf would be established by the early 1920s, assisted by stars like Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones.

Golf historian Robert Sommers wrote that, if not for his illness, McDermott could have been the greatest of them all.[7]

## In popular culture[edit]

McDermott is portrayed by actor Michael Weaver in the 2005 golf film The Greatest Game Ever Played, which tells the story of Ouimet's 1913 U.S. Open triumph. McDermott appears prominently in one memorable scene where, dashingly dressed and celebrating with a few drinks, he issues a loud, boastful challenge to a group of golfers in the clubhouse, before the start of the tournament; he also features in the golf sequences, contending for a while before falling back. The portrayal is apparently true to character, and based primarily on the infamous scene at the Shawnee tournament shortly before the Open began.[8]

## Tournament wins[edit]

* 1910 Philadelphia Open Championship
* 1911 U.S. Open, Philadelphia Open Championship
* 1912 U.S. Open
* 1913 Philadelphia Open Championship, Western Open, Shawnee Open

## Major championships[edit]

### Wins (2)[edit]

Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up

|
|
|
|
|

1911 | U.S. Open | 3 shot deficit | +3 (81-72-75-79=307) | Playoff1 |  Mike Brady,  George Simpson
1912 | U.S. Open (2) | 3 shot deficit | −2 (74-75-74-71=294) | 2 strokes |  Tom McNamara

1Defeated Mike Brady and George Simpson in an 18-hole playoff – McDermott 80 (+4), Brady 82 (+6), Simpson 85 (+9).

### Results timeline[edit]

Tournament  | 1909  | 1910  | 1911  | 1912  | 1913  | 1914

|
|
|
|
|
|

U.S. Open | T49  | 2  | 1 | 1 | 8  | T9
The Open Championship |  |  |  |  | T5  |

Note: McDermott only played in the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

Win

Top 10

Did not play

"T" indicates a tie for a place

## Team appearances[edit]

* France–United States Professional Match (representing the United States): 1913

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Sommers, Robert (1996). The U.S. Open: Golf's Ultimate Challenge (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-19-510049-2.
2. ^ Fitzpatrick, Frank (September 18, 2013). "The First Great American Golfer". Philly.com.
3. ^ Sommers, p. 31.
4. ^ a b Sommers pp. 31–32.
5. ^ "Brings Wreck Passengers; Persons Taken from Kaiser Wilhelm II. Arrive on the Imperator" (PDF). New York Times. June 26, 1914. p. 13. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
6. ^ The Golf Channel / NBC Sports, television broadcasts of 2011 U.S. Open, June 16–19, 2011
7. ^ Sommers p. 32.
8. ^ The Greatest Game Ever Played, 2005 film directed by Bill Paxton.

## External links[edit]

* A century later, remembering Johnny McDermott's rapid rise and fall
* SoHG Resources on McDermott[permanent dead link]
* McDermott's sad tale after Open win
* John McDermott at Find a Grave

* v
* t
* e

U.S. Open champions

* 1895 Horace Rawlins
* 1896 James Foulis
* 1897 Joe Lloyd
* 1898 Fred Herd
* 1899 Willie Smith
* 1900 Harry Vardon
* 1901 Willie Anderson†
* 1902 Laurie Auchterlonie
* 1903 Willie Anderson†
* 1904 Willie Anderson
* 1905 Willie Anderson
* 1906 Alex Smith
* 1907 Alec Ross
* 1908 Fred McLeod†
* 1909 George Sargent
* 1910 Alex Smith†
* 1911 John McDermott†
* 1912 John McDermott
* 1913 Francis Ouimet#†
* 1914‡ Walter Hagen
* 1915 Jerome Travers#
* 1916 Chick Evans#
* 1917–18 Cancelled due to World War I
* 1919 Walter Hagen†
* 1920 Ted Ray
* 1921‡ Jim Barnes
* 1922 Gene Sarazen
* 1923 Bobby Jones#†
* 1924 Cyril Walker
* 1925 Willie Macfarlane†
* 1926 Bobby Jones#
* 1927 Tommy Armour†
* 1928 Johnny Farrell†
* 1929 Bobby Jones#†
* 1930 Bobby Jones#
* 1931 Billy Burke†
* 1932 Gene Sarazen
* 1933 Johnny Goodman#
* 1934 Olin Dutra
* 1935 Sam Parks Jr.
* 1936 Tony Manero
* 1937 Ralph Guldahl
* 1938 Ralph Guldahl
* 1939 Byron Nelson†
* 1940 Lawson Little†
* 1941 Craig Wood
* 1942–1945 Cancelled due to World War II
* 1946 Lloyd Mangrum†
* 1947 Lew Worsham†
* 1948 Ben Hogan
* 1949 Cary Middlecoff
* 1950 Ben Hogan†
* 1951 Ben Hogan
* 1952 Julius Boros
* 1953‡ Ben Hogan
* 1954 Ed Furgol
* 1955 Jack Fleck†
* 1956 Cary Middlecoff
* 1957 Dick Mayer†
* 1958 Tommy Bolt
* 1959 Billy Casper
* 1960 Arnold Palmer
* 1961 Gene Littler
* 1962 Jack Nicklaus†
* 1963 Julius Boros†
* 1964 Ken Venturi
* 1965 Gary Player†
* 1966 Billy Casper†
* 1967 Jack Nicklaus
* 1968 Lee Trevino
* 1969 Orville Moody
* 1970‡ Tony Jacklin
* 1971 Lee Trevino†
* 1972 Jack Nicklaus
* 1973 Johnny Miller
* 1974 Hale Irwin
* 1975 Lou Graham†
* 1976 Jerry Pate
* 1977 Hubert Green
* 1978 Andy North
* 1979 Hale Irwin
* 1980 Jack Nicklaus
* 1981 David Graham
* 1982 Tom Watson
* 1983 Larry Nelson
* 1984 Fuzzy Zoeller†
* 1985 Andy North
* 1986 Raymond Floyd
* 1987 Scott Simpson
* 1988 Curtis Strange†
* 1989 Curtis Strange
* 1990 Hale Irwin†
* 1991 Payne Stewart†
* 1992 Tom Kite
* 1993 Lee Janzen
* 1994 Ernie Els†
* 1995 Corey Pavin
* 1996 Steve Jones
* 1997 Ernie Els
* 1998 Lee Janzen
* 1999 Payne Stewart
* 2000‡ Tiger Woods
* 2001 Retief Goosen†
* 2002‡ Tiger Woods
* 2003 Jim Furyk
* 2004 Retief Goosen
* 2005 Michael Campbell
* 2006 Geoff Ogilvy
* 2007 Ángel Cabrera
* 2008 Tiger Woods†
* 2009 Lucas Glover
* 2010 Graeme McDowell
* 2011‡ Rory McIlroy
* 2012 Webb Simpson
* 2013 Justin Rose
* 2014‡ Martin Kaymer
* 2015 Jordan Spieth
* 2016 Dustin Johnson
* 2017 Brooks Koepka
* 2018 Brooks Koepka
* 2019 Gary Woodland
* 2020 Bryson DeChambeau
* 2021 Jon Rahm
* 2022 Matt Fitzpatrick

* † indicates the event was won in a playoff;
* ‡ indicates the event was won wire-to-wire;
* # indicates the event was won by an amateur

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