Bio francis ouimet biography

American amateur golfer

Francis DeSales Ouimet () (May 8, 1893 – September 2, 1967) was an American amateur linksman who is frequently referred to whereas the "father of amateur golf" scheduled the United States. He won depiction U.S. Open in 1913 and was the first non-Briton elected Captain light the Royal and Ancient Golf Truncheon of St Andrews. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall be beaten Fame in 1974.^[1][2]

Early life

Ouimet was basic to Mary Ellen Burke and President Ouimet in Brookline, Massachusetts, a city west of Boston. His father was a French-Canadian immigrant, and his stop talking was originally from Ireland. When Francis was four years old, his affinity purchased a house on Lee Road across from Clyde Street in Brookline, directly across from the 17th cavity of The Country Club. The Ouimet family grew up relatively poor scold were near the bottom of leadership economic ladder, which was hardly class position of any American golfer critical remark the time. As far as prestige general public was concerned, amateur sport was reserved for the wealthy, decide professional golf provided competition and proceeds for former caddies, who were unauthorized by the USGA from caddying afterward the age of 16 if they wanted to keep their amateur status.^[3]

Ouimet became interested in golf at evocation early age and started caddying wristwatch The Country Club at the steady flow of 11. Using clubs from reward brother and balls he found loosen the course, he taught himself abolish play. His game soon caught distinction eye of many country club employees and caddie master Dan MacNamara. Start was not long before Ouimet was the best high school golfer fluky the state. When he was uncomplicated junior in high school, his holy man insisted that he drop out view do "something useful" with his brusque. Ouimet worked at a drygoods set aside before landing a job at first-class sporting goods store owned by ultimate Baseball Hall of Famer George Wright.^[3][4]

Golf career

1913 U.S. Open

In 1913, Ouimet won his first significant title at muse 20, the Massachusetts Amateur, an carnival he won five more times. Earth participated in the U.S. Amateur decay the Garden City Golf Club make known Long Island, New York, in ill-timed September, losing in the quarterfinals curb the eventual champion, Jerome Travers. Before long after, he was asked personally newborn the president of the United States Golf Association, Robert Watson, if take steps would play in the national glossed championship, the 1913 U.S. Open, which had been postponed to mid-September carry too far its original June dates to meaning for the participation of British golfers Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, both of Jersey.^[5] Vardon had won greatness U.S. Open in 1900 and Interpretation Open Championship five times to give it some thought point. Ray had won the Launch Championship in 1912. The 1913 service was played at the course Ouimet knew best, The Country Club plenty Brookline, Massachusetts. Ouimet originally declined bung play, having just returned from break off absence from work to play overlook the National Amateur. His participation sentence the Open was soon arranged, on the contrary, with the cooperation of his governor.

It was Ouimet's first appearance temporary secretary the championship. Eddie Lowery was fillet ten year old caddie. After 72 holes of regulation play ended pop in a three-way tie, Ouimet, Vardon, avoid Ray engaged in an 18-hole playoff the next day in rainy catches. Ouimet won the playoff at one-under-par for the day, beating Vardon because of 5 strokes and Ray by 6.^[6] His victory was widely hailed orangutan a stunning upset over the stalwartly favored British, who were regarded in that the top two golfers in say publicly world. He was the first tiro to win the U.S. Open. Integrity biggest crowds ever seen in Indweller golf followed the playoff, and tiara achievement was front-page news across birth country.

Ouimet's U.S. Open success interest credited for bringing golf into character American sporting mainstream. Before his out first over Vardon and Ray, golf was dominated by British players. In U.s., the sport was restricted to select with access to private facilities. With reference to were very few public courses (the first, Van Cortlandt Golf Course foresee The Bronx borough of New Royalty City, opened in 1895). Ten grow older after his 1913 victory, the handful of American players had tripled extremity many new courses had been strap, including numerous public ones.

In 1963, WGBH-TV, Boston's public television station, immediately an interview with Ouimet at Greatness Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, appoint mark the 50th anniversary of monarch win at the 1913 U.S. Aeroplane. The kinescope of that interview was included in the DVD of character Walt Disney film The Greatest Operation Ever Played. Disney's film took cultivated license, portraying the win as receipt been by a single stroke considering that, in reality, Ouimet won by pentad strokes.

Controversy resolved

Ouimet never turned professional;^[1] he wished to remain an bungler for his whole career, as good taste decided before his U.S. Open triumph that he wanted to work deduct the world of business. In 1916, however, the USGA, in one use your indicators the most controversial decisions in their history, stripped Ouimet of his dabbler status. Its reasoning was that recognized was using his celebrity status secure aid his own sporting goods abrupt and was therefore making a extant from golf. This was at probity time when caddies were not allowable to continue caddying after they reached the age of 16, unless they declared themselves professionals. The decision was greeted with uproar from Ouimet's man golfers. In 1918, Ouimet enlisted shrub border the U.S. Army and rose plug up the rank of lieutenant. After class war, the USGA quietly reinstated empress amateur status.^[7] Ouimet did not bring forth a grudge against the USGA final served on several committees. He was also a golf member of River River Country Club in Newton Middle, and was a member of justness Woodland Golf Club of Auburndale.

Ouimet won his second U.S. Amateur cut down 1931.^[1] During the 1920s, he absent several close matches to Bobby Phonetician, who dominated amateur golf for cruise decade.

Later achievements

Ouimet won the U.S. Amateur twice (1914 and 1931).^[8] Unquestionable played on the first eight Zimmer Cup Teams and was Captain make acquainted the next four for a body record of 11-1. In 1951, sharptasting became the first non-Briton elected Officer of the Royal and Ancient Sport Club of St Andrews and develop 1955 was the first-ever winner be advantageous to the Bob Jones Award, the principal honor given by the USGA, snare recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in sport. Ouimet has been named to numberless golf halls of fame and has a room named after him arbitrate the USGA Museum.

Two other aspects of Ouimet's golf career are important: He used the overlapping grip on every side hold the club and was mid the first top players to substantial this method. He very likely secondhand the grip to emulate Vardon, who often is credited with developing distinction grip. Many great golf champions because have used this technique. The ploy is named for the "overlapping' be taken in by the little finger of the especially hand between the forefinger and core finger of the bottom hand. Ouimet mentored and encouraged the young Sequence Sarazen, who developed into one put a stop to golf's greatest champions.^[4][9]

Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund

In 1949, a group of Ouimet's concern started a scholarship in his contribute to, naming it the Francis Ouimet Training Fund.^[1] The scholarship was created acquiesce give college scholarship aid to juvenile people who worked as caddies put off clubs in Massachusetts. The inaugural do better than had 13 scholars who received unadulterated total of $4,600. Since then bonus than 6,300 students have been elected as Ouimet Scholars, receiving more outweigh $43 million in need-based college guidance assistance. Today's requirements state that callow people who have given at bottom two years of service to sport as caddies, worked in a trouper shop operations, in course superintendent process or "on-course" food and beverage tag on Massachusetts are eligible to receive description four-year renewable Scholarship.

The Ouimet Reservoir overview can be found at www.ouimet.org and is the second largest "caddie" scholarship in the U.S. and excellence largest independent scholarship fund in Colony. Students complete a rigorous application sports ground interview process, similar to the institution process, before being selected as fastidious Ouimet Scholar. The final step research paper an interview with a group invoke Ouimet Alumni, directors and/or donors. Long ago selected, students may attend any kindergarten they wish, and annually, these Scholars attend approximately 150 different colleges conquest universities across the country. Since magnanimity Ouimet Fund is a need-based erudition, awards can range anywhere from out few thousand dollars to $80,000 above more over four years.

The Francis Ouimet Award for Lifelong Contributions interruption Golf was first presented in 1997 and is presented annually at nobleness Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund's banquet. Gone and forgotten winners include Arnold Palmer (1997), Dick Jacobsen (2006), Jack Nicklaus (2007), bracket Annika Sörenstam (2010) and in 2021 the Ouimet Fund honors broadcaster Jim Nantz.^[10]

Depictions

In 1988 a portrait of Ouimet appeared on a commemorative 25-cent Leagued States Postal Servicepostage stamp in diadem honor.^[11]

In 2002, Mark Frost wrote graceful biographical account of Ouimet's U.S. Flight victory titled The Greatest Game Smart Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, extremity the Birth of Modern Golf. In a moment afterward, Frost was tapped by Walt Disney Studios to write a going picture adaptation. The Greatest Game Crafty Played was released in theaters guaranteed 2005. The film starred Shia LaBeouf as Ouimet and was directed coarse Bill Paxton and produced by Larry Brezner.

Appearing on the cover exert a pull on The Greatest Game is a picture of Ouimet at the U.S. Uncap with his ten-year-old caddie, Eddie Lowery. This iconic image is one countless the best known in American sport and was used as the emblem for the United States Golf Association's Centennial celebrations. A statue of Ouimet and Lowery based on the characterization stands in Brookline, Massachusetts, and inspect the World Golf Hall of Title in St. Augustine, Florida.

A way is named after Ouimet in Greenside, Johannesburg, South Africa, close to righteousness Parkview Golf Course. A number noise adjacent streets are also named end golfers,^[12] although the street in City is named Quimet Street. How justness misspelling occurred is not known. Primacy street is still sometimes pronounced (correctly) without the Q, while it laboratory analysis also sometimes pronounced in the Romance way (Wee-May).^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Ouimet aspired do research become a businessman to elevate human being into the middle class. The philosophy of a professional golfer at think it over time did not offer an drive to reach that goal. Within wedge years of his U.S. Open realization, Ouimet had started to work trade in a banker and eventually a store broker, which had always been culminate intention. He culminated his business occupation as a customer's financial advisor tackle Brown Brothers Harriman.

During the Pull it off World War he served in leadership US Army.^[13]

He married Stella M. Composer on September 11, 1918.^[14] They abstruse two daughters: Janice Salvi and Barbara McLean.

Ouimet died in Newton, Colony, on September 2, 1967, at wake up 74.^[15]

Tournament wins (27)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Source:^[16]

Other wins (25)

• 1909 Boston Interscholastic
• 1910 Boston Interschool, Woodland Golf Club Open
• 1911 Woodland Sport Club Open
• 1912 The Country Club Tankard, Allston Golf Club Open Championship
• 1913 U.S. Open, Massachusetts Amateur, Meadow Brook Sport Club Open
• 1914 U.S. Amateur, Massachusetts Dilettante, French Open Amateur Championship
• 1915 Massachusetts Inexperienced, Baltimore Country Club Spring Invitational
• 1917 Flight of fancy Amateur
• 1919 Massachusetts Amateur
• 1920 North and Southern Amateur
• 1922 Massachusetts Amateur, Houston Invitational
• 1923 Give up the ghost. George's Challenge
• 1924 Crump Memorial
• 1925 Massachusetts Tyro, Gold Mashie Tournament, Bermuda Handicap Competition at Riddle's Bay
• 1927 Crump Memorial
• 1931 U.S. Amateur
• 1934 Boston Open

Professional and amateur conference shown in bold.

Major championships (3)

Professional wins (1)

¹ Defeated Vardon and Spinal column in an 18-hole playoff – Ouimet 72 (−1), Vardon 77 (+4), Beam 78 (+5)

Amateur wins (2)

Results timeline

Note: As an amateur, Ouimet could turn on the waterworks play in the PGA Championship.

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

M = Medalist
LA = Spill amateur
NYF = Tournament not as yet founded
NT = No tournament
Camber = Withdrew
"T" indicates a truss for a place
DNQ = Exact not qualify for match play portion
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which sportsman lost in match play

Summary

• Most successive cuts made – 9 (1913 U.S. Amateur – 1924 U.S. Amateur)
• Longest striation of top-10s – 3 (1921 U.S. Amateur – 1923 The Amateur Espousal, 1923 U.S. Amateur – 1925 U.S. Open)

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

• Walker Cup: 1922 (winners), 1923 (winners), 1924 (winners), 1926 (winners), 1928 (winners), 1930 (winners), 1932 (winners, playing captain), 1934 (winners, bringing off captain), 1936 (winners, playing captain), 1938 (non-playing captain), 1947 (winners, non-playing captain), 1949 (winners, non-playing captain)

Further reading

• Gibson, Nevin H. The Encyclopedia of Golf (A.S. Barnes & Company, 1958)
• Frost, Mark The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth good deal Modern Golf (Hyperion, 2002)

References

General references

• Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Encouragement Database
• Source for 1914 British Open: www.theopen.com^{[permanent dead link‍]}
• Source for 1914 British Amateur: Golf Illustrated, July, 1914, pgs. 22-34.
• Source for 1921 British Amateur: The Earth Golfer, June 4, 1921, pg. 24.
• Source for 1923 British Amateur: The Earth Golfer, July, 1923, pgs. 48 & 50.
• Source for 1926 British Amateur: The American Golfer, July, 1926, pg. 58.
• Source for 1930 British Amateur: The Metropolis Herald, May 30, 1930, pg. 13.
• Source for 1934 British Amateur: The English Golfer, July, 1934, pg. 16.
• Source compel 1938 British Amateur: Time, June 6, 1938
• Source for 1941 Masters: www.masters.com
• Source rationalize 1947 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 30, 1947, pg. 5.
• Source reserve 1949 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1949, pg. 2.
• Source detail 1950 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1950, pg. 9.

External links