100 years ago today changed the face of golf in America.

No exaggeration, exactly 100 years ago today, September 20, 1913, Francis Ouimet won the U.S. Open and it changed the face of golf in this country.

(CENTER) http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/0813/golf_a_Ouimet_gb2_576.jpg

He was a man of the people, a commoner, a young man 20 years old in fact with a 10 year old caddy. It was not improbable, it was impossible, but it happened. The story is so compelling that it was front page news, not just sports page news the next day. It got Americans of all economic backgrounds to take up golf.

Ouimet lived across the street from The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. He was not allowed to play the course – he was a caddy. He qualified for the event and then needed a caddy. Francis asked a friend to caddy, but he opted out at the last moment and the friend’s 10 year old brother volunteered to caddy. The rest is magical history.

Eddie Lowery was the 10 year old, Francis Ouimet was the 20 year old and together they defeated the two most prominent golfers in the world in an 18 hole playoff. Ouimet defeated Legendary Englishman Harry Vardon who today still holds the record for winning the most British Opens at 6 and had won the 1900 U. S. Open. Ouimet also conquered Vardon’s fellow countryman, Ted Ray, who also was a British Open champion and would go on to win the U.S. Open in 1920. Ouimet beat Vardon by 5 and Ray by 6 strokes in the playoff.

This event, in golf history, remains to this day by most golf historians as the single most important for the proliferation of the game inAmerica. Golf went from an elitist sport to one open to everyone virtually overnight. Francis Ouimet and Eddie Lowery connected to golf history forever remembered today and as long as golf is played in America.

Bob’s top 10 golfers of all time – #2

2. Tiger Woods (featured in this post)

An oldie, but a good one. http://www.nj.com/golf/index.ssf/2009/07/tiger_woods_claims_title_at_at.html

The best closer/door slammer of all time no one even comes close—having won over 90% of the tournaments he has lead going into the last round. When everyone is choking, he is thriving! Still, to this point, a career in the making, as he could catch Jack and become the most prolific major champion of all time.  There is no doubt that he will catch Sam Snead with the most wins to boot but he is still number 2—like Avis, he tries harder, and I do believe he eventually will become the number one golfer ever to play this great game.

 

Bobby Jones – #3 in Bob’s top 10 golfers of all time

3. Bobby Jones

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/BobbyJonesAge14.jpg/218px-BobbyJonesAge14.jpg

 

The single most dominant player of his time and he never turned professional.

He won the grand slam in 1930—at that time the 4 majors were the British Amateur and Open and the U.S. Amateur and Open.

Upon that amazing feat, he promptly retired from active competition at the ripe old age of 28.

He had a dynamic powerful swing and backed it up with an equally adept touch.

Jones co-founded the Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters Tournament.

Did you miss the rest of the top 10 so far? Here they are: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 and 4.

Any guesses for #2 and #1?

Bob’s top 10 golfers – #9

9. Harry Vardon

http://www.stclementsgolfandsportscentre.co.uk/Our%20history.htm

Harry Vardon, the famous Englishman who won 6 British Opens, a record that still stands today, holds place number 9 in Bob’s top 10 golfers of all time.  He also added a U.S. Open to his resume in 1900, and later finished runner-up twice in the U.S. Open.  Vardon won 62 tournaments in his illustrious career including a record 14 in a row—another of his records that still stands today.  He created the overlapping grip—notably called “The Vardon Grip.”  He was also one of the first golfers to author golf books to help the average golfer improve and enjoy the sport.  He was one of the game’s first true ambassadors as he came to America, touring the nation, giving over 80 exhibitions in his effort to proliferate the game.