Andrew Smith (golfer)

Andrew Whyte Smith (6 February 1849 – 18 July 1901) was a Canadian amateur golfer. He finished tied for third place in the 1895 U.S. Open played at Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island and had an identical result in the 1896 U.S. Open, held July 18, 1896, at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York.

Andrew Smith
Personal information
Full nameAndrew Whyte Smith
Born(1849-02-06)6 February 1849
St Andrews, Scotland
Died18 July 1901(1901-07-18) (aged 52)
Toronto, Canada
Sporting nationality Canada
Career
StatusAmateur
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenT3: 1895, 1896
The Open ChampionshipT27: 1879

Early life

Smith was born and educated in St Andrews, Scotland. He came into his own as a golfer in his early 20s, playing with contemporaries such as Young Tom Morris and Davie Strath in St Andrews Rose Golf Club competitions.

In 1873 he moved to Glasgow, winning the Spring Meeting and Scratch Medal of the Glasgow Golf Club where he acted as Assistant Secretary.

In 1880, before leaving Glasgow Golf Club, Smith was the first winner of the Tennant Cup,[1] believed to be the second oldest amateur stroke-play competition in the world.[2]

He emigrated to Canada in 1881, in order to work at the Quebec Bank and immediately joined the Royal Quebec Golf Club. In 1882 he relocated to Toronto where he joined the Toronto Golf Club. According to golf historian James Barclay, he assumed the status as the premiere golfer in Ontario.

Golf career

1879 Open Championship

Smith returned to his hometown of St Andrews to play in The Open Championship in 1879. He tied for 27th with a score of 190 and was leading amateur.[3]

1895 U.S. Open

The 1895 U.S. Open was the first U.S. Open, held on Friday, October 4, at Newport Golf Club in Newport, Rhode Island. Horace Rawlins won the inaugural U.S. Open title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Willie Dunn. Canadian amateur Andrew Smith, who carded rounds of 90-86=176, finished tied for third place.[4][5][6][7]

1896 U.S. Open

Smith, the Canadian amateur player, scored well on the Shinnecok Hills course. His rounds of 78-80=158 put him in a tie for third place. He did not win any prize money due to his amateur status.

Details of play

The 1896 U.S. Open was held July 18 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. James Foulis won his first U.S. Open title, three strokes ahead of runner-up Horace Rawlins, the defending champion. Like the first Open, it was a sideshow to the U.S. Amateur. However, there were 35 entrants and 28 finished the 36 holes.[4][8]

Before play began, several players signed a petition stating that they would not play if John Shippen, an African-American, and Oscar Bunn, a Native American, were allowed to play. The petition was denied, however, and the players relented. Shippen, a caddie at Shinnecock Hills, shot an opening round of 78, which placed him just two back of leader Joe Lloyd. He was in a position to win the championship until an 11 on the 13th hole of the final round. He finished tied for 6th place. James Foulis, third-place finisher in the inaugural U.S. Open the year before, recorded rounds of 78-74 to prevail by three over defending champion Horace Rawlins. Foulis's 74 set a record that was not broken until 1903, after the rubber-core ball had come into use.[8]

At 4,423 yards (4,044 m), Shinnecock Hills played as the shortest course in U.S. Open history. Its next U.S. Open was 90 years later, in 1986, when Raymond Floyd won his fourth and final major.

1897 Open Championship

During a return home to Scotland in 1897, Smith (aged 49) entered The Open Championship at Hoylake. He tied for 49th place with a total of 365.[9]

Death and legacy

Smith died in Toronto on 18 July 1901 and is buried in Strathroy, Middlesex, Ontario. He is remembered as a leading amateur player in North America and for having two top-3 finishes in the U.S. Open, in 1895 and again in 1896.

Results in major championships
Tournament 1895 1896 1897
U.S. Open T3 T3 ?

Note: Smith played only in the U.S. Open Championship.

"T" indicates a tie for a place
? = Unknown
Yellow background for top-10

References
  1. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000060/18800329/010/0005 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "Tennant Cup origins".
  3. "The Open 1879".
  4. Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  5. "Rawlins is Champion". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. 25 October 1895. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  6. Gola, Hank (15 June 1995). "U.S. Open challenges golf's best". Wilmington Morning Star. (New York Daily News). p. 4C.
  7. "10 pros, 1 amateur in first Open". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 13 June 1983. p. 58.
  8. "Great Golf By Foulis". The New York Sun. 18 July 1896. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  9. "Open Championship 1897".
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