John McDermott (golfer)

John J. McDermott Jr. (August 12, 1891 – August 1, 1971) was an American professional golfer. He was the first U.S.-born golfer to win the U.S. Open, triumphing at the 1911 U.S. Open and the 1912 U.S. Open. McDermott 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.

Early life

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. He worked as a caddie at the Aronimink Golf Club, and learned golf from its longtime head professional Walter Reynolds.

Professional career

After he dropped out of high school, he turned pro.

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.

After the 1912 Open Championship, 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. He tied for 9th place in the 1914 U.S. Open, as Walter Hagen won at the Midlothian Club near Chicago.

Illness, death, and legacy

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. 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. 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.

In popular culture

Actor Michael Weaver portrays McDermott 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.

Professional wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (2)

1912 U.S. Open
1913 Western Open

Source:

Other wins (5)

1910 Philadelphia Open Championship
1911 U.S. Open, Philadelphia Open Championship
1913 Philadelphia Open Championship, Shawnee Open

Major championships

Wins (2)

{|class="wikitable"

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

|-style="background:#FBCEB1;"

| 1911 || U.S. Open ||3 shot deficit ||+3 (81-72-75-79=307) ||Playoff1 || Mike Brady, George Simpson

|-style="background:#FBCEB1;"

| 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

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;text-align:center;"

!Tournament

!1909

!1910

!1911

!1912

!1913

!1914

|align=left|U.S. Open

|T49

|style="background:yellow;"|2

|style="background:lime;"|1

|style="background:yellow;"|8

|style="background:yellow;"|T9

|align=left|The Open Championship

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

|style="background:yellow;"|T5

|style="background:#eeeeee;"|

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

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

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

References

External links

A century later, remembering Johnny McDermott's rapid rise and fall
SoHG Resources on McDermott
McDermott's sad tale after Open win