Willie Anderson (golfer)

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Willie Anderson

| image = WillieAnderson1909.jpg

| image_size = 240

| caption = Anderson at the 1909 Western Open

| fullname = William Law Anderson

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1879|10|21|df=yes}}

| birth_place = North Berwick, Scotland, U.K.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1910|10|25|1879|10|21|df=yes}}

| death_place = Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| height =

| weight =

| nationality = {{SCO}}

| spouse = Agnes Beakley

| partner =

| children =

| college =

| status = Professional

| yearpro = 1896

| retired =

| extour =

| prowins = 9

| pgawins =

| otherwins =

| majorwins = 4

| usopen = {{nowrap|Won: 1901, 1903, 1904, 1905}}

| wghofid = willie-anderson

| wghofyear = 1975

}}

William Law Anderson (21 October 1879 – 25 October 1910) was a Scottish immigrant to the United States who became the first golfer to win four U.S. Opens, with victories in 1901, 1903, 1904, and 1905. He is still the only man to win three consecutive titles, and only Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus have equalled his total of four championships. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Early life

Born in North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland, Anderson was educated at the public school in North Berwick and was a licensed caddie on the West Links at the age of 11. Upon leaving school, he apprenticed as a club maker under Alex Aitken in Gullane.

At age 18, Anderson emigrated from Scotland to the United States in March 1896—sailing aboard the S.S. Poseidon from Glasgow—along with his father, Thomas Anderson, and his brother Tom, landing at Ellis Island.{{cite book |last=Gold |first=Jeff |title=Golf's Forgotten Legends & Unforgettable Controversies |year=2015 |publisher=Morgan James Publishing |location=New York |isbn=978-1-63047-303-7 |pages=20–28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zhdOBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA21}} He played in the U.S. Open the following year, finishing in second place by one stroke, after Joe Lloyd eagled the final hole.

Golf career

His first significant win came in 1899 at the Southern California Open, before he started his run at the U.S. Open. In the 14 straight Opens that he played, Anderson won four, was second once, third once, fourth twice, fifth three times, 11th twice and 15th once. He won titles with both the old gutta-percha golf ball, and the rubber-cored ball which came into use in 1902. Anderson also won the Western Open in 1902, 1904, 1908, and 1909; this tournament, the second-oldest in the U.S.,Golf Courses of the PGA Tour, by George Peper, 1986, chapter on Western Open was classified as a PGA Tour event for most of its more than 100 years of operation, and is classified by some golf historians as a major championship during Anderson's era.

Anderson's accuracy with all clubs, combined with his concentration under pressure, made him a formidable and highly respected competitor. Anderson made his living as a golf professional, working at ten different clubs in fourteen years. He listed the Apawamis Club in Rye, New York as his home course from 1901 through 1906.{{cite news |title=The Chicago Daily News Almanac: For Harvard College |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWQTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA331 |publisher=The Chicago Daily News |year=1918|page=331}} He played many exhibition challenge matches for stakes, in addition to tournaments.The U.S. Open: Golf's Ultimate Challenge, second edition, by Robert Sommers, 1995.

Death and legacy

Anderson died at age 31, officially from epilepsy in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had played competitive matches in Pennsylvania right up to a few days before his death. However, golf historian Robert Sommers wrote in 1995 that Anderson 'drank himself to death'. Anderson is buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.{{cite web |url=http://www.northberwick.org.uk/anderson.html |title=Willie Anderson |last=Seaton |first=Douglas |year=2007 |access-date=15 June 2007}}

Anderson was an original member of the PGA Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1975.

Image:WillieAndersonAlexSmith.jpg, whom he beat in a playoff to win in 1901]] Image:Willie-Anderson-c.1905.JPG

Major championships

=Wins (4)=

class="sortable wikitable" !Year!!Championship!!54 holes!!Winning score!!Margin!!Runner-up
style="background:#FBCEB1;" \| 1901	U.S. Open	1 shot deficit	84-83-83-81=331	Playoff ¹	{{flagicon\|SCO}} Alex Smith
style="background:#FBCEB1;" \| 1903	U.S. Open (2)	6 shot lead	73-76-76-82=307	Playoff ²	{{flagicon\|SCO}} David Brown
style="background:#FBCEB1;" \| 1904	U.S. Open (3)	2 shot deficit	75-78-78-72=303	5 strokes	{{flagicon\|USA}} Gilbert Nicholls
style="background:#FBCEB1;" \| 1905	U.S. Open (4)	1 shot deficit	81-80-76-77=314	2 strokes	{{flagicon\|SCO}} Alex Smith

¹ Defeated Alex Smith in an 18-hole playoff: Anderson (85), Smith (86)

² Defeated David Brown in an 18-hole playoff: Anderson (82), Brown (84)

=Results timeline=

Among the majors, Anderson played in only the U.S. Open.

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

!Tournament

!1897

!1898

!1899

!1900

!1901

!1902

!1903

!1904

!1905

!1906

!1907

!1908

!1909

!1910

align="left"|U.S. Open

|style="background:yellow;"|2

|style="background:yellow;"|3

|style="background:yellow;"|5

|T11

|style="background:lime;"|1

|style="background:yellow;"|T5{{cite news |title=Open Golf Champion |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1902-10-12/ed-1/seq-8/#date1=1902&index=1&rows=20&words=AUCHTERLONIE+Auchterlonie&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1902&proxtext=Auchterlonie&y=18&x=16&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 |access-date=26 August 2015 |newspaper=The Saint Paul Globe |location=Minnesota |date=12 October 1902}}

|style="background:lime;"|1

|style="background:yellow;"|5

|15

|style="background:yellow;"|4

|style="background:yellow;"|T4

|11

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Other victories

(Note: this list may be incomplete)

1899 Southern California Open
1902 Western Open
1904 Western Open
1908 Western Open
1909 Western Open

References

External links

{{World Golf Hall of Fame|willie-anderson}}
{{Scottish Sports Hall of Fame|willie-anderson}}
[http://www.hickorygolfers.com/newslettertemplate.php?fn=nov06.php#featuredplayer Willie Anderson – The Forgotten Superstar of Golf]
[http://www.northberwick.org.uk/anderson.html Famous North Berwick Golfers – William Law Anderson]
{{Find a Grave|19133666}}

Category:Scottish male golfers

Category:American male golfers

Category:Winners of men's major golf championships

Category:World Golf Hall of Fame inductees

Category:Scottish emigrants to the United States

Category:Golfers from North Berwick

Category:Golfers from Philadelphia

Category:Neurological disease deaths in Pennsylvania

Category:Deaths from epilepsy

Category:People with epilepsy

Category:Burials at Ivy Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)

Category:1879 births