Golf Hall of Fame: A Look at Five Who were Overlooked
By Bill Felber
Hall of Fame Overlooked Entrant #2: Macdonald Smith
The indictment against Smith’s Hall candidacy is simple: He never won a major. In and of itself, that statement is inarguable. But is that alone sufficient reason to deny Smith immortality?
It wasn’t in 1992 when the Hall justifiably inducted Harry Cooper, a 31-time Tour champion who also never won a major. Smith won 25 PGA Tour events. That’s the most by any player not already in the Hall.
And while he never came away with that major trophy, he sure came close. In 1910 he lost a three-way U.S. Open playoff to his own brother, Alex Smith. It was the first of four times Smith would be a runner-up at a major.
On a dozen different occasions between 1910 and 1936, Smith finished in the top 5 in a major. At the 1925 British Open played at Prestwick, Smith led after 54 holes but finished fourth.
One of the fascinating aspects of Smith’s record is its duration. That 1910 U.S. Open playoff loss to his brother came in Smith’s major debut. He was just 20. As with Ray, World War I – in Smith’s case exacerbated by a self-imposed retreat – hampered Smith’s record during what should have been his prime. Between 1917, when he was 27, and 1922, when he was 32, Smith did not play competitive golf.
He did not return until 1923 and was top 5 in four of the next six professional majors. From then until he was in his mid-40s, Smith was a frequent contender for both the U.S. and British championships.