The U.S. Open’s top 10 players for peak performance
By Bill Felber
3. Willie Anderson, -1.63 peak (1897-1906)
Anderson is almost certainly the least-known U.S. Open great of all time.
He is one of only four players ever to have won four U.S. Open championships; not surprisingly, those four form a cluster at the top of this rating.
Anderson’s problem is that all four of his titles came before very many people even knew the U.S. Open was a thing…and by the time they found out, Anderson had died. So here’s a refresher on his accomplishments.
A native of Scotland, Anderson emigrated as a teen in 1896 and one year later debuted with a runner-up finish, one stroke behind Joe Lloyd. It was a portent. He was third in 1898, fifth in 1899, and at Myopia Hunt Club in 1901 he beat Alex Smith in a 36-hole playoff.
At Baltusrol in 1903, Anderson won a second playoff, this time over David Brown. His 1904 victory at Glen View was easier, coming by five strokes over Gilbert Nichols. Back at Myopia in 1905, shot a final round 77 to come from one stroke off Alex Smith’s pace and pick up that fourth championship.
His peak decade ended with a fifth place finish in 1897, but not his excellent play. Anderson was top five again in 1908 and 1909.
Anderson finished 11th in 1910, but within a few months of that performance he was dead under circumstances that are debated. He was a hard liver and a frequent drinker, and some have suggested that trait may have contributed to his demise at the tender age of 31.
Because Francis Ouimet and Walter Hagen had not yet put American golf on the sporting radar screen, Anderson’s early demise hurt public awareness of what he did.