| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 27–29, 1908 |
| Location | South Hamilton, Massachusetts |
| Course | Myopia Hunt Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Format | Stroke play − 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 84, 48 after cut |
| Cut | 183 |
| Winner's share | $300 |
| Champion | |
 Fred McLeod | |
| 322 | |
The1908 U.S. Open was the fourteenthU.S. Open, held August 27–29 atMyopia Hunt Club inSouth Hamilton, Massachusetts, northeast ofBoston.Fred McLeod defeated1899 championWillie Smith in an 18-hole playoff to win his onlymajor title.[1][2]
High winds on Thursday caused scores in the first two rounds to soar, with only two players managing to break 80. Willie Smith carded rounds of 77-82 for a three-stroke lead over Myopia club proJohn Jones, with brotherAlec Smith four back and Fred McLeod five behind.[3]
On Friday, Smith struggled to an 85 in the third round in the morning but still held the lead by one over McLeod and two over Alex. In the final round that afternoon, McLeod tied for lowest score of the tournament by carding a 77, while Smith managed a 78 to force a playoff.[4]
In the playoff on Saturday, McLeod and Smith were even through 13 holes, but McLeod took the lead at the 14th after Smith missed a par putt. McLeod dominated the rest of the way, going 1-under on the last five holes to shoot a 77 to Smith's 83.[1] McLeod only broke 80 in one round of the tournament, while Smith andGilbert Nicholls were the only players to shoot in the 70s twice. The winning score of 322 was the third-highest in U.S. Open history.
Thursday, August 27, 1908 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willie Smith | 77 |
| 2 | Alex Smith | 80 |
| 3 |  John Jones | 81 |
| T4 | Jock Hutchison | 82 |
| Fred McLeod | ||
| T6 | Herbert Barker | 84 |
 Richard Kimball | ||
| T8 | Willie Anderson | 85 |
| Laurie Auchterlonie | ||
| Alex Campbell | ||
| Tom McNamara |
Thursday, August 27, 1908 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willie Smith | 77-82=159 |
| 2 | John Jones | 81-81=162 |
| 3 | Alex Smith | 80-83=163 |
| 4 | Fred McLeod | 82-82=164 |
| T5 | Jock Hutchison | 82-84=166 |
| Gilbert Nicholls | 89-77=166 | |
| T7 | Jack Hobens | 86-81=167 |
| Tom McNamara | 85-82=167 | |
| T9 | Laurie Auchterlonie | 85-83=168 |
| Alex Campbell | 85-83=168 |
Friday, August 28, 1908 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willie Smith | 77-82-85=244 |
| 2 | Fred McLeod | 82-82-81=245 |
| 3 | Alex Smith | 80-83-83=246 |
| 4 | John Jones | 81-81-87=249 |
| 5 | Peter Robertson | 89-84-77=250 |
| T6 | Willie Anderson | 85-86-80=251 |
| Laurie Auchterlonie | 85-83-83=251 | |
| 8 | Jack Hobens | 86-81-85=252 |
| T9 | Jock Hutchison | 82-84-87=253 |
| Richard Kimball | 84-86-83=253 | |
| Tom McNamara | 85-82-86=253 |
Friday, August 28, 1908 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Fred McLeod | 82-82-81-77=322 | Playoff |
| Willie Smith | 77-82-85-78=322 | ||
| 3 | Alex Smith | 80-83-83-81=327 | 100 |
| 4 | Willie Anderson | 85-86-80-79=330 | 80 |
| 5 | John Jones | 81-81-87-82=331 | 70 |
| T6 | Jack Hobens | 86-81-85-81=333 | 45 |
| Peter Robertson | 89-84-77-83=333 | ||
| T8 | Percy Barrett | 94-80-86-78=338 | 28 |
| Jock Hutchison | 82-84-87-85=338 | ||
| T10 | Richard Kimball | 84-86-83-86=339 | 0 |
| Tom McNamara | 85-82-86-86=339 |
Amateurs:Travis (347), Hylan (356), J. Anderson (357).
Saturday, August 29, 1908
| Place | Player | Score | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fred McLeod | 39-38=77 | 300 |
| 2 | Willie Smith | 38-45=83 | 150 |
Source:[1]
42°36′32″N70°51′32″W / 42.609°N 70.859°W /42.609; -70.859