| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 1–2, 1912 |
| Location | Amherst, New York |
| Course | Country Club of Buffalo |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Format | Stroke play − 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 74 |
| Length | 6,326 yards (5,784 m)[1] |
| Field | 120, 78 after cut |
| Cut | 166 (+18) |
| Winner's share | $300 |
| Champion | |
 John McDermott | |
| 294 (−2) | |
The1912 U.S. Open was the 18thU.S. Open, held August 1–2 at theCountry Club of Buffalo inAmherst, New York, a suburb east ofBuffalo. (The course is nowGrover Cleveland Golf Course, owned byErie County. The Country Club of Buffalo relocated several miles east in 1926 toWilliamsville (42°58′19″N78°43′37″W / 42.972°N 78.727°W /42.972; -78.727).) Twenty-year-oldJohn McDermott successfully defended his U.S. Open title, two strokes ahead of runner-upTom McNamara.[2]
At the end of the second round on Thursday,Mike Brady,Percy Barrett, andAlex Smith were tied for the lead, with defending champion McDermott two back.[3]
In the third round on Friday morning, played in rainy conditions with thunderstorms threatening to disrupt play, McDermott managed to card a 74 despite hitting two drives out of bounds. He still trailed Brady by three going into the final round in the afternoon, but Brady struggled on his way to a 79 and 299 total. McNamara, seven back at the start of the round, fired a course-record 69 to post 296; his 142 over the last two rounds was a new tournament record, but not enough to catch McDermott. Despite a bogey on the last hole, McDermott carded a 71 for a 294 total, two shots ahead of McNamara.[2]
McDermott, age 20, was already a two-time U.S. Open champion, but by 1914 his golf career was over. After a series of personal setbacks, he began suffering from mental illness and spent most of the rest of his life in a mental institution.
Jim Barnes, a future champion in1921, tied for 18th in his first U.S. Open.Horace Rawlins, the winner of the inaugural Open in1895, made his final appearance and missed the cut.
The par-6 tenth hole measured 606 yards (554 m), the longest hole in U.S. Open history up to that point and the only time a hole was given a par more than five.
(present-dayGrover Cleveland Golf Course)
| Hole | Yards | Par | Hole | Yards | Par | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 345 | 4 | 10 | 606 | 6 | |
| 2 | 315 | 4 | 11 | 400 | 4 | |
| 3 | 406 | 4 | 12 | 340 | 4 | |
| 4 | 380 | 4 | 13 | 210 | 3 | |
| 5 | 455 | 5 | 14 | 170 | 3 | |
| 6 | 300 | 4 | 15 | 516 | 5 | |
| 7 | 125 | 3 | 16 | 155 | 3 | |
| 8 | 430 | 5 | 17 | 540 | 5 | |
| 9 | 300 | 4 | 18 | 333 | 4 | |
| Out | 3,056 | 37 | In | 3,270 | 37 | |
| Source:[1] | Total | 6,326 | 74 | |||
Thursday, August 1, 1912 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Mike Brady | 72 | −2 |
 Dan Kenny | |||
 George Sargent | |||
| T4 |  Frank Peebles | 73 | −1 |
| Walter Travis (a) | |||
| T6 | Grange Alves | 74 | E |
| Percy Barrett Canada | |||
| Alex Campbell | |||
| Jack Campbell | |||
| Jack Croke | |||
| John McDermott | |||
| Tom McNamara | |||
| David Ogilvie |
Source:[3]
Thursday, August 1, 1912 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Percy Barrett Canada | 74-73=147 | −1 |
| Mike Brady | 72-75=147 | ||
| Alex Smith | 77-70=147 | ||
| T4 | Jack Campbell | 74-75=149 | +1 |
| John McDermott | 74-75=149 | ||
| Frank Peebles | 73-76=149 | ||
| T7 | Jim Barnes | 77-73=150 | +2 |
| George Sargent | 72-78=150 | ||
| T10 | Tom Anderson, Jr. | 75-76=151 | +3 |
| Alex Campbell | 74-77=151 |
Source:[3]
Friday, August 2, 1912 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Brady | 72-75-73=220 | −2 |
| 2 | John McDermott | 74-75-74=223 | +1 |
| 3 | Alex Smith | 77-70-77=224 | +2 |
| 4 | George Sargent | 72-78-76=226 | +4 |
| 5 | Tom McNamara | 74-80-73=227 | +5 |
| 6 | Otto Hackbarth | 77-77-75=229 | +7 |
| T7 | Charlie Murray | 75-78-77=230 | +8 |
| Walter Travis (a) | 73-79-78=230 | ||
| T9 | Alex Campbell | 74-77-80=231 | +9 |
| Jack Dowling | 76-79-76=231 |
Source:[2]
Friday, August 2, 1912 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John McDermott | 74-75-74-71=294 | −2 | 300 |
| 2 | Tom McNamara | 74-80-73-69=296 | E | 150 |
| T3 | Mike Brady | 72-75-73-79=299 | +3 | 90 |
| Alex Smith | 77-70-77-75=299 | |||
| 5 | Alex Campbell | 74-77-80-71=302 | +6 | 70 |
| 6 | George Sargent | 72-78-76-77=303 | +7 | 60 |
| T7 | Jack Dowling | 76-79-76-74=305 | +9 | 45 |
| Otto Hackbarth | 77-77-75-76=305 | |||
| 9 | Charlie Murray | 75-78-77-76=306 | +10 | 40 |
| T10 | Tom Anderson, Jr. | 75-76-81-75=307 | +11 | 25 |
| Frank Peebles | 73-76-83-75=307 | |||
| Walter Travis (a) | 73-79-78-77=307 | 0 |
Source:[2]
Amateurs:Travis (+11), J. Anderson (+14), Gardner (+23), Lee (+29).
42°57′29″N78°48′40″W / 42.958°N 78.811°W /42.958; -78.811