Johnny McDermott: America's Forgotten US Open Champion

Forbes

2 hours ago

After sixteen long years, the United States would finally claim a win by a native-born player, ending a long streak of foreign-born winners at the U.S. Open.
The first U.S.-born winner of the U.S. Open has a complex history and a golf résumé that reads more like a work of fiction than a true story, an epic rise and fall fit for the silver screen.
Johnny McDermott came from humble beginnings. Born to a West Philadelphia mailman, he learned the game of golf while caddying at Aronimink Golf Club and would go on to become the first U.S.-born winner of the U.S. Open and, to this day, remains the youngest winner in the tournament's history.
McDermott's early years were tumultuous. His father, McDermott Sr., was quick to anger, and by age six, McDermott Jr. was living part-time with his maternal grandmother. This may have benefited his golf game, as her home was next to a new nine-hole course.
At age nine, McDermott began caddying at Aronimink Golf Club. It was said he would go for weeks at a time in immaculately clean, polished clothing, full of spunk and ego, then spend a week wearing the same poorly washed, crumpled clothes, withdrawn and reclusive. It's presumed he was in one of his high phases when he marched into the Aronimink clubhouse and demanded a caddying position, announcing he would be 'the best caddy they would ever hire.'
He quickly found beauty in the golf swing. With guidance from club professional Walter Reynolds, McDermott learned to swing, grasped the strategy of the game, and even began manufacturing his own clubs.
In 1906, at age 15 and under orders from his father, McDermott left school to join the workforce. Urged to work the docks and 'earn an honest living,' he instead became the assistant professional at Camden Country Club in New Jersey. He began competing in money matches, common at the time, where club members financially backed their pros. Still relatively unknown, McDermott pushed for more recognition and sought a position at a more prestigious club.
From the writings of A.W. Tillinghast:
'One day a little fellow came up to me and recalled that he had caddied for me on a number of occasions and that he had become the head pro at a small nine-hole club in Merchantville, South Jersey. He yearned for better things and asked me to help him get the vacancy at Philadelphia Country Club. The suggestion, coming from an utterly unknown, staggered me. When I told him I had already placed former champion Willie Anderson there, he said it was a shame, as he could beat Anderson for red apples or green money. This supreme egoism left me quite cold. I regarded McDermott merely as a bumptious youth who needed a good trimming to show him his place.'
Three years later, at age 18, McDermott played in his first U.S. Open. Unlike Francis Ouimet, McDermott faced less resistance entering the tournament as an established professional. However, professionals were still considered socially and morally inferior to their amateur counterparts. He finished 49th. Standing only 5'6' and weighing 130 pounds, McDermott was small even by the standards of the day. But his personality loomed large.
Following his debut, he placed ads in New York newspapers challenging anyone to $500 matches (equivalent to over $13,000 today). His arrogance became public at the 1910 U.S. Open, where he finished second after a loss in the playoff. Afterward, he told winner Alex Smith, 'I'll get you next time, you big tramp.'
McDermott's game and bravado soon carried him to victory at the Philadelphia Open. That win helped him move from the small nine-hole club to the prestigious Atlantic City Country Club, where he began playing money matches for $1,000.
At the 1911 U.S. Open at Chicago Golf Club, McDermott arrived as t
he American favorite. His fast, athletic swing, grimacing expressions, large hands, and the audible thwack of ball-on-club distinguished him. He started with a shaky 81 but rebounded in rounds 2, 3 and 4 to tie for the lead. In a playoff, he triumphed, despite rain and wind, thanks to his powerful, aggressive game and swing.
At just 19, McDermott became (and still remains) the youngest winner of the U.S. Open.
The following year, he defended his title at the Country Club of Buffalo, shooting two under par and winning by two strokes, the first under-par finish in U.S. Open history. Later that year, he placed fifth in his first Open Championship in Britain. British journalists, known for their bluntness, dubbed him the 'Little American Boy.'
Shortly after returning, McDermott won the Shawnee Open by eight shots against a field that included Harry Vardon. In his post-round speech, McDermott famously said:
'We hope our foreign visitors had a good time, but we don't think they did, and we are sure they won't win the National Open.'
The comment nearly ended his career. The USGA was furious, and despite his two U.S. Open wins and status as the only American-born champion, they considered banning him. His brash behavior, coupled with his status as a professional (rather than an amateur 'gentleman'), alienated many.
In 1913, at The Country Club in Brookline, McDermott returned to defend his title. Rattled by controversy, he finished eighth. His reign ended as another American emerged, Francis Ouimet, a mild-mannered amateur who defeated Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff.
The media embraced Ouimet. Like McDermott, he had caddied and taught himself the game. But unlike McDermott, he was seen as noble, humble, and deserving. While Ouimet became America's Cinderella story, McDermott was cast aside.
His attempted comeback unraveled tragically. After arriving late for the 1914 Open Championship, his ferry having collided with another ship, McDermott withdrew. The incident, though minor, seemed to mentally shatter him.
In October 1914, McDermott suffered a major mental breakdown. Today, his behavior might be diagnosed as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Voluntarily institutionalized, he became a patient at Norristown State Hospital but was occasionally allowed to play golf. He frequented Atlantic City Country Club and often played the hospital's modest six-hole course.
Walter Hagen, a golf legend of the era, would visit and sometimes play with McDermott. Sitting with Hagen one day, McDermott repeatedly said:
'I don't think I ever saw a more beautiful view than from here. I think it is fine. Tell the boys I'm doing well.'
Despite his mental decline, McDermott appeared to find some comfort. Norristown offered early occupational therapy, and patients engaged in making wicker baskets, leather goods, and rugs. However, treatments at the time also included digitalis, electroshock therapy, opioids, binding, and bloodletting. In his later years, McDermott suffered memory and speech loss, often mumbling incoherently and failing to recognize friends and family.
In one final indignity, McDermott was removed from a tournament clubhouse for wearing shabby clothing. Arnold Palmer, witnessing the incident, ensured he was allowed to stay and acknowledged his immense contribution to American golf. McDermott died later that year.
Johnny McDermott was a remarkable figure in American sports. His meteoric rise placed enormous pressure on his young mind, which eventually collapsed under the strain. He was a pioneer, his swing bold, his voice louder still. But his mind pushed too far, and he spent the majority of his life institutionalized.
A boy from humble beginnings who conquered the golf world before being consumed by it, McDermott is a tragic American hero. He reached the summit of golf greatness, but the price of that pursuit was everything else