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Year in Review

1899 in golf

Weeks

Six championships in our record: two men’s majors and four amateur championships.

1899, drawn the way the papers pictured golf then: a wood engraving.

The year, week by week

Each dot is a championship at the week it finished. Click a dot for its front page, or a week to see it on the world.

This week

    Every championship of 1899 in our record, in full

    The majors

    2 Men’s majors

    1. Men's major

      The Open

      Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Harry Vardon

      310Total
      5 strokesMargin

      Runner-up: Jack White

      To par not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1870-05-09, Grouville, Jersey; Jersey; age 29 at the win (year page); 3rd major (card's count)

      Harry Vardon’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    2. Men's major

      U.S. Open

      Baltimore C.C., Baltimore

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Willie Smith

      315Total
      11 strokesMargin

      Runner-up: Val Fitzjohn, George Low Sr., Bert Way

      To par not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1876-10-08, Dundee, Angus, Scotland; Scotland; 1st major (card's count)

      Willie Smith’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    0 Women’s majors

    No women’s major yet. The first in our record is the Women's Western Open, 1930.

    The amateurs

    2 Men’s amateur

    1. Men's amateur championship

      The Amateur

      Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      John Ball

      won on 37th hole (36-hole final)Total

      Runner-up: Freddie Tait

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1861-12-24, Hoylake, England; England; age 37 at the win (year page)

      John Ball’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    2. Men's amateur championship

      U.S. Amateur

      Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Herbert M. Harriman

      3 & 2Final

      Runner-up: Findlay S. Douglas

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1873-09-28, New York City, U.S.; United States

      Herbert M. Harriman’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    2 Women’s amateur

    1. Women's amateur championship

      The Women's Amateur

      Royal County Down Golf Club, Newcastle

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      May Hezlet

      2 & 1 (18-hole final)Final

      Runner-up: Jessie Magill

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1882-04-29, Gibraltar; Great Britain; age 17 at the win (year page)

      May Hezlet’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    2. Women's amateur championship

      U.S. Women's Amateur

      Philadelphia (Pa.) C.C. (Bala Course), Philadelphia

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Ruth Underhill

      2 & 1Final

      Runner-up: Margaret Fox

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1874-06-08, Englewood, New Jersey; United States; age 25 at the win (year page)

      Ruth Underhill’s player card · Source

      Top 10

      Not yet researched

      What’s in the bag

      No bag on file yet

      From the papers

      No clipping yet

    Year in Review

    1899 in golf: the year in review

    Six championships in our record: two men’s majors and four amateur championships.

    To be written The synopsis of 1899: 150 to 250 words on the season’s story, its turning points and why it mattered, written from sourced research.

    The men’s majors

    • The Open: Harry Vardon, Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich
    • U.S. Open: Willie Smith, Baltimore C.C., Baltimore

    To be written How each was won: the leader after 54 holes, the decisive shot, the runner-up, the weather.

    The amateur championships

    • The Amateur: John Ball, Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick
    • The Women's Amateur: May Hezlet, Royal County Down Golf Club, Newcastle
    • U.S. Amateur: Herbert M. Harriman, Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest
    • U.S. Women's Amateur: Ruth Underhill, Philadelphia (Pa.) C.C. (Bala Course), Philadelphia

    To be written The amateur season: champions, finals, and who went on to turn professional.

    Around the tours

    5 tour events are laid out week by week for 1899.

    To be written Money lists, players of the year, rookies and the shape of each tour’s season, from the tours’ own records.

    Players of the year

    To be written Who defined 1899: their wins, their near misses, and what the year meant for their career.

    Firsts, records and farewells

    To be written First-time major winners, scoring records, youngest and oldest champions, last appearances, events played for the first or last time.

    The game in 1899

    To be written Equipment, rules and course changes, prize money, television and the business of golf that year.

    Questions about 1899 in golf

    Who won the 1899 Amateur?
    John Ball won the 1899 Amateur at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick.
    Who won the 1899 Open?
    Harry Vardon won the 1899 Open at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich.
    Who won the 1899 Women's Amateur?
    May Hezlet won the 1899 Women's Amateur at Royal County Down Golf Club, Newcastle.
    Who won the 1899 U.S. Amateur?
    Herbert M. Harriman won the 1899 U.S. Amateur at Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest.
    Who won the 1899 U.S. Open?
    Willie Smith won the 1899 U.S. Open at Baltimore C.C., Baltimore.
    Who won the 1899 U.S. Women's Amateur?
    Ruth Underhill won the 1899 U.S. Women's Amateur at Philadelphia (Pa.) C.C. (Bala Course), Philadelphia.
    How many majors were played in 1899?
    Two in our record: two men’s and no women’s.

    Every count above is from Golf Network News’s record; the parts marked “To be written” are filled only from sourced research.

    How this page works

    Every championship here comes from Golf Network News's own record: the rooms for the majors, the women's majors, the amateur championships and the team cups. A part that says it is not yet researched is exactly that. We fill it from sourced material, never with a guess.

    The picture at the top is drawn in code for each year. It is printed the way golf was printed that year: wood engravings before 1900, newsprint halftones to 1945, hand-tinted plates to 1969, colour film to 1999, and digital light since. The names engraved in the numerals are that year's champions.

    Every view has its own address: the year, the tours, the event and a traced champion are kept in the link, so you can share exactly what you see.