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Year in Review

1903 in golf

Weeks

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

1903, printed the way a newspaper of the day would print it: a halftone.

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 1903 in our record, in full

    The majors

    2 Men’s majors

    1. Men's major

      The Open

      Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Harry Vardon

      300Total
      6 strokesMargin

      Runner-up: Tom Vardon

      To par not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1870-05-09, Grouville, Jersey; Jersey; age 33 at the win (year page); 5th 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

      Baltusrol G.C., Springfield

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Willie Anderson

      307Total
      playoff: 18 holes, 82–84Margin
      PlayoffDecided

      Runner-up: David Brown

      To par not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1879-10-21, North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland; Scotland; 2nd major (card's count)

      Willie Anderson’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

      Muirfield, Gullane

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Robert Maxwell

      7 & 5 (36-hole final)Final

      Runner-up: Horace Hutchinson

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1876-05-12, Edinburgh, Scotland; Scotland; age 27 at the win (year page)

      Robert Maxwell’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

      Nassau Country Club, Glen Cove

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Walter Travis

      5 & 4Final

      Runner-up: Eben Byers

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1862-01-10, Maldon, Victoria, Australia

      Walter Travis’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 Portrush Golf Club, Portrush

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Rhona Adair

      4 & 3 (18-hole final)Final

      Runner-up: Florence Walker-Leigh

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1881-09-02, Cookstown, Ireland; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; age 21 at the win (year page)

      Rhona Adair’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

      Chicago G.C., Wheaton

      2 of 5 researched

      Winner

      Bessie Anthony

      7 & 6Final

      Runner-up: J. Anna Carpenter

      To par and margin not yet researched.

      The golfer

      b. 1880-03-19; United States; age 23 at the win (year page)

      Bessie Anthony’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

    1903 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 1903: 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, Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick
    • U.S. Open: Willie Anderson, Baltusrol G.C., Springfield

    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: Robert Maxwell, Muirfield, Gullane
    • The Women's Amateur: Rhona Adair, Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush
    • U.S. Amateur: Walter Travis, Nassau Country Club, Glen Cove
    • U.S. Women's Amateur: Bessie Anthony, Chicago G.C., Wheaton

    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 1903.

    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 1903: 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 1903

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

    Questions about 1903 in golf

    Who won the 1903 Amateur?
    Robert Maxwell won the 1903 Amateur at Muirfield, Gullane.
    Who won the 1903 Open?
    Harry Vardon won the 1903 Open at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick.
    Who won the 1903 Women's Amateur?
    Rhona Adair won the 1903 Women's Amateur at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush.
    Who won the 1903 U.S. Amateur?
    Walter Travis won the 1903 U.S. Amateur at Nassau Country Club, Glen Cove.
    Who won the 1903 U.S. Open?
    Willie Anderson won the 1903 U.S. Open at Baltusrol G.C., Springfield.
    Who won the 1903 U.S. Women's Amateur?
    Bessie Anthony won the 1903 U.S. Women's Amateur at Chicago G.C., Wheaton.
    How many majors were played in 1903?
    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.