Willie Smith
1 Major Championship • 90th All-Time
1
Wins
0
2nd Place
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First Win Age
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Last Win Age
Major Championship Wins
Career Highlights
- 1899 U.S. Open — Won at Baltimore Country Club with dominant 11-stroke victory, a record that stood for over 100 years
- Record Margin — His 11-shot winning margin wasn't surpassed until Tiger Woods won by 15 in 2000
- 1899 Western Open — Won the inaugural Western Open in a playoff against Laurie Auchterlonie
- Consistent Performer — Played in nine U.S. Opens and finished in the top-10 in eight of them
- Carnoustie Connection — Learned golf in Carnoustie, Scotland, alongside brothers Alex and Macdonald, both expert golfers
Did You Know?
- Tragic End in Mexico: Smith moved to Mexico City in 1904 to become a club pro and died at age 40 after being injured during the Mexican Revolution when Zapata's troops ransacked the country club
- Meager Prize Money: For his dominant U.S. Open victory with the second-largest margin in history, Smith's total prize was just $150
- Family Course Legacy: He was designing Club de Golf Chapultepec when he died; his brother Alex Smith completed the project after his death