Willie Anderson (golfer)

For the Scotland national rugby union team coach, see Willie Anderson (rugby player)

Willie Anderson
Anderson at the 1909 Western Open
Personal information
Full name	William Law Anderson
Born	October 21, 1879(1879-10-21) North Berwick, Scotland
Died	October 25, 1910(1910-10-25) (aged 31) Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	Scotland
Career
Status	Professional
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 4)
U.S. Open	Won: 1901, 1903, 1904, 1905
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1975 (member page)

William Law Anderson (21 October 1879 – 25 October 1910) was a Scottish immigrant to the United States who became the first golfer to win four U.S. Opens, with victories in 1901, 1903, 1904, and 1905. He is still the only man to win three consecutive titles, and only Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, and Jack Nicklaus have equalled his total of four championships. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Anderson was born in North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. He emigrated from Scotland to the United States in 1896, along with his father, Thomas Anderson, and his brother Tom. He played in the U.S. Open the following year, finishing in second place by one stroke, after Joe Lloyd eagled the final hole.

His first significant win came in 1899 at the Southern California Open, before he started his run at the U.S. Open. In the 14 straight Opens that he played, Anderson won four, was second once, third once, fourth twice, fifth three times, 11th twice and 15th once. He won titles with both the old gutta-percha golf ball, and the rubber-cored ball which came into use in 1902. Anderson also won the Western Open in 1902, 1904, 1908, and 1909.

Anderson's accuracy with all clubs, combined with his concentration under pressure, made him a formidable and highly respected competitor. Anderson made his living as a golf professional, working at ten different clubs in fourteen years. He played many exhibition challenge matches for stakes, in addition to tournaments.

Anderson died at age 31, officially from epilepsy in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Golf historian Robert Sommers wrote that Anderson 'drank himself to death'. He is buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Anderson was an original member of the PGA Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1975.

Willie Anderson (left) with Alex Smith, whom he beat in a playoff to win in 1901

Major championships

Wins (4)

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin	Runner-up
1901	U.S. Open	1 shot deficit	84-83-83-81=331	Playoff 1	Alex Smith
1903	U.S. Open (2)	6 shot lead	73-76-76-82=307	Playoff 2	David Brown
1904	U.S. Open (3)	2 shot deficit	75-78-78-72=303	5 strokes	Gilbert Nicholls
1905	U.S. Open (4)	1 shot deficit	81-80-76-77=314	2 strokes	Alex Smith

¹ Defeated Alex Smith in an 18-hole playoff: Anderson (85), Smith (86)
² Defeated David Brown in an 18-hole playoff: Anderson (82), Brown (84)

Results timeline

Among the majors, Anderson played in only the U.S. Open.

Tournament	1897	1898	1899	1900	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909	1910
U.S. Open	2	3	5	T11	1	T5	1	1	1	5	15	4	T4	11

"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

See also

• Golfers with most major championship wins
• Golf in Scotland

External links

• World Golf Hall of Fame profile
• Willie Anderson - The Forgotten Superstar of Golf
• Famous North Berwick Golfers - William Law Anderson