The 18th US Open was held at the Country Club of Buffalo in 1912. That alone should be of interest to the local golf community. What is even more interesting is that the winner, John McDermott, was the first American born golfer to win the US Open. He was also the youngest golfer to ever win the US Open at the age of 19 (the year before – back to back titles).
To top is off, for years his name and title would be seemingly scrubbed from the history books, to be replaced by the name of another golfer, Francis Ouimet. The reason for this is that after winning the top honors for two consecutive years – 1911 (in Chicago) and 1912 (in Buffalo), McDermott faded into obscurity due to an ongoing bout of mental illness that prevented him from ever competing again. Ouimet went on to become the Golden Boy of the US golf world. A Disney movie was made about his own accomplishment.
As tragic and fascinating as this story is, it became even more interesting when one of McDermott’s golf clubs surfaced in the 1990s – the only one known to exist, and one that he used to pull off the 1912 win in Buffalo. It turns out that the rest of his clubs were stolen out of his car, which meant that this sole club remained. The coveted custom made mid-iron Mashie is currently being auctioned off.
The entire story of McDermott and his brilliant accession to fame, along with an unfortunate demise, is told at Green Jacket Auctions. An even more in-depth article can be found on ESPN.
The club’s current bid is upwards of $9K, with 4 days remaining.
Inset image: Wikipedia