Frances Ouimet

Height: 6 ft 2 in

Born: May 8, 1893

Died: September 2, 1967

Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts

The son of a French-Canadian and Irish immigrant, Frances Ouimet overcame incredible odds to win a U.S. Open Championship and two U.S. Amateur titles. The Ouimets were a financially-strapped family who lived near The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Frances began caddying there as an 11-year old to bring in extra income for the family.

Teaching himself to play, Ouimet became a standout player and ranked as one of the top high school players in Massachusetts. His father wasn’t as enamored with the game as his son. Frances worked in a dry goods store and later a sporting goods store. All the while, he kept playing golf.

A couple of years out of high school, Ouimet wrote one of the greatest accomplishments in golf history when he won the 1913 U.S. Open which just happened to be held at Ouimet’s home course – the Country Club in Brookline. Over the course of four days, Ouimet proceeded to stare down and eventually beat two of the most accomplished golfers of the day – six-time British Open winner Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. Incredibly, the three men tied for the championship after 72 holes and Ouimet prevailed in an 18-hole playoff the next day.

Ouimet served in the Army during World War I and never became a touring professional. Instead he worked first as a banker, and then a stock broker for Brown Brothers Harriman, one of the leading investment firms of its day. Along the way, he continued to play golf, often battling the legendary Bobby Jones during the 1920’s. Ouimet captured his second U.S. Amateur title in 1931 when he was well into his forties.

Ouimet’s 1913 U.S. Open victory was immortalized in the 2005 film, The Greatest Game Ever Played, which starred Shia LaBeouf.