A men's golf tournament was held at the 1900 Summer Olympics. It was the first of the three times such a tournament would be featured.[1] There were 12 competitors from 4 nations.[2] The event was won by Charles Sands of the United States. Great Britain took the next two spots, with Walter Rutherford finishing one stroke behind Sands and David Robertson in third at 8 strokes behind Sands.
| Men's individual golf at the Games of the II Olympiad | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Golf pictogram | ||||||||||
| Venue | Compiègne Golf Club | |||||||||
| Date | 2 October 1900 | |||||||||
| Competitors | 12 from 4 nations | |||||||||
| Winning score | 167 | |||||||||
| Medalists | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Background
editIn the preparation for the 1900 Games, a Special Advisory Committee led by Jacques de Pourtalès (a cousin of Hermann de Pourtalès, who along with his wife Hélène de Pourtalès won a gold medal in sailing in 1900[3]) proposed a golf tournament be included given that the sport was popular in many countries (though not well known in France).[4] The result was the first Olympic golf tournament, held at the Compiègne golf club. Divisions for both men and women, as well as a men's handicap division (not considered Olympic) were set.[5][1]
Golf would be held again in 1904. In 1908, a dispute among the host nation's golfers resulted in all the British competitors boycotting and the event being cancelled. The sport would not be held again at the Olympics until 2016.
Competition format
editThe men's event consisted of a 36-hole stroke play tournament. The scores for each of the 36 holes were summed to give a total for each player, with the lowest score winning. In the event of a tie, a replayed hole would be used.[5]
Schedule
edit| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, 2 October 1900 | Final |
Results
editThe men played two rounds (36 holes), summing the scores. The entire competition was held on 2 October.
| Rank | Player | Nation | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Charles Sands |  United States |
82 | 85 | 167 |
 |
Walter Rutherford |  Great Britain |
Unknown | 168 | |
 |
David Robertson | Great Britain |
Unknown | 175 | |
| 4 | Frederick Taylor | United States |
Unknown | 182 | |
| 5 | John Daunt | Great Britain |
Unknown | 184 | |
| 6 | George Thorne | Great Britain |
Unknown | 185 | |
| 7 | William Dove | Great Britain |
Unknown | 186 | |
| 8 | Albert Bond Lambert | United States |
94 | 95 | 189 |
| 9 | Arthur Lord | United States |
Unknown | 221 | |
| 10 | Pierre Deschamps |  France |
Unknown | 231 | |
| 11 | Alexandros Merkati |  Greece |
Unknown | 246 | |
| 12 | J. Van de Wynckélé | France |
Unknown | 252 | |
References
edit- ^ a b "Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics: Individual, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ The count of 4 nations includes Alexandros Merkati as Greek. He was a Greek national who was affiliated with the French golf club of Compiègne Club. The IOC lists him as competing for Greece but other sources (such as Olympedia) consider him a competitor for France, which would result in 3 nations competing in this event.
- ^ "Hélène, Countess de Pourtalès". Olympedia. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- ^ Official Report, pp. 77–78.
- ^ a b Official Report, p. 79.
Sources
edit- International Olympic Committee medal winners database
- De Wael, Herman. "Golf 1900". Full Olympians. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.