This photo from the Library of Congress has no definitive date, but on the corner of the image appears a reverse image of "9/15/13." I believe this to be a practice or qualifying round for the 1913 U.S. Open in Brookline, Massachusetts. It was played at The Country Club on September 16-20 that year, with an unknown Francis Ouimet winning an 18-hole playoff with Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. Vardon had won five British Opens at this point and Ray, who is putting here, had been the victor in 1912 and would win the U.S. Open in 1920. Alex Smith, standing to the left of Ray, and George Low are also in this group. Smith won the U.S. Open in 1906 and Low was the head pro at Baltusrol for many years. All these men were in the field that year. Who knew that history would be made that week when a caddie who lived across the road from the course would win! Ouimet's "shot heard 'round the world" marked an explosion in American golf, and the tournament is chronicled masterfully in Mark Frost's book The Greatest Game Ever Played.
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