LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Francis Ouimet: U.S. Open
built 212 days ago
In the 1913 U.S. Open, the unknown, 20-year-old Francis Ouimet came out of nowhere to discombobulate the world's best players. What Paxton has directed is actually two stories, one about Ouimet and one about Harry Vardon, the winner of a record six British opens and still considered England's best golfer (he died in 1937).
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Ouimet, then only 20, was employed as a sporting goods salesman in Boston, and unlike Ray and Vardon, an avowed amateur. In fact he had just used vacation time to play in the U.S. Amateur on Long Island (he lost to the eventual winner, Jerry Travers). Ouimet's boss (an enlightened fellow) let him off a few more days to play this most important of American tournaments. Only one native born American had previously won the U.S. Open, the young professional John J. McDermott, in 1911 and 1912. Apart from McDermott, all the other winners were professionals born in Great Britain. No amateur had ever won.
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Ouimet started off poorly, but he quickly gained confidence thanks to his firsthand knowledge of the course. By the September 19 playoffs he was neck-and-neck with Vardon and Ray, and on September 20, 1913, he pulled ahead, beating Vardon by six strokes and Ray by five. The victory made Ouimet an unexpected American sports hero. At twenty years old, he was the youngest player ever to win the U.S. Open, and the first amateur. Ouimet was ... an unlikely celebrity, considering he was a very gawky young man—beanpole thin with ears that stuck out.
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By the time Francis and Vardon meet on the fairways at the U.S. Open, both have proven their commitment to sportsmanship, honor and respect. It's not easy to make a movie whose two central characters—who are in opposition to each other—remain good people. But Paxton has done it, and the result is refreshing. You like them both, and you are treated to decency among the skilled.
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Ouimet astounded everyone by tying Vardon and Ray after 72 holes. After sixteen holes of the eighteen-hole playoff, he led Vardon by one shot, Ray by two. Ouimet birdied the seventeenth hole while Vardon took a bogey and the young American became the first amateur ever to win the Open, finishing with a 72 to a 77 for Vardon and a 78 for Ray.
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As startled as the competitors, spectators, and media were, no one expected Ouimet and Eddie to survive the last 18 holes while experiencing National Championship pressure. It was time for Vardon and Ray to take Ouimet to school and capture the trophy. There was a crucial ingredient overlooked, though: During both days of the Open there had been some off-and-on rain that became a downpour Friday afternoon, creating soggy conditions, and Ouimet's local knowledge of the course gave him an advantage. And as it ... turned out, the young man also had steel guts.
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