It was June 1971, and the crowd gathered at Merion Golf Club for the U.S. Open. Arnold Palmer passed by, the world's most famous golfer suddenly turned and did a double-take."Johnny?" he asked the old man. "Johnny McDermott?" It was indeed Johnny McDermott, the man who had helped popularize golf in America, the first American to win a U.S. Open. Palmer's greeting was a rare late-life highlight for McDermott and Philadelphia's Forgotten Champion.
Before Francis Ouimet, Walter Hagen or Gene Sarazen, McDermott was a golf titan, a former caddie at Aronimink
who got good enough to stop 16 years of British domination in the U.S. national championship. Doing so at 19 years, 10 months and 14 days old. A century plus later, he remains the youngest man to win the U.S. Open. Winning back to back titles in 1911 and 1912.
Born in Philadelphia, the son of a mailman, Johnny McDermott stood 5’ 8” tall and weighed 130 pounds. A student at West Philadelphia High School he dropped out prior to graduation to pursue professional golf. Philadelphia at the time was a crucial region to the establishment of golf as well as golf talent from players to architects. Against that backdrop, it was no surprise that Aronimink encouraged the development of young golfers, and in McDermott, Club Pro Walter Reynolds found a willing pupil with staggering natural ability.
McDermott possessed golfing prowess honed through rigorous practice and a wristy swing that A.W. Tillinghast likened to "a man flicking a fly from a horse's back." To perfect his technique, McDermott would challenge himself to hit balls toward a caddie without lifting his head, ensuring he stayed down through the shot. McDermott's strength not only resided in his game but also in his unwavering confidence and singular focus. Golf consumed McDermott's life, as he abstained from drinking, rarely dated, and dedicated himself entirely to the sport. Although there were rumors of an engagement that never came to fruition, McDermott remained unmarried.
In 1912, McDermott successfully defended his Open title at the CC of Buffalo, solidifying his status in the golfing world and allowing him to earn substantial sums through exhibition matches. At Atlantic City CC, where he worked as a professional, McDermott crafted clubs and displayed his skill with mashies and brassies, including ones with ivory inserts. The following year, he dominated the Shawnee Open, outshining British aces Harry Vardon and Ted Ray with an impressive lead of 13 and 14 strokes, respectively.
Despite his achievements, McDermott's arrogance after defeating the British golfers in the Shawnee Open drew criticism. The resulting controversy caused the USGA to consider barring him from future Opens. However, McDermott publicly apologized, and though he was allowed to participate, he finished tied for ninth place. It was during this time that Francis Ouimet, a 20-year-old amateur, captivated the American golfing public with his playoff victory over Vardon and Ray, casting him as the new hero of American golf. Meanwhile, McDermott's career began to decline rapidly.
Signs of trouble emerged in early November 1913, shortly after Ouimet's triumph, when Vardon and Ray canceled an exhibition match with McDermott in Atlantic City. Soon after, McDermott fell ill, experiencing what the newspapers referred to as a nervous breakdown.
After a period of rest, McDermott returned to competitive golf in 1914, but his once-determined spirit had waned. He faced further challenges, including a harrowing incident during his voyage from Great Britain when his passenger ship collided with a freighter. Financial setbacks added to his troubles.
In late November 1914, McDermott resigned from his position at Atlantic City and returned home to Philadelphia. Subsequently, he spent time in mental hospitals, and on June 23, 1916, at the age of 24, he was admitted to the State Hospital for the Insane in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia, a mental illness that commonly affects young adults and had recently been named, McDermott's life would be characterized by periods spent in and out of mental institutions. He made a few tournament appearances in the mid-1920s and enjoyed recreational golf until his death. "Every couple of weeks, I'd go get him at the asylum and take him to Jeffersonville and we'd play," Bud Lewis, a former pro at Manufacturers Country Club, recalled in 2005. McDermott died in 1971, a few months after the US Open at Merion and shortly before his 80th birthday.
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