Laurie Auchterlonie

Who was Laurie Auchterlonie?

Lawrence "Laurie" Auchterlonie was a Scottish professional golfer. He was a native of St Andrews, the "Home of Golf". In 1902, representing the Chicago Golf Club, he won the eighth U.S. Open at Garden City Golf Club in Garden City, New York.

Auchterlonie's win was the first time that 80 was broken in all four rounds, as he posted a score of 78-78-74-77=307. He played with the recently invented Haskell rubber-cored ball, which was at least partly responsible for the lower scoring . The new ball had first been used to win an important tournament the previous year, when it was used by Walter Travis at the U.S. Amateur and Sandy Herd at The Open Championship. It soon became the standard golf ball.

Auchterlonie competed in the U.S. Open eleven times, finishing in the top-10 on seven occasions. His other victories included the 1901 Western Open. From 1901–11, Auchterlonie served as head golf professional at Glen View Club in Golf, Illinois, just outside Chicago. He died in St Andrews at the age of 80.

Auchterlonie was the brother of Willie Auchterlonie, who won The Open Championship in 1893. Willie Auchterlonie had a son named Laurie who was to succeed his father as honorary professional to the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. This Laurie Auchterlonie should not be confused with his uncle the U.S. Open winner.