Macdonald Smith

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Scottish-American professional golfer (1892–1949)

title: "Macdonald Smith" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["scottish-male-golfers", "american-male-golfers", "pga-tour-golfers", "golfers-from-los-angeles-county,-california", "united-states-army-personnel-of-world-war-i", "scottish-emigrants-to-the-united-states", "golfers-from-carnoustie", "sportspeople-from-glendale,-california", "1890-births", "1949-deaths", "20th-century-scottish-sportsmen", "20th-century-american-sportsmen"] description: "Scottish-American professional golfer (1892–1949)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macdonald_Smith" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Scottish-American professional golfer (1892–1949) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox golfer"]

FieldValue
nameMacdonald Smith
imageMacdonald Smith, 1928.jpg
captionSmith in 1928
fullnameMacdonald S. Smith
nicknameMac
birth_date
birth_placeCarnoustie, Angus, Scotland
death_date
death_placeGlendale, California
height
weight
nationality
USA
spouseLouise A. Cahill
yearpro1908
retired
extourPGA Tour
prowins29
pgawins25
otherwins4
mastersT7: 1934
usopen2nd: 1930
open2nd/T2: 1930, 1932
pgaDNP
wghofid
wghofyear
award1PGA Hall of Fame
year11954
::

| name = Macdonald Smith | image = Macdonald Smith, 1928.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Smith in 1928 | fullname = Macdonald S. Smith | nickname = Mac | birth_date = | birth_place = Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland | death_date = | death_place = Glendale, California | height = | weight = | nationality = USA | spouse = Louise A. Cahill | partner = | children = | college = | yearpro = 1908 | retired = | extour = PGA Tour | prowins = 29 | pgawins = 25 | otherwins = 4 | majorwins = | masters = T7: 1934 | usopen = 2nd: 1930 | open = 2nd/T2: 1930, 1932 | pga = DNP | wghofid = | wghofyear = | award1 = PGA Hall of Fame | year1 = 1954 | award2 = | year2 = | awardssection = Macdonald "Mac" Smith (March 18, 1890 – August 31, 1949) was one of the top professional golfers in the world from about 1910 into the mid-1930s. He was a member of a famous Scottish golfing family. Smith is regarded, based on his results, as one of the best golfers of all time who never won a major championship. He won 25 official events on the PGA Tour, and placed in the top ten of major championships a total of 17 times.

Early life

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Macdonald_Smith_and_wife_Louise_-_1923.PNG" caption="Smith and his wife Louise in February 1923"] ::

Born in Carnoustie, Scotland, the son of John D. Smith and Joann Smith (née Robinson), Smith learned his golf on the world famous and very difficult Carnoustie Golf Links.

He emigrated to the United States on March 8, 1908, at age 17 to seek better golfing opportunities, which he eventually found in America. He applied for, and was granted, American citizenship on July 31, 1918, from the Superior Court of San Diego County, California. At the time, Smith was serving in the U.S. Army at Camp Kearny in San Diego during World War I.

Professional career

Smith was the club professional at the country club in Del Monte, California, where future two-time major champion Olin Dutra and his brother Mortie started as caddies.

Two of Smith's older brothers won the U.S. Open: Willie in 1899, and Alex in both 1906 and 1910. Brothers George and Jim also played golf at a very high standard. Early in his career, Macdonald Smith was in a three-man playoff at the U.S. Open in 1910 won by his brother Alex; John McDermott finished second and Macdonald Smith finished third.

Smith won 25 times on the early PGA Tour, with his five wins in 1926 marking his peak season. But he never won a modern major championship, trailing only Harry Cooper for most wins without a modern major. His 25 Tour wins are also the most by any eligible player not inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Play in major championships

Smith finished in the top ten at modern majors 17 times, including three second-place finishes: at the U.S. Open in 1930 and The Open Championship in 1930 and 1932, both in England. His runner-up finishes at both Opens in 1930 were to noted amateur Bobby Jones, the winner of the grand slam that year. Gene Sarazen won the 1932 Open Championship. Smith scored four more wins in significant U.S. tournaments, between 1912 and 1926, all of which came in events later classified as PGA Tour events.

Smith suffered a heartbreaking near-miss at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland in the 1925 Open Championship, when he was the 54-hole leader. He shot a disappointing 82 in the final round and finished three strokes back, in fourth place; Jim Barnes won. Crowd control broke down (with too few marshals and no gallery roping), with the numerous spectators, many of whom had traveled to watch him, invading the playing areas, causing delays, chaotic conditions, and deflected shots. Many of them had entered without paying admission—the so-called 'Aberdeen Gate' -- simply climbing over the seaside dunes to walk onto the course.

Smith related to the teacher and author Harvey Penick an unfortunate story about another near-miss in an Open Championship. Smith was leading at lunch on the final day, with 18 holes to play. But, in the final round, his tee shots kept winding up in poor lies or on trampled ground. Smith believed that bookies who had taken bets on him at 5–1 odds were running ahead and tampering with his ball location, making it tougher for him to hit good shots.

His majors were primarily the two Opens; he never entered the PGA Championship, then a match play competition, and played in just one Masters Tournament, the first in 1934. His final major was the U.S. Open in 1937, where he finished in a tie for 40th place. The previous year was his last top ten, in fourth place.

Western Open; North and South Open; Los Angeles Open; Canadian Open

Smith won the Western Open three times, in 1912, 1925, and 1933, when it was a prestigious tournament rivaling the majors in stature. He won the 1925 North and South Open, which during this era was considered a major by many. His four wins in the Los Angeles Open, another top event which featured strong fields, were also significant, as was his title in the 1926 Canadian Open, a national championship. Smith had a near decade-long dry spell, between 1915 and 1923, without winning a tournament.

Smith's full-swing technique was much admired as one of the best of the hickory shaft era. Bing Crosby, himself an excellent player who followed golf closely, said that Smith's swing was better than any he had ever seen. Ben Hogan studied Smith's swing intently to improve his own. Smith employed a strong grip, with both hands turned more to the right on the club, which produced a draw on the majority of his full shots. Another admirer of Smith's full-swing technique was teacher Harvey Penick. Penick wrote "The prettiest swing I ever saw belonged to Macdonald Smith. His swing was full and flowing and graceful." Smith also won several Tour events after the introduction of steel shafts for golf clubs in the late 1920s.

Smith became the resident golf professional at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale, California, from 1934 to 1949. He won a PGA Tour event, the Oakmont Open, there in 1935. He continued to play a few PGA Tour events per season into the early 1940s. He was playing with Babe Didrikson at Oakmont when she scored her first hole in one in 1936.

Personal life

In December 1922, he was married to Louise A. Cahill (1876–1952), a woman 14 years his senior who had been widowed in 1907 when her first husband, Joseph Harvey, died.

Smith died of a heart attack

Awards and honors

  • Smith was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 1954.

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (25)

Source:

Other wins (4)

[This list may be incomplete]

Results in major championships

::data[format=table]

Tournament1910191119121913191419151916191719181919
U.S. Open3T4WDT37NTNT
The Open ChampionshipNTNTNTNTNT
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament1920192119221923192419251926192719281929
U.S. OpenT20T4T11T9T18T6T23
The Open Championship3T34T15
::

::data[format=table]

Tournament19301931193219331934193519361937
Masters TournamentNYFNYFNYFNYFT7
U.S. Open2T10T14T19T6T144T40
The Open ChampionshipT2T52T4T18
::

Note: Smith never played in the PGA Championship. NYF = tournament not yet founded

NT = no tournament

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

::data[format=table]

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts madeTotals0331217262928
Masters Tournament00001111
U.S. Open01159161918
The Open Championship02277999
PGA Championship00000000
::
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 26 (1915 U.S. Open – 1937 U.S. Open)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1930 U.S. Open – 1931 Open Championship)

References

References

  1. "Macdonald Smith".
  2. "Births in the Parish of Barry in the City of Forfar". [[ScotlandsPeople]].
  3. "Petition for Naturalization". Superior Court of San Diego county, California.
  4. Darsie, Darsie L.. (May 21, 1931). "Olin Dutra is West's leading candidate for Ryder Cup team". Milwaukee Sentinel.
  5. "1910 U.S. Open: Alex Smith". United States Golf Association.
  6. McCord, Robert. (2002). "The Golf Book of Days: Fascinating Facts and Stories for Every Day of the Year". Kensington.
  7. Brenner, Morgan G.. (2009). "The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008". McFarland.
  8. (1992). "Harvey Penick's Little Red Book". Simon & Schuster.
  9. Wind, Herbert Warren. (August 8, 1955). "Hogan reveals his secret".
  10. (September 1, 1949). "MacDonald Smith, golfer, dies". Pittsburgh Press.
  11. Barkow, Al. (November 1989). "The History of the PGA TOUR". [[Doubleday (publisher).
  12. (May 7, 1936). "Babe Didrikson scores first ace". Milwaukee Journal.
  13. (1999). "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Golf". Prospero Books.
  14. "Macdonald Smith". PGA Tour.

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scottish-male-golfersamerican-male-golferspga-tour-golfersgolfers-from-los-angeles-county,-californiaunited-states-army-personnel-of-world-war-iscottish-emigrants-to-the-united-statesgolfers-from-carnoustiesportspeople-from-glendale,-california1890-births1949-deaths20th-century-scottish-sportsmen20th-century-american-sportsmen