| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 10–11, 1902 |
| Location | Garden City, New York |
| Course(s) | Garden City Golf Club |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Format | Stroke play − 72 holes |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 83 |
| Cut | none |
| Winner's share | $200 |
| Champion | |
 Laurie Auchterlonie | |
| 307 | |
The 1902 U.S. Open was the eighth U.S. Open, held October 10–11 at Garden City Golf Club in Garden City, New York, on Long Island, east of New York City.[1] Laurie Auchterlonie established a new 72-hole U.S. Open scoring record to win his only major title, six strokes ahead of Stewart Gardner and amateur Walter Travis.[2][3][4]
Auchterlonie posted rounds of 78-78-74-77 and became the first in U.S. Open history to card four sub-80 rounds. His 307 total was six shots better than the previous championship record, set by Harry Vardon in 1900.[4]
Clear skies greeted the field on Friday for the first two rounds.[5] The weather worsened on Saturday, with cloudy skies in the morning and a pouring rain in the afternoon. The adverse playing conditions didn't seem to affect the scoring; in fact many players played well in the final round in the rain. John Shippen, playing out of Marine Field Club in New York, became the first American-born player to finish in the money in a U.S. Open.[6]
The improvement in scores were in large part due to the introduction of the Haskell golf ball, which soon replaced the gutta-percha ball as the prominent golf ball in use.
