- In the 1913 U.S. Open, twenty-year-old Francis Ouimet played golf against his idol, 1900 U.S. Open champion, Englishman Harry Vardon.
- Near the turn of the twentieth century, young Harry Vardon becomes a champion golfer but learns that his amazing skill is no match for the class boundaries that exclude him from "gentlemanly" English society. A dozen years later, a young American, Francis Ouimet, fights against the same prejudice, as well as his own father's disdain, for a chance to participate in the U.S. Open against his idol -- Harry Vardon. The struggles of both men for acceptance provides the background for an amazing contest of skills.—Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>
- In 1879, young Harry Vardon saw a group of rich gentlemen come over to survey the lands around his cottage in England to construct a golf course.
In 1913, Francis Ouimet (Shia LeBeouf), is the first amateur to win a U.S. Open. Amateur Golf in that era was then a sport only for the wealthy, and Francis came from an immigrant family that was part of the working class.
Stepping back to 1900, Francis watches an exhibition by legendary British golf pro Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) (who is already a 3-time British Open Champion and has won the US Open Championship as well in the past) as a 7-year-old boy in Boston (When Harry is visiting US for an exhibition tour) and becomes very interested in golf. Francis volunteers when Harry calls for one, and he ends up correcting Francis's golf grip. Back in England, Harry believes that he is being invited by Lord Northcliffe, to join the Gentleman's Golf Club (also the British Golf Association). This is a rare honor as Harry comes from the working class himself, and only Lords are invited to join. But it turns out that Northcliffe only wants Harry to work for them, against a wage.
Francis begins as a Caddie at US The Country Club, a posh enclave located across the street from his home in suburban Brookline, Massachusetts, while making friends with the other caddies. He works on his own golf game at every chance, and gradually accumulates his own set of clubs with the help of the Club Caddiemaster. Francis is so interested that he practices putting at night in his room. He wins the Massachusetts Schoolboy Championship. Francis lives with his father Arthur (Elias Koteas) and Mary (Marnie McPhail) who are both from working classes.
Harry Vardon, a 3-time British Open champion & the US Open Champion is also made to feel small in front of the admission committee of a prestigious British golf club, because Harry is not from a noble background or family.
One day, a US gentleman Mr. Hastings (Justin Ashforth) asks Francis to play with him over The Country Club course, where caddies have almost no access of their own, and he shoots a fine round of 81 despite a triple bogey. His talent, composure, and good manners earn admirers and interest; with the help of the gentleman, Francis gets a chance to play in an upcoming tournament, the U.S. Amateur, the local qualifying for which is to be held at the very same Country Club course. The executive committee approves Francis's application to compete, provided he can pay the $50 entrance fee and get a member of the club to sponsor him (which Mr Hastings is happy to do).
However, his father Arthur (Elias Koteas) tells his son to quit golf and get a "real job". Francis needs $50 for the entry fee, and so agrees to get a real job and never play golf again if he could not qualify; his father lends him the money. At the club dinner before the qualifying tournament, Francis meets Sarah Willis (Peyton List) and saves her from the aggressive approaches of Phillip Wainwright (Nicolas Wright). Francis ends up dancing with Sarah. Sarah is the sister of Freddie (Max Kasch), who recognizes Francis as a caddie in their club. The next day, on the 18th, Francis faces a three-foot putt that would secure him a spot in the championship, but he looks over and his father is watching. Francis is distracted, misses and falls one stroke short of qualifying for the championship proper.
The British golf association wants Harry to launch a campaign to win the US Open again, so that they can claim the privilege of owning all the major sports titles (football, cricket, rugby, and golf) at the same time. Harry wants an assistant & chooses one from the working classes (Ted Ray (Stephen Marcus)) to mount his campaign. Ted makes money by performing golf party tricks for paying customers. Harry ignores the protests of all the major golf clubs in Britain who want Harry to choose an assistant from among their members.
With much jeer from the rich folk like Freddie, Francis, now 20, fulfills his promise to his dad and works at a sporting goods shop (as a cleaner), while continuing to live at home. After some time with his golf forgotten, Francis is still at the bottom of the working class. But one day, the president of the United States Golf Association enters the store with Mr Hastings and personally invites him to play in the upcoming U.S. Open; after some maneuvering and consideration from his employer, Francis secures entry. Francis hits 6 straight birdies at the course to convince Mr Hastings and Club Caddiemaster that he is ready for the Open. His father informs Francis that he must find his own place to live after the tournament; Francis agrees. However, his mother has been supportive of his golf from the start.
Ouimet competes in the 1913 U.S. Open that takes place at The Country Club. The favorites are British champions Vardon and Ted Ray (Stephen Marcus), who are accompanied by the snobbish Lord Northcliffe (Peter Firth), and the reigning U.S. Open champion, John McDermott (Michael Weaver).
Northcliffe looks to see that either Vardon or Ray wins the Open, to affirm British dominance over the Americans in golf, and also to prove that only gentlemen are able champions. Ouimet competes with his 10-year-old friend, Eddie Lowery (Josh Flitter), who skips school to caddie for Ouimet. After the first two rounds, Vardon and Ray have a seemingly comfortable lead, with McDermott unable to keep up. After some initial struggles, Ouimet rallies and ultimately ties with Vardon and Ray at the conclusion of the fourth round, resulting in the three of them competing in an 18-hole playoff to determine the champion.
The night before, Northcliffe mocks Ouimet's social status to Vardon. Exasperated, Vardon, who hails from humble beginnings himself, angrily tells Northcliffe that if Ouimet wins, it will be solely due to his skill, not his background. Vardon also reminds Northcliffe that a gentleman would not begrudge Ouimet the respect he deserves.
The playoff round begins, with all three competitors' neck and neck until the back nine, where Ray begins to fall behind, leaving Ouimet leading Vardon by a single stroke as they approach the final hole. Vardon concludes with a par, setting the stage for Ouimet to secure victory with a par of his own. Sensing Ouimet's nerves before the crucial putt, Eddie offers reassurance, enabling Ouimet to sink the putt and claim the U.S. Open title. Amidst the jubilant crowd lifting them on their shoulders, individuals start offering money to Ouimet, who graciously declines all but one bill, offered by his proud father. Inside the clubhouse, Vardon extends his private congratulations to Ouimet and proposes a friendly round together in the future. Ouimet and Eddie make their way home proudly carrying the U.S. Open trophy.
Harry Vardon went on to win his sixth British Open Championship the following year, Francis Ouimet won two amateur championships and became a businessman, and Eddie Lowery became a multi-millionaire, remaining lifelong friends with Ouimet.
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