View source for Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox Olympic event
| event       = Golf
| games       = 1900 Summer
| image       = Golf pictogram.svg
| image_size  = 100px
| caption     =
| venue       = Compiègne Club, [[Compiègne]]
| date        = 2–3 October 1900
| competitors = More than 22
| nations     = 4
| longnames   =
| gold        =
| goldNOC     =
| silver      =
| silverNOC   =
| bronze      =
| bronzeNOC   =
| prev        =
| next        = [[Golf at the 1904 Summer Olympics|1904]]
}}
{{Golf at the Olympics|1900}}
The [[1900 Summer Olympics]] took place in Paris, France. Two of the [[golf]] events that were contested in early October at the Compiègne Club, [[Compiègne]] as part of the [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Exposition Universelle]], the men's and women's individual [[stroke play]] competitions, have since been afforded Olympic status. As such the 1900 games are recognised as the first time that golf was held in the Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/editions/2/sports/GLF |title=Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics |work=Olympedia |access-date=4 July 2020}}</ref>

==Format==
The men's individual championship was a 36-hole [[stroke play]] [[Amateur sports|amateur]] competition, while the women's championship was a 9-hole stroke play competition. Other golf competitions, not considered Olympic, that were held included [[Handicap (golf)|handicap]] and [[putting]] competitions.<ref name=officialreport>{{cite book |title=Concours internationaux d'exercices physiques et de sports |date=1901 |pages=77–80 |url=https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/6478/rec/3 |language=french}}</ref>

==Venue==
The men's and women's event took place at the Compiègne Club, about 50&nbsp;km (30 miles) north of Paris. The [[golf course]] was built in 1896 and was one of just 25 courses in France in 1900. It was designed by M.W. Freemantle and built within the horse racing track of Compiègne. The topography was flat, with dense rough surrounding the fairways and very tiny "postage stamp" sized greens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.golferinfrance.co.uk/compiegnegolfclub.htm|title=Compiègne Club|access-date=30 January 2014|archive-date=1 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201232017/http://www.golferinfrance.co.uk/compiegnegolfclub.htm|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

==Tournament play==
The men's tournament was played on 2 October 1900 where they played two 18-hole rounds back-to-back. The following day, 3 October 1900, the women's tournament began, where they only played 9 holes.

===Men's championship===
[[Charles Sands]], representative of the St. Andrews Golf Club in [[Yonkers, New York]] finished the 36 hole tournament with 82+85=167 defeating [[Walter Rutherford (golfer)|Walter Rutherford]] of Jedburgh, Scotland by one stroke.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1900/GOL/ |title=Golf at the 1900 Paris Summer Games &#124; Olympics at Sports-Reference.com |access-date=30 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201233104/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1900/GOL/ |archive-date=1 February 2014  }}</ref> In third place was [[David Robertson (golfer)|David Robertson]] of Scotland.

===Women's championship===
The women's championship was a stage for many firsts that occurred in the Olympic games. Not only was this the first time women were ever able to compete in the Olympic games, the women's division was won by [[Margaret Abbott]] of [[Chicago Golf Club]]. Abbott shot a 47 to win and became the first ever American female to win a [[gold medal]] in the Olympic Games,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.olympic.org/margaret-abbott |title=Margaret Ives Abbott}}</ref> though she received a gilded porcelain bowl as a prize instead of a medal. She is also the second overall American woman to receive an Olympic medal. Abbott's mother, [[Mary Abbott (golfer)|Mary Abbott]], also competed in this Olympic event and finished tied for seventh, shooting a 65. They were the first and only mother and daughter that have ever competed in the same Olympic event at the same time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-first-american-woman-to-win-an-olympic-championship-didnt-even-know-it |title=Margaret Abbott Won an Olympic Medal in 1900, but Never Found Out |date=10 August 2016}}</ref>

Abbott never knew that they were competing in the Olympics; she thought it was a normal golf tournament and died not knowing. Her historic victory was not known until [[University of Florida]] professor Paula Welch began to do research into the history of the Olympics and discovered that [[Margaret Abbott]] had placed first. Over the course of ten years, she contacted Abbott's children and informed them of their mother's victory.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/March/21/Margaret-Abbott-Aced-Team-USAs-First-Womens-Olympic-Gold-Medal-And-Didnt-Know-It |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324084347/http://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/March/21/Margaret-Abbott-Aced-Team-USAs-First-Womens-Olympic-Gold-Medal-And-Didnt-Know-It |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 March 2016 |title=Margaret Abbott Aced Team USAs First Women's Olympic Gold Medal and didn't Know it |first=Stuart |last=Lieberman |publisher=Team USA |date=March 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.womengolfersmuseum.com/Famousgolfers/AbbottMargaret.htm |title=Women Golfers' Museum}}</ref>

===Non-Olympic events===
The men's handicap competition was won by American [[Albert Bond Lambert]], with a score of 83−10=73 by two strokes from [[Pierre Deschamps]] of France, who scored 108−33=75.<ref>{{cite web |title=Individual, Handicap, Men |url=https://www.olympedia.org/results/925229 |website=Olympedia |access-date=17 February 2024}}</ref>

==Medal summary==
Medals were awarded to the top five finishers in each event;{{Dubious|reason=The women's winner is reported as receiving a Saxon porcelain bowl, not a medal.|date=January 2025}} gold for the winner, [[vermeil]] for second, silver for third, silvered bronze for fourth, and bronze for fifth.<ref name=officialreport/>

The top three in the men's and women's championships are considered Olympic medalists.

{| {{MedalistTable|type=Event|width=180}}
|-
| Men's <br /> {{DetailsLink|Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's individual}}
| {{flagIOCmedalist|[[Charles Sands]]|USA|1900 Summer}}
| {{flagIOCmedalist|[[Walter Rutherford (golfer)|Walter Rutherford]]|GBR|1900 Summer}}
| {{flagIOCmedalist|[[David Robertson (golfer)|David Robertson]]|GBR|1900 Summer}}
|-
| Women's <br />  {{DetailsLink|Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Women's individual}}
| {{flagIOCmedalist|[[Margaret Abbott]]|USA|1900 Summer}}
| {{flagIOCmedalist|[[Pauline Whittier]]|USA|1900 Summer}}
| {{flagIOCmedalist|[[Daria Pratt]]|USA|1900 Summer}}
|}

==Participating nations==
22 golfers from 4 nations competed at the Paris Games, excluding [[handicap (golf)|handicapped]] and professional events:

* {{flagIOC|FRA|1900 Summer|9}}
* {{flagIOC|GBR|1900 Summer|4}}
* {{flagIOC|GRE|1900 Summer|1}}
* {{flagIOC|USA|1900 Summer|8}}

==Medal table==
{{Medals table
 | caption        = 
 | host           = 
 | show_limit     = 
 | remaining_text = 
 | flag_template  = flagIOC
 | event          = 1900 Summer
 | team           = 
 | gold_USA = 2 | silver_USA = 1 | bronze_USA = 1
 | gold_GBR = 0 | silver_GBR = 1 | bronze_GBR = 1
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [http://olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp International Olympic Committee] medal winners database
* De Wael, Herman. ''Herman's Full Olympians'': "Golf 1900".  Accessed 27 January 2006. Available electronically at [http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/gol1900.html ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228074429/http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/gol1900.html |date=28 February 2021 }}.
* {{cite book | author = Mallon, Bill | year = 1998 | title = The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers | location = Jefferson, North Carolina | isbn = 0-7864-0378-0 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/1900olympicgames00mall }}

==See also==
*[[List of Olympic medalists in golf]]

{{Events at the 1900 Summer Olympics}}
{{Golf at the Summer Olympics}}

[[Category:Golf at the 1900 Summer Olympics| ]]
[[Category:Events at the 1900 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Golf at the Summer Olympics|1900]]
[[Category:Golf tournaments in France]]
[[Category:1900 in golf]]