caption fullname usopen death_date death_place wghofid birth_place status majorwins wghofyear birth_date spouse image article_title name
anderson at the 1909 western open william law anderson '' , 1904 , 1905 ` won '' ' : 1901 , 1903 25 october 1910 chestnut hill , philadelphia , pennsylvania , u.s. willie-anderson north berwick , scotland , uk professional 4 1975 21 october 1879 agnes beakley willieanderson1909.jpg willie anderson -lrb- golfer -rrb-
 willie anderson
willie anderson -lrb- golfer -rrb-

`` for the scotland national rugby union team coach , see willie anderson -lrb- rugby player -rrb- '' william law anderson -lrb- 21 october 1879 -- 25 october 1910 -rrb- was a scottish immigrant to the united states who became the first golfer to win four u.s. opens , with victories in 1901 , 1903 , 1904 , and 1905 .
he is still the only man to win three consecutive titles , and only bobby jones , ben hogan , and jack nicklaus have equalled his total of four championships .
he is a member of the world golf hall of fame .
anderson was born in north berwick , in east lothian , scotland .
he was educated at the public school in north berwick and was a licensed caddie on the west links at the age of 11 .
upon leaving school he apprenticed as a club maker under alex aitken in gullane .
at age 16 anderson emigrated from scotland to the united states in march 1896 -- sailing aboard the s.s. `` pomeranian '' from glasgow -- along with his father , thomas anderson , and his brother tom , landing at ellis island .
he played in the u.s. open the following year , finishing in second place by one stroke , after joe lloyd eagled the final hole .
his first significant win came in 1899 at the southern california open , before he started his run at the u.s. open .
in the 14 straight opens that he played , anderson won four , was second once , third once , fourth twice , fifth three times , 11th twice and 15th once .
he won titles with both the old gutta-percha golf ball , and the rubber-cored ball which came into use in 1902 .
anderson also won the western open in 1902 , 1904 , 1908 , and 1909 .
anderson 's accuracy with all clubs , combined with his concentration under pressure , made him a formidable and highly respected competitor .
anderson made his living as a golf professional , working at ten different clubs in fourteen years .
he listed the apawamis club in rye , new york as his home course from 1901 through 1906 .
he played many exhibition challenge matches for stakes , in addition to tournaments .
anderson died at age 31 , officially from epilepsy in chestnut hill , philadelphia , pennsylvania .
golf historian robert sommers wrote -- incorrectly as it turned out -- that anderson ` drank himself to death ' .
he is buried in ivy hill cemetery in philadelphia .
anderson was an original member of the pga hall of fame , and was inducted into the world golf hall of fame in 1975 .
