Horace Rawlins

Horace Thomas Rawlins (5 August 1874 – 22 January 1935) was an English professional golfer who won the first U.S. Open Championship in 1895. With this victory, he became the first winner of a "major" outside the United Kingdom.

Rawlins was born at Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, England, and was the club professional at the Mid-Herts Golf Club when it opened in 1893. He played in a professional event at Stanmore Golf Club in June 1894 but finished well out of the prizes.

After emigrating to the United States, Rawlins accepted a position as the assistant pro at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island. When his club hosted the inaugural U.S. Open on 4 October 1895, he was one of 11 players to participate. Playing in just his third tournament, Rawlins shocked the more established Willie Dunn, winning the title by two strokes over 36 holes. The first U.S. Open was a one-day event played immediately after the three-day U.S. Amateur, which received much more attention at the time. Rawlins won $150 plus a $50 golf medal and the Open Championship Cup, which went to his club. Rawlins finished second at the U.S. Open in 1896.

Rawlins did not win any other major tournaments. He was involved in golf course design, having in 1910 done some work on The Springhaven Club course in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, which was originally laid out by Ida Dixon in 1904.

Wins (1)

Year	Championship	18 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner-up
1895	U.S. Open	2 shot deficit	91-82=173	2 strokes	Willie Dunn

Results timeline

Note: Rawlins played in only the U.S. Open.

DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.