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.
^ ab"Auchterlonie Wins Open Championship at Garden City – Travis Ties for Second Place". The Fitchburg Sentinel. Fitchburg, Massachusetts. October 13, 1902. p. 1.