From Publishers Weekly
This first nonfiction effort by Frost, who is a novelist (The List of Seven), television producer (Twin Peaks) and scriptwriter (Hill Street Blues), deftly tells the story behind the legendary 1913 U.S. Open, in which Francis Ouimet, a 20-year-old golf amateur from Massachusetts, shocked the genteel golf world by defeating British champion Harry Vardon, the most famous pro golfer of his time and the inventor of what today is still considered the modern grip and swing. Frost knows he has a good story and manages to touch on all the right elements of the plot: Ouimet and Vardon not only represent two different social worlds and two different generations, but also share a number of key personal facts and traits. Ouimet was "the boy-next-door amateur, young and modest and free from affectation," while Vardon was the consummate professional whose record of six British Open victories has never been matched. Yet Frost superbly shows how both shared a steely drive to succeed that helped Vardon overcome a long bout with tuberculosis and Ouimet to overcome a working-class background in which golf was seen (especially by his father) as a wealthy man's game, the perfect example of the evils of capitalism. Frost beautifully weaves history into his narrative, clearly showing the long-term impact this duel had on the game and how it helped propel the U.S. Open into the arena of world-class golf. Frost's final chapters on the last two rounds of the 1913 Open have all the page-turning excitement of a blockbuster novel.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
*Starred Review* The story of Francis Ouimet, the first amateur to win the U.S. Open golf tournament, is just too good to be true: it's Rocky without the sequels, it's Jack without his beanstalk, it's Tiger without Nike. But it's true, and as told by veteran thriller writer Frost, it's the most compelling sports book since Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling Seabiscuit. Born in 1893, Ouimet grew up poor, directly across the street from The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, where Boston's blue bloods tried their hands at the new sport of golf. The game caught young Francis in its grip, and despite his father's disapproval, he became a caddie at the club and taught himself to play. Frost jumps between Ouimet's story and the surprisingly similar saga of British champion Harry Vardon, who was also born poor and contended with a disapproving father. Frost builds his characters--not just Ouimet and Vardon but also Francis' caddy, 10-year-old Eddie Lowery--with the skill of a novelist (occasionally but believably using invented dialogue). The climax of the narrative--the recounting of the 1913 U.S. Open at Brookline, where the unheralded, 20-year-old Ouimet beat both his idol Vardon and the other reigning British professional, Ted Ray--is genuinely exciting, a marvelous re-creation of a signature moment in golf history. Underdog stories have become among the sappiest cliches in pop-culture's arsenal, but this one reminds us why they worked in the first place. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Los Angeles Times
"Compelling . . . a fascinating story."


Scott Turow
"Anyone who loves golf, history, or just a great story will relish this wonderful book"


Scottish Golf Magazine
"Scottish Golf's book of the year. . . A great story."


Booklist
"The most compelling sports book since Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling Seabiscuit."


Travel & Leisure Golf magazine
"One of the best golf books ever written."


Boston Globe
"Jumps off the page and demands to be read."


The New York Times Book Review
"Tells this story at the perfect pace."


Scott Turow
"Anyone who loves golf, history, or just a great story will relish this wonderful book."


Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"A dramatic tale of sportsmanship, grace and history with a conclusion worthy of a thriller."


San Diego Union-Tribune
"An absolute must-read for anybody who loves history and golf."

FROM OUR EDITORS

In 1913, British golfer Harry Vardon, the Tiger Woods of his day, encountered an unexpected roadblock to winning the 1913 U.S. Open: an unknown 20-year-old American amateur named Francis Ouimet. Nobody was more surprised than Ouimet himself: The former caddie from the wrong side of the tracks had entered the match mainly to catch a few glimpses of Vardon, his hero. Instead, the young Massachusetts golfer matched Vardon and his British colleague Ted Ray stroke by stroke, round by round. At the end of 72 holes, the three golfers were tied, necessitating a playoff. Award-winning writer Mark Frost tells the story of "the greatest game ever played" as it's never been told before.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Harry Vardon and Francis Ouimet came from different worlds and different generations, but their passion for golf set them on parallel paths that would collide in the most spectacular match their sport has ever known. Through hard work, courage, and determination, Vardon had escaped a hopeless life of poverty in Britain to achieve universal recognition as the greatest champion in the game's long and storied history. Ouimet, a virtual unknown from Massachusetts, was only three years removed from his youthful career as a lowly caddie. He worshiped Vardon, a man twice his age, innovator of the modern grip and swing, daring only to dream of following in his hero's footsteps." "When these two unlikely opponents finally came together in their legendary battle at the 1913 U.S. Open, the world's reaction to its remarkable drama and heartstopping climax gave rise to the sport of golf as we know it today." Weaving together the stories of Vardon and Ouimet to create his narrative, Mark Frost has crafted a uniquely involving, intimate epic; equal parts sports biography, sweeping social history, and emotional human drama.

FROM THE CRITICS

Scott Turow

Anyone who loves gold, history, or just a great story will relish this wonderful book.

Ken Venturi

I am a traditionalist and if you are a traditionalist, you will enjoy this book. It will give you great insight into how golf got its start in America, and the man who really introduced golf to America: Francis Ouimet.

Gary McCord

Put on a pair of soft slippers and get into your favorite chair. You are about to drift back to the era of gutties and wooden shafts. Mark Frost made me sit down and stay put as golf history comes to conversational life in this very entertaining book.

Billy Crystal

This is one of the best sports books I have ever read. If I had known there was this much excitement in golf I would have started playing earlier.

Ben Crenshaw