In 1896 Anderson extended the course at Misquamicut to eighteen holes. Willie Park Jnr. laid out the first nine the previous year. In September 1897, Anderson entered the U.S. Open for the first time. The championship was played over 36 holes at the Chicago Golf Club where Anderson finished second, one stroke behind Joe Lloyd from Essex Country Club. The players were level going to the final hole, a 466 yard, par 4, and after a magnificant drive, Lloyd hit the green with his brassey and sunk an eight-foot putt for a bidrie three. Lloyd scored 83 and 79 for a winning total of 162, while Anderson had rounds of 79 and 84 for a total of 163. Willie Dunn and James Foulis, both exchampions shared third place. At this time Anderson broke all kinds of records, he took 32 strokes for nine-holes at Burlingame C.C. and his best for 18 holes was 68 at Palm Beach G.C.

Willie Anderson was professional at ten clubs in fourteen years, including two years at Baltusrol, then for more than a year he was at the new nine-hole course at Pittsfield, and for the balance of this two-year period he took charge for his father's course at Montclair. Then three years at Apawamis C.C (1903-06); Onwentsia (1906-09), St Louis C.C. (1909-10) and Philadelphia Cricket Club (1910). During the winter months Anderson was pro at St. Augustine in Florida. In December 1899, Anderson travelled west playing in exhibition matches with U.S. Open champion Horace Rawlins. To earn some money Anderson and Rawlins worked as greenkeepers at Oakland Golf Club, San Francisco. They entered the Southern California Open at Coronado Beach which Anderson won by one stroke from Alex Smith. In the 1900 US census Willie Anderson was listed as a boarder living with a European couple in the town of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

At the 1901 US. Open played at Myopia Hunt Club near Boston, Massachusetts, Willie Anderson and Alex Smith posted a 72-hole score of 331, to tie the tournament. In the first 18-hole play-off in Open history which had to wait until Monday because Saturday and Sunday were members days, Anderson won by one stroke, 85-86. His caddie in the playoff was Myopia professional and superintendent John Jones and Anderson acknowledged he had benefited from his local knowledge on the greens.

At that championship, the American media picked up on Anderson's quote when he growled " No, we're no goin tae eat in the kitchen." Willie was furious when told the professionals could not enter the clubhouse. The players were eventually allowed to eat in a specially erected tent. At Christmas 1901, Anderson travelled to California where he was engaged in giving golf lessons at the Hotel Green in Pasadena.

Willie struggled with the new bunkers at St Andrews, he was in eight of them in the first round. The bunkers were laid out by one of his father's apprentice green keepers from North Berwick, Hugh Hamilton. He took over from Tom Morris as head green keeper and was responsible for creating many of the bunkers at St Andrews and lengthened the course in reaction to the Haskell ball. The newspapers reported that Willie Anderson was dressed in a grey jersey and blue trousers and the headlines suggested he must be the first golfer dressed like that to drive off the first tee at St Andrews.

Anderson and Smith returned to the States in September for the U.S.Open at the Myopia Hunt Club near Boston. At first, it looked as if Anderson was out of the running for a third straight title. Scores of 81 and 80 left him five strokes behind Alex Smith and Stewart Gardner. But after the 4th hole of the third round Willie stood 2-under for the day, from there in, he ate away at the lead, then moved in front, steadily and inexorably. By the 70th hole, he had a four-stroke lead and held it together to prevail by two over Smith. Anderson received $200, a gold medal and custody of the cup was given to his club.

It was reported in the local newspaper that Anderson on the day before the championship took on the best ball of three times US Amateur champion Walter Travis and local star Hugo Johnson. The two amateurs struggled as Anderson set a new course record 72 and overwhelmed his opponents 7 and 6.

The Eastern Professional Golfers Association was established in 1905 following a meeting held in Astor House, New York when over seventy pro's attended including George Thomson, and Willie Anderson was elected to the Executive Committee.

In January 1906, Anderson was among a group of professionals including Jack White, Sandy Herd, and Andrew Kirkaldy who were invited to San Pedro de Los Pinos in Mexico to play a series of exhibition matches. In February, when the group returned to the USA a number of the British pro's stayed over to play Pinehurst and Palm Beach while Willie Anderson sailed with Jack White back to Scotland. During the previous November Tom Anderson Snr. brought Willie's new American wife Agnes to meet his family in Edinburgh.

During his visit Willie and his father Tom played a foursome match at Elie in Fife against Isaac and Dan Mackie. At the four hundred and twenty-yard fourth hole Isaac hit a long ball just as a flock of starlings flew over and one of them was hit. The bird was killed instantly and glided gracefully to earth with wings out stretched. Willie's father had the bird stuffed and displayed in a glass case which he kept for many years. Dan Mackie from the neighbouring village of Earlsferry was pro at Dunwoodie (NY) and Isaac was at Fox Hills (NY). In March 1906, Willie escorted his wife back to the USA where he had signed a contract at Onwentsia C.C. IL which was reported to be for more money than any other golf pro in the USA.

On 18th June 1908, at Normandie Park Golf Club in St. Louis , Anderson became the first three-time winner of the Western Open by edging out Fred McLeod, by one stroke. Anderson (150) was in second place after the first day of play as he trailed the leader, Laurie Auchterlonie (147), by three strokes. While Auchterlonie struggled the second day, Anderson shot a steady 149 to overtake Auchterlonie and his 149 was just good enough to hold off a charging McLeod (144). This was a very close and competitive Western as only three strokes separated the top six golfers.

The tables were turned in August at Myopia, when Anderson was going for his fifth U.S. Open victory and Fred McLeod snatched the title after a play-off with Willie Smith. In 1908 Willie Anderson won the Western Professional Golfers Association championship at Beverly Country Club in Chicago. In 1909, Willie's brother Tom Anderson Jnr. entered the Championship from the Montclair Golf Club and finished in 8th place. The winner was George Sargent , while Willie Anderson finished 4th; Jack Hobens 6th and the defending champion Fred McLeod finished in 13th place. That year Willie Anderson won the Florida Open Championship at Palm Beach and received a cheque for $150. Palm Beach had Bermuda grass which did not stand much wear so the greens were clay. The feature of the course were the Palm Tree hazards, which if a ball was driven into the broad trunk it would normally stayed there. At this time Orlando was described as having wide streets, twenty-five miles of hard road, one hotel, the San Juan and a public golf course beside the lake.

Since the Championship debuted in 1895, nobody else has ever accomplished that hat-trick of US.Open's and his record of four victories is shared by Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus but bettered by nobody. Willie played in 14 straight Open's, was second once, third once, fourth twice, fifth three times, 11th twice and 15th once. Anderson was the first great player to emerge in the U.S. but no one is sure just how great, since balls, clubs and the condition of courses were below todays standard.

THOMAS ANDERSON JNR.

Willie and Tom's father Tom Anderson Snr. was second assistant green keeper to Tom Dunn on the West Links before Dunn left and Davie Plenderleith took over in 1889. Plenderleith resigned after a few months and in February 1890 Tom Anderson Snr was appointed head green keeper with a wage of 30/- a week. His younger brother Andrew was the first of the Anderson's to show a talent for golf. He was granted a professional license on the West Links and entered the Open Championship at Muirfield in 1892. Andrew suffered from mental health and joined the green keeping staff under his brother Tom. In 1897, Andrew was taken into nursing care in Haddington where he died in 1906 aged 34 years.

In 1895, Tom Anderson supervised the extension of the course beyond the Eel Burn and created many new holes including the 14th named 'Perfection'. Anderson was given five guineas and his assistant Jimmy Litster a pound in recognition of their hard work in laying out of the extension. Tom Anderson resigned on 17th February 1900 and in December that year emigrated to America with his son Tom Anderson Jnr.

Tom Anderson Jnr. was born in 1885 at Abbey Mews Cottage, North Berwick. He emigrated to the USA with his father who was appointed pro at Montclair Golf Club, New Jersey. Tom Anderson Jnr. was a well liked pro whose flashy outfits attracted everybody's attention. While most golfers still wore the rumpled trousers, ties and tweeds of the old Scottish guard, at the 1912 US Open Tom Anderson decked himself out in a pure white silk shirt adorned with red, blue, yellow and black stripes, a natty bow tie, pleated white flannel pants with the cuffs rolled up, just one turn, a bright red bandana looped casually around his neck, a blinding plaid cap and gleaming white buckskin shoes with thick red-rubber soles and wide white laces. A young Walter Hagen was so impressed he would later emulate Anderson's refinery.

Tommy Anderson Jnr. won the first annual Pennsylvania Open Championship in 1912, was runner-up in the Eastern Professional Championship and won the Pennsylvania and Connecticut Open in 1915. He was pro at a number of clubs including Pittsfield MA (1903); French Lick IN (1907); Montclair NJ (1909); Inwood NY (1910-11); Oakmont PA (1912-13); Montclair NJ (1913-15) and wintered at St Augustine, FL (1910-13) where his brother was pro.

During the winter season of 1905/06 Tom Anderson Jnr. returned to Scotland to visit his relations in North Berwick and his mother and sister's at 15, South Clerk Street, Edinburgh. Tom Anderson was taught to play golf by his brother Willie and both had similar styles except Tom drove the ball harder with his woods. In 1907 Tom Anderson was elected to the committee of the Eastern Professional Golfers Association.

In a tournament at the opening of the new 18 hole course at the Country Club of Brookline in 1909, Tom Anderson Jnr finished third behind Jack Hobens and the winner Alex Campbell. In 1911, Tom Anderson Jnr playing in a foursome match with Alex Smith set a new course record at Inwood C.C on Long Island with a 68.

At Christmas 1914, Tom travelled over a 100 miles to lay a wreath at the grave of his father and brother at Ivy Hill cemetery. That winter Tom played a number of exhibition matches with Bernard Nicholls across the southern states finishing in Florida in April 1915.

Tom Anderson Jnr was killed in an automobile accident on 13th August 1915, aged 30 years. He was driving a high powered vehicle which hit a rut in Prospect Street, Montclair and pitched over the side of the road into a gully ten feet deep. The machine turned over and landed on top of Anderson killing him instantly. Thomas Ward, the steward at Montclair and William H. Mitchell a negro automobile demonstrator of Newark were thrown out of the car and Mitchell suffered a broken leg. Tom Anderson Jnr. was buried at Ivy Hill beside his father and brother.

Willie's sister Jessie M. L. Anderson (Daisy) emigrated to the USA in 1902 and was living with her father and brother at Montclair. That year Daisy set a new course record playing from the men's tee's at Montclair she shot 93 beating the previous record by three stokes. She later returned to Scotland permanently, was married twice and died at 3 Glengyle Terrace, Edinburgh in 1933, aged 52 years. Her mother Jessie Anderson (subsequently Chisholm) remained in London.

Willie Anderson's grandfather Andrew Anderson was born at Linkhouse farm, Dirleton in 1829. The white washed cottages adjacent to the eighth fairway on the West Links golf course at North Berwick is all that remains of the farm buildings. The eighth hole takes the name 'Linkhouse' where the Anderson family worked the land, and where the golf course is now laid out, beyond the Eel Burn.