Oscar "Doc" Willing (October 16, 1889 – March 2, 1962) was the golfing dentist who was one of the Northwest’s top amateurs on the links throughout the 1920s and ‘30. He is regarded as the first well-known golfer from the state of Oregon.
Willing grew up in Southeast Portland and was another youngster who learned the game caddying at Waverly Country Club. He earned his nickname, “Doc,” while serving in World War I as dentist. He was able to play the game while in dental school in Montreal. Back in Oregon, he set up a dental practice and joined Waverly as a member. His talent showed quickly and he won his first tournament: the 1919 Oregon Coast Invitational at Gearhart.
Over the following two decades, Willing was consistently among the finalists in Northwest and Western tournaments. Doc won the Portland Amateur title back-to-back in 1920 & '21. He won his first Oregon amateur in 1921, then four more. He won the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Men’s Amateur in 1924 and 1928 and reached the final of the U.S. Amateur in 1929.
The 1924 PNGA final was considered a classic. Played in Vancouver, BC, Willing matched up with British amateur star Willie Hunter. Oscar fell behind on the first nine by five strokes, then rallied to win the match 2 and 1.
Willing was the first Oregonian to play for the U.S. on the Walker Cup team, which pitted golfers from the U.S. against those from the British Isles, in 1923. He played on the team a total of three times and won every match he appeared in. He considered his 1928 Oregon Open at Waverly another special moment.
Willing was inducted into the PNGA Hall of Fame in 1993.