Walter Hagen

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A biography of Walter Hagen.
A biography of Walter Hagen.

Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. He was born in Rochester, New York, United States. His tally of eleven majors is 3rd behind Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. He won the U.S. Open twice and in 1922 he became the first American to win the British Open, which he went on to win four times in total. He also won the PGA Championship five times (1921, 24-27), the Western Open five times, totalled 44 PGA wins in his career, and was a six time Ryder Cup captain.

Hagen was also very skilled at baseball. He cancelled a tryout for the Philadelphia Phillies in order to play in a golf tournament. Later that week, Hagen was the U.S. Open Champion, and his career was changed forever.

Hagen was a key figure in the development of professional golf. He emerged in an era when the division between amateurs and professionals was often stark, with the amateurs having the upper hand in some sports, golf among them. This was especially true in the United Kingdom, which was the leading country in competitive golf when Hagen began his career. Golf professionals were often not allowed to partake of the facilities of the clubhouse and were sometimes not allowed to enter the clubhouse by the front door. On one occasion he hired a Rolls Royce to serve as his dressing room because he was refused entrance to the clubhouse dressing room. On another occasion he refused to enter a clubhouse to claim his prize because he had earlier been denied entrance.

Walter Hagen served as the first club professional at the now legendary Oakland Hills Country Club, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Hagen was a dashing and assertive character who raised the status of professional golfers and improved their earnings as well. He may have been the first sportsman to earn a million dollars in his career. He once stated that he "never wanted to be a millionaire, just to live like one". Hagen once expressed his creed in these words: "You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way." Gene Sarazen, who was ten years Hagen's junior commented, "All the professionals ... should say a silent thanks to Walter Hagen each time they stretch a check between their fingers. It was Walter who made professional golf what it is."

Hagen died in Traverse City, Michigan at the age of 76. He now rests at the Holy Sepulchre Mausoleum, Southfield, Michigan, next to his grandson. At the time of his death, Hagen was well-respected. His pall bearers included some legendary sport figures, Arnold Palmer and George Morris.

Hagen's major victories were as follows:

He was past his peak by the time the other major, The Masters Tournament, was established, but finished T13, T15, T11 in 1934-1936.

Hagen captained the United States in the first six Ryder Cups and played on the first five: 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, and 1935.

Walter Hagen has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Contents

[edit] PGA Tour wins (44)

Major championships are shown in bold.

[edit] Other wins

[edit] Major Championships

[edit] Wins (11)

Year Championship 54 Holes Winning Score Margin of Victory Runners Up
1914 U.S. Open 2 shot lead +2 (68-74-75-73=290) 1 stroke Flag of United States Chick Evans
1919 U.S. Open (2) 5 shot deficit +17 (78-73-75-75=301) Playoff 1 Flag of United States Mike Brady
1921 PGA Championship N/A 3 & 2 3 strokes Flag of England Flag of United States Jim Barnes
1922 The Open Championship 2 shot deficit 76-73-79-72=300 1 stroke Flag of England Flag of United States Jim Barnes
1924 The Open Championship (2) Tied for lead 77-73-74-77=301 1 stroke Flag of England Ernest Whitcombe
1924 PGA Championship (2) N/A 2 up 2 strokes Flag of England Flag of United States Jim Barnes
1925 PGA Championship (3) N/A 6 & 5 6 strokes Flag of United States William Mehlhorn
1926 PGA Championship (4) N/A 5 & 3 5 strokes Flag of United States Leo Diegel
1927 PGA Championship (5) N/A 1 up 1 stroke Flag of United States Joe Turnesa
1928 The Open Championship (3) 75-73-72-72=292 2 strokes Flag of United States Gene Sarazen
1929 The Open Championship (4) 4 shot lead 75-67-75-75=292 6 strokes Flag of United States Johnny Farrell

Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958
1 Defeated Mike Brady in 18-hole playoff - Hagen (77), Brady (78)

[edit] Results timeline

Tournament 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
The Masters NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF
U.S. Open T4 1 T10 7 NT NT 1
The Open Championship DNP DNP NT NT NT NT NT
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP T3 NT NT DNP
Tournament 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
The Masters NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF
U.S. Open 11 T2 5 T18 T4 T5 7 6 T4 T19
The Open Championship T52 T7 1 2 1 DNP T3 DNP 1 1
PGA Championship DNP 1 DNP 2 1 1 1 1 T5 T3
Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
The Masters NYF NYF NYF NYF T13 T15 T11 DNP DNP T33
U.S. Open T17 T7 10 T4 T58 3 T33 DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP T19 DNP DNP DNP T26 DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP T17 T17 DNP T17 T33 DNP DNP DNP T33
Tournament 1940 1941
The Masters WD WD
U.S. Open DQ DNP
The Open Championship NT NT
PGA Championship T9 DNP

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
DQ = Disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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