The great Walter Hagen was an American professional golfer. He was extremely influential in raising the professional golf scene to a whole new level and even changed the landscape of golf forever. It's safe to say he's the main contributor to the success of the sport today.
But who really is Sir Walter Hagen? Well, you are about to find out just how influential and vital he is to the industry. Not only that, we'll also get into his personal life to get a deeper understanding of the man behind the success of golf.
Father of Professional Golf - Sir Walter Hagen
Walter Hagen is hugely recognized for skyrocketing the popularity and relevancy of professional golf. He emerged at a time when professional golfers were discriminated, with the amateurs getting the upper hand in most sports including golf. The dichotomy created an unfair advantage for amateurs while the professionals were left in the dumps. For instance, professional golfers were restricted from using the facilities of a clubhouse and were told to only enter through the back door. Soon, Walter Hagen would eventually spark a change in what was otherwise a very biased sport.
Early Life
Walter Charles Hagen was born on December 21, 1892 in Rochester, New York. Hagen was of German descent and came from a normal working-class family. He started dabbling in golf during his pre-teen years at the Country Club of Rochester as a caddie.
Hagen began improving his skills into expert level by the time he was 15. Soon, the the club hired him to give golf lessons at the club's pro shop. Interestingly, Hagen talent wasn't limited to just golf. He was incredible in other sports as well such as baseball and was even offered a position on the team which he turned down. He thought he was better off sticking to golf since it did not require having to rely on teammates.
Professional Career
Walter Hagen became a professional at age 19 at the Canadian Open where he finished 11th. A year later, Hagen finished 4th at the U.S Open in 1913. Then, the year after he ended up winning the major championship with a first round of 68. His victory led to a lot of praise and catapulted his name as one of the best to come.
In 1919, Walter Hagen yet again won his second U.S Open championship which subsequently led to more and more success in the 1920's during which he won a total of 9 major championships. He won a total of four Open Championships and won five PGA Championships, four of which he won consecutively. This was no mean feat especially considering he was one of many up-can-coming American professionals. One of Hagen's rivals was Bobby Jones whom he initially lost against but later on Hagen won by a huge margin in an exhibition match in 1926.
In 1920, Walter Hagen made and impression at his fist Open Championship at Royal Cinque Ports. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed in the clubhouse since he was a professional. Conversely, the amateurs were the ones who were given the best treatment which Hagen found ridiculous. Therefore, Hagen rented out a limo and parked it in front of the course as a way to showcase his disapproval.
Walter Hagen was also a golf psychologist which was a huge advantage for him. He'd use every trick under his sleeve to defeat his opponents during which the PGA Championship was a match-play. However, Walter Hagen was not the best at hitting off of the tee but had never decided to fix his game. Instead, he chose to focus on the next shot and his recovery skills were amazing.
Sir Walter Hagen's Career Achievements
Throughout Walter Hagen's career, he achieved a total of 58 professional wins from 1914 to 1936. His 11 major championship wins placed him third, behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. This goes to show how difficult it is to surpass such a high bar set by Hagen. Below are all the major championship in which Sir Walter Hagen won:
- U.S Open 1914
- U.S Open 1919
- PGA Championship 1921
- The Open Championship 1922
- The Open Championship 1924
- PGA Championship 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1927
- The Open Championship 1928
- The Open Championship 1929
Sir Walter Hagen's Net Worth
It is said that Walter Hagen's Net Worth was anywhere between $1 million and $5 million during his time as a professional golfer. Although the exact amount is almost impossible to figure out, the amount is not at all far-fetched given his status and success at the time.
In fact, the amount of wealth he accumulated was unheard of especially during a time where professional golf had only started gaining traction. This goes to show how legendary of a golfer he was and how much wealth that comes with.
The Loss of a Legend
Walter Hagen passed away in 1969 at the age of 76 after battling throat cancer for over four years. He lived a long and fulfilling life. His legacy and impact on the sport of golf will forever be remembered and cherished for generations to come.
In 1974, Hagen was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, honoring his legacy as one of the best of the best.
Summary
Sir Walter Hagen is one of the best professional golfers of all time. Not only because he was inherently great at the sport, but also for being the pioneer of bringing publicity into the sport. He will forever be remembered as a legend. Anyway, we hope you enjoyed reading about the legacy of Sir Walter Hagen. If you're interested, do feel free to check out our article about another legend by the name of Arnold Palmer.
Last but not least, if you're looking to play golf but you don't have anyone to play with, then Deemples is the app for you.
Deemples is a golf app that makes sure you never golf alone. It's super simple to use, all you do is create/join a game and boom! You now have golf partners to play with.
Download Deemples now and enjoy some great deals.
