Walter Charles Hagen was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century.
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34 Facts About Walter Hagen
2.
Walter Hagen won the PGA Championship a record-tying five times, and the Western Open five times when it had near-major championship status.
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3.
Walter Hagen totaled 45 PGA wins in his career, and was a six-time Ryder Cup captain.
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4.
Walter Hagen's father worked as a millwright and blacksmith in Rochester's railroad-car shops.
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5.
Walter Hagen was the second of William and Louisa's five children and the only son.
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Ryder Cup William Kent Inverness Oakland St Petersburg Florida Golf Traverse City Michigan United States Jeremy Northam6.
Walter Hagen developed his golf game at the Country Club of Rochester, beginning as a caddie, and earned money to help support his family from pre-teen age.
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7.
Walter Hagen earned ten cents per round and was occasionally tipped another five cents.
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8.
Walter Hagen played golf at every chance he got; caddie access to the course was limited to off-peak times, as it was elsewhere in the US during that era.
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9.
Walter Hagen, with assistance from head professional Alfred Ricketts, gradually improved his golf skill to the stage where he was an expert player by his mid-teens, and was then hired by the club to give lessons to club members and to work in the pro shop.
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10.
Walter Hagen made his top-class professional debut at age 19 at the 1912 Canadian Open, placing 11th, a good showing.
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11.
Walter Hagen followed up with a surprise 4th place showing at the 1913 US Open at Brookline where he stated that he was treated badly by the other professionals who knew nothing about him.
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12.
Walter Hagen said "they pushed me off the tee and told me I could practice when they were through".
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13.
Walter Hagen vowed to play in the 1914 US Open and "win it", and he did exactly that.
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14.
Walter Hagen was very skilled at baseball, primarily as a pitcher and shortstop.
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15.
Walter Hagen canceled a 1914 tryout for the Philadelphia Phillies in order to play in a golf tournament.
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16.
Later that week, Walter Hagen was the US Open Champion, and his career was changed forever.
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17.
Walter Hagen was a key figure in the development of professional golf.
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18.
Walter Hagen 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.
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19.
On one occasion, at the 1920 British Open in Deal, Kent, Walter Hagen hired a Pierce-Arrow car to serve as his private dressing room, because he was refused entrance to the clubhouse dressing room.
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20.
Walter Hagen hired a chauffeur, and parked the expensive car in the club's driveway; this behavior raised a few eyebrows in class-conscious Britain.
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21.
The 1920 US Open in Toledo marked a turning point; the players, encouraged by Walter Hagen, donated a large grandfather clock to the host Inverness Club, in appreciation of the club allowing access for the professionals to their clubhouse during the tournament.
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22.
Walter Hagen represented the Country Club of Rochester early in his professional competitive career; he was well supported by its members and management for his external competitive ventures.
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23.
Walter Hagen worked for Oakland Hills until 1919, and then became the first touring professional unaffiliated with a club, a status he held alone for several years.
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24.
In 1924, Walter Hagen was president and co-owner of the Bear Creek Golf and Country Club associated with Jack Taylor's Pasadena-On-The-Gulf development in St Petersburg, Florida.
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25.
Walter Hagen was a dashing and assertive character who raised the status of professional golfers and improved their earnings as well.
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Ryder Cup William Kent Inverness Oakland St Petersburg Florida Golf Traverse City Michigan United States Jeremy Northam26.
Walter Hagen was widely known for his dashing wardrobe while playing; this featured expensive tailored clothes in bright colors and plush fabrics.
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27.
Walter Hagen was the first golfer to earn a million dollars in his career.
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28.
Walter Hagen said he "never wanted to be a millionaire, just to live like one".
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29.
Walter Hagen battled throat cancer for over four years and had several operations.
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30.
Walter Hagen died in 1969 at age 76 at his home in Traverse City, and now rests at the Holy Sepulchre Mausoleum in Southfield, Michigan, next to his grandson.
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31.
In 2000, Walter Hagen was ranked as the seventh greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine.
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32.
Walter Hagen captained the United States in the first six Ryder Cups, and played on the first five US teams: 1927,1929,1931,1933, and 1935.
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33.
Walter Hagen has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, in the charter class of 1974.
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34.
Walter Hagen has been portrayed by Bruce McGill in the 2001 movie The Legend of Bagger Vance, and by British actor Jeremy Northam in the 2004 Bobby Jones biopic Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius.
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