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Walter Hagen (born December 21, 1892 in Rochester,
New York; died October 6, 1969) was a major figure
in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His
tally of eleven professional majors has been
surpassed only by Jack Nicklaus. He won the
U.S.Open Championship (golf)|U.S. Open twice and
in 1922 he became the first American to win the
The Open Championship|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 and totalled forty PGA wins in his
career and was a six time Ryder Cup captain.

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.

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". 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's major victories were as follows:

*U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open: 1914, 1919.
*The Open Championship|British Open: 1922, 1924,
1928, 1929.
*PGA Championship:1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927.

He was past his peak by the time the other major,
The Masters Tournament, was established.

Hagen captained the United States in the first six
Ryder Cups.

==See also==
*Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
*List of golfers with most major title wins

== External links ==
*http://stage1.wghof.com/hof/members/whagen.html
World Golf Hall of Fame
*http://www.walterhagenhome.org/ Walter Hagen's
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