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Larger than life, and with roots in the Tampa Bay area, Walter Hagen was a golfing trailblazer in the 1920s.
By BOB HARIG
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 12, 2001
The tales grow taller as the time passes, adding to his legend. Walter Hagen may have slept in his clothes and arrived at the first tee in a limo before shaking off the effects of a late night, but he could play, a professional golfer before it was fashionable to be one.
Back then, in an era before titanium clubs and hot golf balls, when wooden shafts and knickers were still a big part of the scene, the game was for amateurs, who viewed pros as little more than servants. Clubhouses were off-limits to pros, who often were disdained.
Sir Walter didn't care. He made them notice when he walked through the front door, insisting on being treated with class. He got their attention by winning golf tournaments, including 11 major championships.
Hagen made his mark at the PGA Championship, a tournament in which amateurs are not allowed. Fitting, because the ultimate professional golfer won it a record five times.
When the 83rd PGA Championship begins Thursday at Atlanta Athletic Club, Tiger Woods pursues his third in a row, a feat not accomplished since Hagen won four in a row from 1924-27.
"Hagen had the adulation of the masses. He was the common man's hero," said Sidney L. Matthew, a golf historian who has written about Hagen and the great amateur, Bobby Jones. "He was the guy who could start as a scruffy caddie and end up in the tails and tweeds, dancing in the clubhouse. He was the Horatio Algier of golf. Hagen created that vision. He said, "I don't want to be a millionaire. I just want to live like one.' "
He did, often overshadowing his accomplishments on the course. In addition to his five PGAs, Hagen captured four British Opens and two U.S. Opens, playing his best golf during an era before the Masters existed.
He won his first major in 1914 at the U.S. Open when he was 21, then won it again in 1919. His four British Opens and five PGAs were all won in the '20s. He was captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team six times, and when the Western Open was viewed as one of the top tournaments, he won it five times.
"Golf never had a showman like him," the late Gene Sarazen once said of his friend and rival. "All the professionals who have a chance to go after the big money today should say a silent thanks to Walter Hagen each time they stretch a check between their fingers. It was Hagen who made professional golf what it is."
Hagen had ties to the Tampa Bay area, taking a job as club professional at Pasadena Golf and Country Club during a time when the top pros of the day often worked winter club jobs. "The Haig," who died in 1969, became president at Pasadena in 1924, signing a four-year contract that paid him $30,000 a year. He lived at the Rolyat Hotel, which is now Stetson Law School.
Hagen kept good company. During an era of bigger-than-life sports legends such as Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Jones and Red Grange, Hagen was immensely popular. He hung around with Ruth in St. Petersburg when the Yankees visited for spring training.
It was during the late 1920s that Ruth made headlines for wanting a then-huge salary of $80,000. But Hagen wasn't doing badly either. Woods is king of the endorsement game today, earning a reported $50-million off the course last year. But for his day, Hagen's haul was nearly as impressive.
In addition to his salary from Pasadena, he was earning as much as $1,000 an exhibition, and sometimes played as many as nine a week. He once defeated Sarazen in a $10,000 winner-take-all match at Belleair Country Club.
"He was an unbelievable character," Matthew said. "There are all these stories about how he womanized and how he was a big drinker. But he was a tremendous player. His philosophy was opposite of (Ben) Hogan. Hogan figured you'd maybe hit one perfect shot a round and that you should strive to hit every shot as perfectly as possible. Hagen was the opposite. He figured you're going to miss five shots during any round no matter how great you play. You won't know when they're going to come. So when a bad shot comes, you shouldn't worry about it.
"He laughed off bad shots. He always said to be sure to smell the flowers along the way. It took him three hours to shave. And he treated golf the same way. Everything was paced terrificly. And he knew he would get the other guy's goat if he showed up late."
Hagen had a slew of tricks. He would concede putts early in a match, then would watch as his opponent missed a critical 2-footer later that Hagen would not concede. He would purposely hit short to a green, lulling his opponent into easing up, knowing his short game likely would prevail.
That contributed to his success in the PGA Championship, which then was contested at match play. Now it is a 72-hole stroke-play event, but each of Hagen's five victories, including the four in a row from 1924-27, was in match play. Hagen won 22 consecutive matches in the tournament.
"Although it wasn't as big as the U.S. Open or Amateur, the PGA was very prestigious," Matthew said. "It was the tournament that all the professionals wanted to win because it forced the approval of their peers. Hagen helped make it so, because he elevated the style of play. Everyone wanted to knock him off. You could make your career by beating Hagen. It's the same like Tiger today. Whoever knocks him off will be written about for years."