When Hagen arrived on the membership and to steer clear of lumbering round with the 27-pound trophy, he paid the taxi driving force to drop it off at his lodge.
It used to be the remaining he noticed of the trophy.
The Wanamaker by no means arrived at his lodge, and even though Hagen knew he now not had it in his ownership, he saved that to himself.
On the subsequent yr’s PGA Championship, when requested to supply the trophy because the returning champion, Hagen stated along with his standard bravado: “I can win it anyway, so I did not convey it.”
Positive sufficient, he did win it. And in 1927, he received it for the fourth time in a row. It used to be most effective in 1928, when he used to be knocked out by means of Leo Diegel, that he used to be pressured to confess he now not had the trophy in his ownership.
A substitute used to be made, earlier than the unique mysteriously became up 1931.
Beginnings
Hagen used to be born right into a “blue-collar circle of relatives” in 1892 in Rochester, New York, explains Tom Clavin, writer of ‘Sir Walter: Walter Hagen and the Invention of Skilled Golfing.’
Hagen’s early days in golfing had been spent as a caddie on the Nation Membership of Rochester.
By way of his mid-teens, Hagen used to be a gifted participant and used to be serving to on the professional store on the membership. He made his skilled debut at age 19 on the 1912 Canadian Open.
Enjoying in his debut primary — the 1913 U.S. Open — Hagen surprised many when he completed tied for fourth. However upon his go back to Rochester, he got here with stories of mistreatment from the opposite execs.
So he made a promise to them. “I am going again subsequent yr and win that event.”
And he did simply that.
‘He represented the barbarians on the gate of golfing’
Golfing wasn’t the one game Hagen used to be gifted at. From an early age, he additionally excelled at baseball.
However his ability at baseball and blossoming golfing occupation gave Hagen a catch 22 situation.
“Baseball is a staff game. Walter appreciated the eye to be all on him,” Clavin defined. “So he did not wish to proportion the eye with the pitcher or the primary baseman or the catcher.
“I believe a large a part of it used to be that he used to be now not most effective excellent at it, most certainly figured he can be higher as a golfer than as a baseball participant, and he may name his personal pictures, as a way to discuss.
“He did not need to rely on anyone else. Both he received as a result of he used to be higher than everyone else at the box, or he misplaced as a result of he wasn’t. And in baseball, you might be type of dependent at the different guys at the box.”
As Clavin describes, when Hagen used to be making his first steps in golfing, it used to be a game in its nascent levels in the United States. And Hagen, being an aspiring skilled, noticed an enormous attainable for enlargement, each for the sport and for himself.
His professionalism irked many in golfing.
“He type of poked the aristocracy within the eye. And there have been a large number of folks within the aristocracy who actually despised Walter Hagen as a result of what he represented,” Clavin defined.
“He represented the barbarians on the gate of golfing, and he took that as motivation, they usually despised him much more when he saved successful.”
In town
With various disposal source of revenue, Hagen used to be prepared to benefit from the end result of his labour.
He additionally trie marriage in short, however Clavin says that it “did not figure out rather well.”
On account of his “extravagant way of life” possible choices, as Clavin describes it, successful become a need.
“He sought after to win that first-place handbag, he sought after to move on those paid excursions, he sought after to do those endorsement offers and endorse cigarettes and different merchandise,” stated Clavin.
“And so clearly, if he had now not been in a position to win as incessantly as he did, he would have needed to in the future face the truth of: ‘I will’t are living the way of living as a result of I just can’t manage to pay for it.'”
Right through his illustrious occupation, Hagen received 11 primary titles — probably the most ever on the time — in addition to 45 PGA Excursion victories.
What is much more outstanding is that the Masters had now not even been based till smartly after Hagen’s top.
Most of the tales which can be recounted about Hagen are stories of his hitting town and turning up having a look raveled for the play tomorrow.
On the other hand, Clavin believes that Hagen would now not in reality cross out the night time earlier than and used to be making an attempt to decrease the guard of his warring parties. Clavin calls Hagen “the primary nice sports activities psychologist.”
“As an example, think it used to be a big event, he would have his limousine display up and he would get out of the limousine in a rumpled tuxedo,” Clavin stated.
“So everyone would assume: ‘Oh, deficient Walter, he is most certainly very hungover. He isn’t going to be an element these days.’ Then he’d cross into the locker room and alter and are available out to the primary tee and strike one proper down the center of the green.
“He knew earlier than he even hit his first ball, he figured: ‘I am a winner and those guys are going to be losers as a result of they’re fairly intimidated by means of me. They are able to’t determine me out.’ He had a psychological merit that used to be unrivaled by means of his competition on the time.”
Starting place
Hagen earned prefer along with his fellow golfers by means of all the time choosing up the invoice within the bar. His trailblazing nature when it got here to proving golfing a competent earnings movement additionally continued himself to others.
They each made endorsing golfing apparatus for gamers a extra common enterprise and one thing which helped to make the game extra out there for all.
“All of the execs … must say a silent because of Walter Hagen each and every time they stretch a test between their arms. It used to be Walter who made skilled golfing what it’s.”
No longer most effective that, he performed an integral part within the status quo of the Ryder Cup, that includes within the early editions of it and being a six-time captain of the United States staff, successful it 4 time and shedding simply two times.
And so, given all Hagen did for the game, Clavin believes it’s no exaggeration to name him the “father {of professional} golfing.”
“Walter Hagen used to be very a lot acutely aware of what a pioneer he used to be. He may glance across the panorama and notice that there have been only a few skilled golfers, however of the ones few golfers, he used to be probably the most a hit one.
“And so he understood the duty he needed to proceed to play smartly and now not even play smartly for his personal functions to win the event handbags, however to type of be like this Johnny Appleseed of golfing; he did cross on those global excursions, which no one else had performed earlier than.
“No longer Bobby Jones, now not anyone else. To move on those global excursions greater than as soon as that took him to Africa, took him to Asia, took him to Europe clearly, took him to just about each continent apart from Antarctica to play those exhibition suits and unfold the phrase of golfing and to introduce golfing to international locations that had by no means even had it.”
