60
September 2010
www.insidegolf.com.auGOLFLEGENDS ......................................................................................................................................................................................................
Hagen a matchplay marvel
DavidNewbery
THE great American golfer Walter Hagen was
arguably the most colourful figure that golf has
produced.
He was also considered to be the best matchplay
golfer ever to play the game and that made him
the ideal candidate to captain the United States
against Great Britain in the inaugural Ryder
Cup in 1927.
In fact, Hagen captained the United States in the
first six Ryder Cups and played on the first five.
He was a tough competitor and, in a career
spanning more than 20 years, collected 11 major
titles including five US PGA Championships,
which were played as matchplay events until 1957.
The Haig, as he was affectionately known, won
his first US PGA title in 1921, didn’t enter the
event again until 1924 and then won the next
four — meaning his unbeaten matchplay record
stretched to 22 matches.
He only played in seven US PGA Championships
and won 32 out of 34 contests.
He also won four British Opens, two US Opens
and was past his best when the first US Masters
was played in 1934.
An extravert, Hagen has an excellent Ryder
Cup record winning seven of nine contests and
losing only once.
Hagen was not a particularly good ball-striker,
but he was a great putter and had the ability to
play the most audacious recovery shots from the
trees or deep rough.
He always seemed to find the green and sink
the putt.
Hagen’s stroke play record wasn’t too shabby
either.
In the 10 British Opens he contested, Hagen
had four victories, a second and third.
Not bad for someone who finished second last
in his first Open in 1920.
The setback didn’t bother Hagen – he simply
slipped over to France and duly won the French
Open.
In 1922, he won the British Open at Royal
St George’s, but the flamboyant Hagen didn’t
particularly enjoy the British scene.
At the time, professionals were not allowed to
enter the clubhouse so Hagen hired a limousine
and parked it in the club’s car park.
He refused to be treated as a second class person
and had everything delivered to the car.
A year later, he finished runner-up to Arthur
Havers and was invited to attend the presentation
in the clubhouse, but he refused and invited the
gallery along for a drink at a local pub.
That meant very few fans attended the prize-giving ceremony.
A dashing and assertive character, Hagen had
many clashes with the authorities in Britain and
the United States, but he was credited with lifting
the status of professional golf.
His good friend Gene Sarazen once said: “All the
players who have a chance to go after big money
should say a silent prayer to Walter Hagen. It was
Walter who made professional golf what it is.”
Born in New York in 1892, Hagen’s competitive
golf career began in 1912 in Canada, but he had to
wait two years to win his first major – the US Open.
He did manage a famous victory over Jones in
1926 when a 72-hole match was arranged with
Hagen taking the match 11 and 10 as well as all
the gate money.
In that era, money matches were par for the
course and two years later Hagen was involved
in another match that went down in folklore.
He had just got off the ship and was challenged
by Archie Compston, arguably Britain’s best
golfer at that time.
Because of the long voyage, Hagen was out of
practice and lost the match 18 and 17.
But not long after that event, he won the British
Open after he had dieted and kept off the alcohol.
A year later, Hagen returned to play the Open
and produced one of his finest performances.
Going into the final day, Hagen was two shots
behind leader Leo Diegel, who had decided on an
early night while Hagen was out enjoying himself.
When told that his rival had gone to bed,
Hagen replied: “Yeah, but he ain’t asleep.”
Next day Diegel returned an 82 in gale-force
winds while Hagen, using a deep-faced driver,
carded a 75 to win.
Hagen didn’t possess a classic swing with
many critics saying his stance was too wide and
had a weak grip.
And he would sway on his downswing, which
some say was the reason for wayward shots.
But that didn’t worry Hagen, who expected
to hit at least six or seven bad shots a round.
Consequently, hitting a bad shot didn’t bother
him.
While other players would lose their temper
and throw clubs, Hagen remained calm.
“Never hurry, never worry and be sure to smell
the flowers along the way – it’s later than you
think,” Hagen was quoted as saying.
An ex-caddie, Hagen didn’t particularly like
golf, but he said it gave him the opportunity to
earn a decent living.
His personal life was a struggle with two failed
marriages and the tragic death of his grandson,
who died in a target shooting accident at age 15.
Hagen, who died in 1969 and was buried next
to his grandson, was inducted into the World
Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.;
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