Walter Hagen: Golf’s First Millionaire and Michigan’s Party-Loving Legend

On October 6, 1969, the world lost Walter Hagen—a man who didn’t just play golf, he redefined it. Known as the “father of professional golf,” Hagen’s story was one part athletic brilliance, one part champagne-soaked legend. He was the first athlete to earn over a million dollars playing a sport. Whether he was raising a club or a glass, he made sure people remembered it.

Born in 1892 in Rochester, New York, Hagen burst onto the golf scene by winning the U.S. Open in 1914. He won it again in 1919. But he truly made history in 1922 when he became the first native-born American to win The Open Championship in the U.K., bringing the prestigious Claret Jug back across the Atlantic. He would go on to claim it three more times. Hagen also won the PGA Championship five times (all in match play), the Western Open five times (considered a near-major in his era), and in total racked up 45 PGA Tour victories. By the time he was done, his 11 major titles ranked him behind only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Living Life Large

But Hagen wasn’t just about numbers. He was about living large. Hagen traveled the world for more than 2,000 tournaments, hosted parties that went on until dawn. He became famous for being the first to grab the check at dinner. He lived for years in Detroit at the Athletic Club and the Book Cadillac Hotel. In 1954 on a 20-acre estate near Traverse City, overlooking East Long Lake.

Hagen also helped legitimize professional golf at a time when amateurs were seen as the “real” players. His charisma, endorsement deals, and demand for prize money lifted the sport into the spotlight and set the stage for generations of golfers to come.

In his later years, Hagen battled throat cancer but never lost his charm. In 1967, he was honored at a testimonial dinner in Traverse City, where Arnold Palmer and Cary Middlecoff joined to pay tribute. A month earlier, at the PGA Championship, Hagen even declared his support for Palmer, proudly calling himself part of “Arnie’s Army.”

Laid to Rest

Hagen died at his Traverse City home at age 76 and was laid to rest at the Holy Sepulchre Mausoleum in Southfield, Michigan, next to his grandson. His pallbearers included Arnold Palmer himself—a fitting farewell for a man who turned golf into not just a sport, but a spectacle.

Walter Hagen wasn’t just one of the greatest golfers of all time—he was golf’s first rock star.