Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-03
WALTER
HAGEN
T AK S
1T OVER
BY WALTER HAGEN.
nerican Professional Golf Champion. the
British Open Championships Twice.


American Professional Golf Champion. the
Only Player to Win Both American and
British Open Championships Twice.
The professional athlete and some
of the better known amateur athletes
who are not being cuffed on the ears
inside four walls of rope are getting
it very often from the writer's and
fans.
pick up the papers and read about
the "caulifiower industry" the "cus-
toners" and important money" and
see many other references to those
of US who earn a living out of sport,
not including those who write 1t.
Having at last an opportunity to
express myself, ! am glad to put in a
good word for the professional golfer,
eliminating myself. j do not know
whether j have ever earned what
might be termed important money
out of golf. wish it had been s'more
important" but we will let that go.
Now about the rank and the file of
professional golfers. We have Just
had the championship tournament at
Oakmont. It followed IL sectional
qualifying rounds from New York to
San Francisco, and Minneapolis to
Atlanta. There were $50 starters, so
per cent Of the number professionals.
Everybody tossed SIS to the United
States Golf Association as an en-
trance fee.
All the boys paid their own ex-
penses to go to the nearest qualifying
point. Let's put the average qualify
ing expense down at $40 man, and
concede that 200 of the $50 starters
Were professionals. That makes
$4,000 it cost the pros to qualify. No
prize money was given by the United
States Golf Association to winners of
qualifying rounds.
Lost Week at Business.
Just over $50 qualified and assem-.
bled at Pittsburgh for the champion
ship. The boys averaged a weeks
time away from business. Many of
them came long distance. Make it
light and put the expense per man
for attending the championship at
5000. and you have a bill of $50, 900
against the boys who played at Oak.
mont, paid by themselves.
Take the total expense Of entering,
playing in qualifying rounds and in
the championship, and the boys, pro.
fessional athletes, spent about $4,000
in cash, not counting the three days
time lost by the TOO who went to quail.
ify and the average weeks time those
in the championship lost.
The total purse at Oakmont, paid
by the United States Golf Association,
was $4,000. Tommy Armour got $500
for winning. / was sixth and got $50.
My hotel bill was SOL, but, mind you,
I'm not in this, because freely agree
to anything the writer's say about me
and important money" before they
say 1t,
Open championships present excel
lent opportunities for me to enhance
my earning power. They do the same
for a handful of others, but thu rank
and file, at least $50 of the 700 profess
SIGNALS who entered. go in for the
sport Of the game and for no other
reason.
Not Important Money"
I doubt IL any other sport in which
professionals are engaged can produce
q situation equal TO the open cham.
.,ionship, with hundreds Of profess
SIGNALS giving their time and their
money to compete for money which
Is not important" And, mind you,
the gate at an open championship in
these days Is quite considerable, the
total taken in at Oakmont, plus en-
trance fees. running around $4,000.
The prize money was $4,000. split 10
ways.
Can you recall any other athletic
stars. the best in their business, play
ing to a 1000 house and taking
$4,000 to split 10 ways?
There really isn't important
money" in golf for the professional.
have played exhibitions covering IL
months and taking me from San Fran.
cisco to London and return, and from
Winnipeg to New Orleans, and crossed
less than two second-rate fighters can
draw In one night in their home city.
The largest gate 1 have seen at an
exhibition match was in Boston when
Gene Sarazen and I played against
Francis Ouimet and Jesse Guilford
The club took in about $500, but
Gene and myself We're working for a
guarantee of $3.50. our efforts to get
"cut" in the gate having failed. AS
long as ! can average $3.50 match
on the road I'm satisfied.
In Salt Lake City one day in No
vember, Joe Kirkwood and myself
having agreed to play for the gate
with tickets 81 each, went through in
a snowstorm. We took in SIT. In
Portland, Greg, a great golf town, Joe
and myself took away $1,000 in two
days, and when / read one Portland
paper ! locked into my vest pocket
N<sss,r s,@--N