The best golfer from every U.S. state

New York: Walter Hagen

The great Walter Hagen’s greatest rival also happened to hail from the Empire State, but Gene Sarazen ultimately doesn’t have the career as a whole that measures up to Haig. Born in Rochester in 1892, Hagen began his life as a golfer by first caddying in his younger years to help earn money for his family. However, he was proving himself capable on the course as a young age and was finally able to make his way into the professional ranks at just 19 years old.

At that age, Hagen proved that he was ready to compete with the game’s best as the New York native came in 11th in the 1912 Canadian Open. It wasn’t long before he was pushing even harder as he entered the U.S. Open the following year and finished in fourth place. That should have been a sign to everyone about what was to come, because Hagen would be in the tournament the next year and capture the victory for his first major championship victory and first professional victory.

That win at the U.S. Open would be the first of 11 major championship victories for Hagen throughout his career, putting him in third-place all time on that list behind Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. He won the U.S. Open twice, The Open Championship four times and the PGA Championship five times, including four years in a row from 1924-27.

In the end, Hagen finished his career with 45 victories on the PGA Tour (No. 8 all time) and 75 overall professional wins. He reached a state of immortality on the links, a legacy that remains intact.