Conspiracy, Motivation, Or A Genuine Mistake? The Incredible Story of Walter Hagen And The Lost PGA Championship Trophy

There came a phase when golfers were slowly rising to fame and people wanted to see more of golfers’ lives and their winning moments. Many renowned newspapers of that time would form clusters in and around golf courses and their homes to get even the slightest glimpse of the golfers. The Wanamaker trophy at that time was considered to be one of the most precious award pieces in the sports fraternity.

Anybody who loves golf has to love Walter Hagen as well. The man was a legend. Hagen’s first PGA Championship victory came in 1921, and his second victory came in 1924.

What Transpired on That Fateful Day

On September 26, 1925, what started out as a usual victory, turned into a nightmare for the golfer. What unfolded on that evening would turn out to be one of the biggest blunders of Hagen’s life.

On that day, as usual, the sun was about to set and the lamps on the street were lit. It was a typical Chicago evening. The 1925 PGA winner planned on celebrating his 2nd consecutive victory in the windy city at a drinking establishment.

When he was going to celebrate his victory, the golfer hailed a cab with the trophy in his one hand. When the taxi stopped, he handed over a $5 bill to the driver, set the Wanamaker comfortably in the back seat, and asked the cab driver to drop it at his hotel. This seemed like a smart thing to do at that time. But it didn’t turn out the way it was intended.

Thus, the illustrious tale of the Wanamaker Trophy began that mysteriously went missing from the hands of the 5 times PGA Championship winner. And with that also rose the brows of many, who asked, “Did the Wanamaker really go missing? Or was it an elaborate quest to keep the iconic silver cup away from home?”

Was losing the trophy the only reason Hagen emerged victorious in the forthcoming PGA Championships?

Before going for his first exhibition match in Iowa, Hagen knew that the trophy was missing. Only he knew about the fact that the cab driver betrayed him and did not deliver the trophy to his hotel, as directed.

Read More: From Being Lost in a Taxi to Being Used as a Celebration Keg: The Incredible 107-Year-Old History of the PGA Championship’s Wanamaker Trophy

The secret was kept well until the next PGA Championship, that is 1926. The golfer arrived at Salisbury Golf Club, New York on September 21, 1926, without the trophy and was questioned by the officials. Hagen displayed fantastic confidence and said, “I will win it anyway, so I didn’t bring it.” He must have been nervous but he did not let that show on his face. He went ahead and played his best game. The motivation from his lie made him the champion, yet again! 1926 was the first time that the winning ceremony was conducted without the Wanamaker trophy. The secret was safe for another year.

The motivation to win and hide the truth continued in 1927 as well. On October 31, 1927, at Cedar Crest Country Club, Dallas, Texas the gofer again had put on a show and emerged victorious. This was his fourth consecutive victory. 1927 marked the second year of the Wanamaker trophy not making it to the ceremony. 

Who knew that Hagen’s lie was just about to unfold? No one, not even Walter Hagen himself. 

When did the truth about the iconic PGA Championship trophy come out?

In 1928, the tables turned. It was not Hagen’s year anymore. It was Diegel’s year. Diegel came in and swooped everyone with his pleasing performance in the quarterfinals. He left Hagne sweating left and right. Hagen now had to finally come clean. His lying and winning streaks were both over.

On October 1, 1928, Walter Hagen competed against Leo Diegel in a thrilling match of quarterfinals at the Baltimore Country Club at Five Farms, Lutherville, Maryland. Hagen lost and gave a hearty handshake to his fellow golfer. Just after losing, Hagen realized that one of his worst nightmares was coming true. He had to break the news to the PGA about the trophy he had lost three years ago.

When Digel finally won in the finals, the five-time PGA Championship winner came forward and broke the news. It took the whole PGA of America by storm. The news pissed off the winner and William Broening, then mayor of Baltimore, who was supposed to present the trophy to the championship winner.

The winning ceremony was then saved by the Maryland Open’s 1926 trophy that was there in the clubhouse. It even had Leo Diegel’s name engraved on it, as he won the tournament in 1926.

The PGA then passed an order to create a new trophy for the championship that had to be completed by the 1929 PGA Championship.

The PGA of America was planning to introduce a memorial medal

The PGA of America was planning to introduce a memorial medal in 1930 to honor the sudden demise of Alex Smith, yet another pioneer of golf. Smith died unexpectedly in April 1930.

Smith, the two-time U.S. Open winner, was not part of the initial group of charter members. However, he had already made a name for himself in both the United States and Europe with his exceptional golf skills. He was highly admired not only for his talent but also for his cleverness, charisma, expertise as a teacher, and straightforward attitude toward everything in life.

The lost Wanamaker magically reappears

Someone came bearing good news for the PGA Tour. A knock on the door of Wannamoisett Country Club changed the course of the PGA Championship for the first time in six years. A package with no sender’s address came from New York, and inside it was the Wanamaker Trophy.

In 1931, it was announced in a press release that the Wanamaker Trophy had mysteriously been restored, just like it disappeared six years ago. “This fall, when a porter was cleaning up the golf factory in Detroit, which makes Hagen equipment, he found an unopened, sealed package. It was the cup. Just how it arrived in the factory basement still remains a mystery.”

The factory where the trophy was found was in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was owned by L.A. Young & Company, which had purchased the Walter Hagen Golf Products Corporation in 1925.

Now the question arises: how did the trophy reach the factory? How did the taxi manage to reach the factory? Did the driver somehow get confused with the hotel’s name and drop the trophy at Hagen’s factory? Or did he intentionally drop the Wanamaker trophy at the factory? Or, on top of everything, was it all just a conspiracy that was designed to keep Wanamaker?

Well, whatever the cause might have been, the trophy finally reached its legitimate home.

The Wanamaker Trophy has been through a lot since its inception. It will be interesting to see what more this historic trophy entails in the future. Not just the PGA Championship trophy, but the slogan of the major league has also been altered a few times.

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