2020 Virtual U.S. Open: The favorites to win at Winged Foot

Walter Hagen, 1914, 1919 (1919-1928), -1.29

Jim Barnes, 1921 (1915-1924), -1.29

Hagen set high-performance standards and had the confidence to live up to them. Returning from his first major competition, a tie for fourth as a 20-year-old at the 1913 U.S. Open, he supposedly replied to an inquiry about how he’d fared thusly: “I lost!”

There was no need for such snappishness one year later at Midlothian. Announcing his presence with the tournament’s low round, a 68, Hagen led defending champion Francis Ouimet by three strokes entering the final round and won by four over Chick Evans.

At the 1919 Open at Brae Burn in Massachusetts, Hagen trailed Mike Brady by three strokes after 36 holes, and by five entering the final round, but caught him to force a playoff. Early in that playoff, according to Hagen, he told the notoriously nervy Brady to “roll down your sleeves so the people won’t see your arms shake.” Whether true gamesmanship or legend, the record shows that Hagen won the playoff by a stroke.

In the early 1920s, Barnes was the professional most likely to occupy Hagen’s attention. That was never more the case than at Columbia Country Club in 1921 when Barnes punished Hagen and the entire field.

His opening round 69 left Barnes four in front of Chick Evans, nine ahead of Bobby Jones and 10 up on Hagen. The rest was a formality, but it was made memorable during Saturday’s morning round. At the 309 yard 2nd hole, Barnes, by then comfortably ahead, drove close to a tree, then lofted his second shot over the obstacle. It lit on the right side of the green, took a slope, and rolled until dropping into the cup for a memorable eagle.

It was the third of an eventual four major championships for Barnes, whose overall U.S. Open record earns him a place among the tournament favorites.

Check back tomorrow for a look at those, who are not designated as favorites, could still challenge for the virtual U.S. Open title.