The U.S. Open's 10 greatest players: career performance

The U.S. Open’s 10 greatest players: career rating

By Bill Felber | Jun 14, 2021

Tiger Woods warms up on the driving range before playing facing off against Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose with Justin Thomas in the Payne's Valley Cup, the inaugural event at the new Payne's Valley Golf Course in Ridgedale, Mo., on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020.Tpaynes Valley Cup00016 /

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A 1929 photo showing former British Open champions. That’s Jim Barnes, second from right in the front row. He’s alongside George Duncan, Walter Hagen and Ted Ray. In the back are Harry Vardon, James Braid, Sandy Herd, Jack White and Arnaud Massy. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) /

6. Jim Barnes, -0.88 (1913-1929)

The game’s dominant player around World War I, Barnes won the Open in 1921, and would have been a favorite had not the event been cancelled in 1917 and 1918.

There was never a doubt about Barnes’ 1921 victory. He seized a four-stroke lead after the first day with a 69, the tournament’s low round. The only question at that point was the margin of victory, which turned out to be nine strokes over Walter Hagen and Fred McLeod.

He finished 2.65 standard deviations ahead of the field, making Barnes’ 1921 performance one of the 25 greatest in U.S. Open history.

Between his debut in 1912 and his retirement following the 1932 event, Barnes was a consistent top 10 presence. He was third to Chick Evans in 1916, fourth in 1913 and 1915, and sixth in 1920.

As well as he handled the U.S. Open, it was not Barnes’ best event. He won the inaugural PGA in 1916, successfully defended in 1919, and also took the 1925 British Open. Only Barnes’ semi-retirement at age 46 in 1932 denied him the chance to become the first winner of the modern Grand Slam when the Masters came into being two years later.

Over the course of his career, he was credited with 22 official PGA Tour victories.

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