The Week Hall Makes History?

When Harry Hall tees it up this week for the first time in the BMW Championship at Caves Valley Golf Club, Owings Mills, Maryland, he will be bidding to win one of golf history’s greatest championships — one that was won three times by a former caddy-boy from his home club West Cornwall Golf Club, Lelant, Cornwall, England.  ‘Long Jim’ Barnes, who Hall honours by wearing the Barnes’ trademark flat cap, won the Western Open in 1914, 1917 and 1919.  

It was only in 2007 that the Western Open became known as the BMW Championship, played as the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup playoff series.

Barnes’ 2 shot victory over Hagen at the 1917 Western Open, held at Westmoreland, Chicago, set what was considered at the time to be a new world mark for a 72 hole major championship total — 283.  It would not be until 1950 before that the total would be beaten at the British Open.

But it was Barnes’ victory in 1914 at Interlachen Country Club, Minnesota, that signalled his breakthrough into the big time. It followed Walter Hagen’s own emergence just the week before, when he won the US Open at Midlothian, Chicago.  Both were considered major championships — the national championship commencing in 1895 and the Western in 1899.

When Barnes broke through in 1914 he was age 28 — the same age as Harry Hall at the BMW Championship this week. Many believe that it is only a matter of time before Hall emulates his great role model and captures a big title. 

If it happens this week, it would be a fitting twist of history.