Jim Barnes: One Of Golf’s Great Champions The Winner of the First Two PGA Championships: 1916 & 1919 By Mike May As the world of men’s professional golf looks forward to this year’s PGA Championship to be held next month, let’s look back at the beginning of this major championship and one of the most accomplished golfers in golf’s illustrious history. Of all the former PGA Championship winners, few people are familiar with England’s “Gentleman Jim Barnes,” who won the first two the inaugural all-professional national championship to be held at the Siwanoy County Club in Bronxville, New York. Barnes won by defeating Jock Hutchison one up in the 36-hole match play finale. The total prize money for that event was $2,500. Three years later, in 1919, at the Engineers Country Club, Barnes won the PGA Championship again by defeating Fred McLeod in the 36-hole finale, 6 & 5. One of Barnes’ more comical and memorable moments in PGA Championship history took place at the 1924 PGA at the French Lick Springs Resort on the former Hill Course, now the Donald Ross Course, in French Lick, Indiana. When the official photo was taken, of that year’s field of contestants, both Barnes and Hagen appeared in the group photo twice, on both the left and right side of the picture. The pair ran from one side of the group photo to the other as they were able to outrace the slow, PGA Championships (1916 and 1919). The two intermittent years, 1917 and 1918 the PGA Championship was not held due to WWI. Because he was unassuming and soft-spoken, everyone remembers former winners, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen, but only diehard historians, remember Barnes. The U.S. Professional Golfers Association (now, PGA of America) was founded in 1916 and thegroupdecided toconduct Indiana Golf Journal
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