Founders' Choice: The 1927 PGA in Dallas - Walter Hagen Wins At Cedar Crest
98 years ago, The Father of Professional Golf won at a course you should play soon.
Today’s piece is the second in our “Founders Choice” series for 2025 where we will regularly write about topics that different founding subscribers have suggested they would very much like to have me address. This one goes out to Michael and Nick, in particular, who were interested in a telling of some DFW Golf history. I hope you all enjoy this project. As an added bonus, I spent about 30 minutes with Ira Molayo, Director of Golf at Cedar Crest, for this piece and you can watch or listen to it below. His video feed did not survive the entire visit, but there is plenty to enjoy, as well. I hope you enjoy what might be the deepest rabbit hole I have ever wandered down.
You may be aware that the professional golf calendar is about to exit major season for 2025 after Sunday. You might also be aware that in 2027, North Texas will host a major championship at PGA Frisco (Rory McIlroy certainly is) and that will be the first time since 1963 since this area has had this honor for the men’s side.
Now 64 years between hosting majors is a mighty long time, but it is true. Only four times has DFW hosted a men’s major and if you are wondering, yes, the heat is pretty much the reason.
1927 - PGA Championship - Cedar Crest - Won by Walter Hagen
1941 - US Open - Colonial Country Club - Craig Wood
1952 - US Open - Northwood Country Club - Julius Boros
1963 - PGA Championship - Dallas Athletic Club Blue - Jack Nicklaus
Those last three are obviously interesting stories worth our time and maybe some day I will dive down those rabbit holes. But, today is not that day. Today, I wish to ponder the idea of a Dallas Muni hosting the 1927 PGA Championship because I think it is an amazingly cool piece of DFW history that is seldom referenced.
Also, I think it is probably not a coincidence that the 2027 PGA Championship will occur on the 100th anniversary of this affair that happened about 5 miles south of downtown. Someone had to have done this on purpose, I would imagine.
Let’s tell the story.
It happened.
If there is one thing that my sports brain simply cannot conceive, it is of a golf major championship in Dallas. More specifically, it is of a golf major championship played inside the city limits at what is now a Dallas municipal golf course. What that means, is that for about $50, you can play the exact course that was used for a real-live PGA Championship.