Who was the first American to win The Open Championship?

Who was the first American to win The Open Championship? Walter Hagen was the first native-born American to win it.

Hagen achieved the milestone at the 1922 Open Championship at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England. He finished one stroke ahead of Jim Barnes and George Duncan, recording his first Open victory and becoming the first American-born champion.

The wording matters because The Open had previously been won by golfers connected with the United States in other ways, but Walter Hagen is the canonical answer to the standard trivia question about the first American winner. He went on to win the Claret Jug four times: in 1922, 1924, 1928 and 1929.

Hagen was one of professional golf’s defining early stars. He won eleven professional major championships, including five PGA Championships, and helped raise the visibility, status and earning power of touring professionals. Francis Ouimet, Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones were important American golfers, but none preceded Hagen as an Open champion.