Ohio Golf Journal April 2019

shy of his 48th birthday. The last major, in which he competed, was the 1932 U.S. Open, where he finished 55th. Barnes did play in the 1930 (British) Open, at age 44, where he recorded a sixth-place finish and he won the New Jersey State Open in 1939, when he was 53. Barnes missed his opportunity to win a Masters and become the world’s first professional golfer to win the career Grand Slam. Barnes success in Ohio was mixed. He finished tied for 6th in the 1920 U.S. Open at Inverness Club in Toledo but missed the cut at the 1926 U.S. Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus. Barnes was friends with and competed against the great Walter Hagen. The two played a prank at the 1924 PGA Championship, held at French Lick, Indiana and won by Hagen. During the official photograph, the photographer had to span the camera from left to right to capture the entire field. Hagen and Barnes can be seen on the extreme left side of the picture and also at the extreme right side. As the photographer turned the camera, the duo ran behind the players and re-positioned themselves for a double take. Gentleman Jim Barnes does not receive the acclaim due a golfer of his stature, but his victories speak volumes and he should be included in any 19th-hole discussion of the Greatest Golfers of All Time.