For nearly 100 years, Tagalong Golf Course, and later Tagalong Resort, has been a Birchwood Wisconsin destination location for golfers and families alike. Read on to about a moment in history, when it came time for it's Grand Opening:
On Aug. 27, 1925, the man who won the first two PGA titles in 1916 and 1919, "Long" Jim Barnes, played a grand opening exhibition match at Tagalong. The 6-foot-4, long-hitting Barnes was one of golf's biggest names at the time, rivaling Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen and Walter Hagen. Barnes was coming off a come-from-behind win in the British Open earlier that summer, his fourth major championship victory and maybe the most satisfying for the native Englishman, who lived in Philadelphia.
His opponent at Tagalong was Scottish-born Willie MacFarlane, who had defeated Jones in a 36-hole playoff earlier that summer to win the U.S. Open.
The 18-hole match between Barnes and MacFarlane turned out to be one-sided. Barnes shot 40 on the front nine to MacFarlane's 35 and never recovered. MacFarlane finished with 71 and Barnes 78.
About 250 people, including Tagalong's 14 members, witnessed the match.
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