Ben Hogan
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William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was a professional golf player, who, with two other greatest golfers of all time, Sam Snead and Byron Nelson, were all born within 6 months of each other in 1912.
[edit] Life and CareerBorn in Stephenville, Texas, he began caddying at the age of eleven and started as a professional golfer in 1931. Hogan was, by most accounts, the greatest golfer of his time, and still stands as one of the greatest of all time. He is arguably the greatest ball-striker ever to play the game; even today, when a player is making great contact with the ball, the phrase "hitting it like Hogan" will be evoked. "The Hawk" possessed fierce determination and an iron will, which, when combined with his unquestionable golf skills, often intimidated opponents into submission. Also known as "The Wee Ice Mon" for his steely demeanor, Hogan rarely spoke while in competition, and few opponents could avoid wilting under Hogan's icy glare. Hogan's watershed 1953 season, in which he won five of the six tournaments he entered and the first three Major Championships of the year (a feat known as the "Hogan Slam", still stands as perhaps the greatest single season in the history of professional golf. Hogan was unable to enter — and possibly win — the 1953 PGA Championship (to complete the Grand Slam) because its play (July 1-7) overlapped the play of the British Open at Carnoustie (July 6-10), which he won. His nine career professional Major Championships tie him (with Gary Player) for fourth all-time, trailing only Jack Nicklaus (18), Walter Hagen and Tiger Woods (11 apiece). Although slight of build at only 5'7" and 140 pounds (64 kg), which earned him the nickname "Bantam", which he thoroughly disliked, he was very long off the tee, and even competed in long drive contests early in his career. Though he may have been left-handed in the rest of his life, Hogan played golf right-handed. Between the years of 1938 through 1959, Hogan won 63 professional golf tournaments despite his career being interrupted in its prime by World War II and a near-fatal car accident. Hogan and his wife, Valerie, ran head-on into a bus on a fog-shrouded highway east of Van Horn, Texas in 1949. Hogan was known to practice more than any other golfer of his contemporaries. He thought that an individual's golf swing was "in the dirt" and all one needed to do was dig it out by hitting enough golf balls. While afflicted with hooking the golf ball early in his career, he developed a "secret" which made his swing nearly automatic. His "secret" was once revealed in a 1955 Life magazine article, but many believed he did not reveal all that he knew. Hogan believed that a solid, repeatable golf swing involved only a few essential elements, which, when performed correctly and in sequence, were the essence of the swing. His book Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf is perhaps the most widely-read golf tutorial ever written, and the principles therein are often parroted by modern "swing gurus." The "Five Lessons," written after his prime, demonstrated his clear command and knowledge of the mechanics of the golf swing. Ben Hogan's Modern Fundamentals: The Five Lessons of Golf was initially released as a five part series beginning in the March 1957 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine, and was printed in book form later in that same year. It is currently in it's 64th printing, and is widely reported to be the best selling golf book ever published. Even today it continues to maintain a place at or near the top of the Amazon.com golf book sales rankings. The book was co-authored by Herbert Warren Wind, and illustrated by artist Anthony Ravielli. In 1948 alone, Ben Hogan won 10 tournaments, including the U.S. Open at Riviera Country Club, a course that was called "Hogan's Alley" because of his success there. Tragically, the following winter, a head-on collision with a bus nearly killed him. With a double-fracture of the pelvis, a fractured collar bone, a left ankle fracture, a chipped rib, and near-fatal blood clots, he would suffer lifelong circulation problems and other physical limitations. His doctors said he might never walk again, let alone play golf competitively. Prior to the 1949 accident, Hogan never truly captured the hearts of his galleries, despite being the dominant golfer of his time. Perhaps this was due to his cold and aloof on-course persona. But when Ben Hogan shocked and amazed the golf world by returning to tournament golf only 11 months after his accident, and, amazingly, took second place in the 1950 Los Angeles Open after a playoff loss to Sam Snead, he was cheered on by ecstatic fans. "His legs simply were not strong enough to carry his heart any longer," famed sportswriter Grantland Rice said of Hogan's near-miss. However, he proved to his critics (and to himself, especially) that he could still win by completing his famous comeback five months later, defeating Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio in an 18-hole playoff at Merion Golf Club to win his second U.S. Open Championship. Hogan went on to achieve what is perhaps the greatest sporting accomplishment in history, limping to 12 more PGA Tour wins (including 6 Majors) before retiring. 1951 saw the release of a biopic starring Glenn Ford as Hogan, called Follow the Sun: The Ben Hogan Story. [1] He even received a ticker-tape parade in New York City upon his return from winning the 1953 British Open Championship, the only time he played the event. In 1953, Hogan won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year in the United States. Ben Hogan later went on to found a golf club manufacturing company (now owned by the Callaway Golf Company), and his clubs, or at least ones that carry his name, are still played today. Unlike the great players of the 1960's and 1970's, Ben Hogan never competed on the senior golf tour, as that circuit did not exist until he was in his late sixties. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. In 1976, Ben Hogan was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. He died in Fort Worth, Texas. [edit] PGA Tour wins
Major championships are shown in bold. [edit] Results in major championships
NT = No tournament [edit] Trivia
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[edit] References[edit] Related Articles[edit] Recent Ben Hogan ArmchairGM Stories
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