Athletes - Ben Hogan

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	Athletes - Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 - July 25, 1997) was a professional golf player. Born in Dublin, 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 term "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 it was played the same week as the British Open at Carnoustie, 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 (13), and Tiger Woods (10).

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 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.

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. 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.

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Athletes - Ben Hogan

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