Ben Hogan
| Ben Hogan | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
Hogan in New York City in 1953
|
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | William Ben Hogan |
| Nickname | The Hawk, Bantam Ben, The Wee Iceman |
| Born |
August 13, 1912 Stephenville, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | July 25, 1997 (aged 84) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 8.5 in (1.74 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) |
| Nationality |
 United States
|
| Spouse | Valerie Fox (1911–99) (m. 1935) |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1930 |
| Retired | 1971 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 69 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 64 (4th all time) |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 9) |
|
| Masters Tournament | Won: 1951, 1953 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 1953 |
| PGA Championship | Won: 1946, 1948 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 1974 (member page) |
| PGA Tour leading money winner |
1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1948 |
| PGA Player of the Year | 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953 |
| Vardon Trophy | 1940, 1941, 1948 |
| Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year |
1953 |
| (For a full list of awards, see here) | |
William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer, generally considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Born within six months of two other acknowledged golf greats of the 20th century, Sam Snead and Byron Nelson, Hogan is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory and his legendary ball-striking ability.
His nine career professional major championships tie him with Gary Player for fourth all-time, trailing only Jack Nicklaus (18), Tiger Woods (14) and Walter Hagen (11). He is one of only five golfers to have won all four major championships currently open to professionals (the Masters Tournament, The Open (despite only playing once), the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship). The other four are Nicklaus, Woods, Player, and Gene Sarazen.
Born in Stephenville, Texas, he was the third and youngest child of Chester and Clara (Williams) Hogan. His father was a blacksmith and the family lived ten miles southwest in Dublin until 1921, when they moved 70 miles (112 km) northeast to Fort Worth. In 1922, when Hogan was nine, his father Chester committed suicide by self-inflicted gunshot at the family home. By some accounts, Chester committed suicide in front of him, which some (including Hogan biographer James Dodson) have cited as the cause of his introverted personality in later years.
Following his father's suicide, the family incurred financial difficulty and the children took jobs to help their seamstress mother make ends meet. Older brother Royal quit school at age 14 to deliver office supplies by bicycle, and nine-year-old Ben sold newspapers after school at the nearby train station. A tip from a friend led him to caddying at the age of 11 at Glen Garden Country Club, a nine-hole course seven miles (11 km) to the south. One of his fellow caddies at Glen Garden was Byron Nelson, later a tour rival. The two would tie for the lead at the annual Christmas caddy tournament in December 1927, when both were 15. Nelson sank a 30-foot putt to tie on the ninth and final hole. Instead of sudden death, they played another nine holes; Nelson sank another substantial putt on the final green to win by a stroke.
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