1948 US Open: Ben Hogan's First Championship By Brent Kelley Updated November 24, 2015. Riviera Country Club is nicknamed " Hogan's Alley ," and that monicker became popular after Ben Hogan 's victory at Riviera in the 1948 U.S. Open. Hogan won the 1947 Los Angeles Open at Riviera, and then he won the same tournament in 1948. Shortly after, Hogan won the U.S. Open at Riviera - three wins in two years at Riviera. No wonder people started calling it Hogan's Alley. Hogan's victory here was the first of his four U.S. Open titles, and it was his third win in a major championship. He entered the final round leading his good friend Jimmy Demaret by two strokes. After both shot closing 69s, two strokes remained the margin between them. Hogan became the first golfer in U.S. Open history to post three rounds in the 60s, and his score of 276 was a new tournament record by five strokes. Ralph Guldahl had posted 281 in winning the 1937 U.S.

Open , and Hogan's record didn't fall until Jack Nicklaus bettered it in 1967 . The 1948 U.S. Open was also significant for the participation of Ted Rhodes. continue reading below our video 10 Best Basketball Players of All Time Rhodes was African-American, and his entry to this tournament was accepted by the USGA at a time when the PGA of America did not allow blacks to become members or play in its tournaments. Rhodes was the dominant player in the United Golf Association circuit, a low-paying tour for black golfers. He opened the 1948 U.S. Open with a 70, in contention, but faded over the next three rounds. Rhodes wasn't the first African-American to play a U.S. Open, but he was the first since 1913. Future PGA Championship winner (and television broadcaster) Bob Rosburg played the U.S. Open for the first time this year, missing the cut. Olin Dutra, winner of the 1934 U.S. Open , missed the cut in his final appearance in this tournament. Hogan missed the 1949 U.S.

Open due to his auto accident, but then won again in 1950 and 1951 - three wins in a row in tournaments he was able to enter. Hogan added a four U.S. Open win in 1953 . 1948 U.S. Open Golf Tournament Scores Results from the 1948 U.S. Open golf tournament played at the par-71 Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California (a-amateur): Ben Hogan · Yesterday at 6:00am · In the January issue of the 1996 Golf Digest Magazine the editors asked 20 of the most influential people in the golf industry to submit their top ten male golfers of all time and five were asked to submit their top 10 female golfers of all time. Hogan and Nicklaus both received 8 votes as the top male player. Mickey Wright had three first place votes as the top female player. Letters from Lee Trevino, Tommy Bolt and Gene Sarazen ranking the top ten male golfers of all time.

...Letters from Nick Price, Hale Irwin, Bernard Langer, Peter Alliss and Mark McCormack ranking the top ten male golfers of all time. Letters from Tom Watson, Byron Nelson, Curtis Strange, Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf ranking the top ten male golfers of all time. Letters from Bob Toski, Michael Bonallack, Peter Thomson, Gary Player, Dave Marr, "Lighthorse" Harry Copper and Tony Jacklin ranking the top ten male golfers of all time. Letters from Mickey Wright, Peggy Kirk Bell, Judy Rankin, Betsy Rawls and Patty Shehan ranking the top female golfers of all time · January 16 at 6:00am · This Day in Hogan History On January 16, 1949 Ben shot a final round 70 to win the Bing Crosby Pro-Am tournament, earning $2,000.00. The event was a three day, 54-hole tournament played at Cypress Point Club, Monterey Country Club and the Pebble Beach Country Club in Monterey California.

He earned an additional $500.00 for placing third in the Pro-Am best-ball competition teaming with Johnny Dawson of Los Angeles, the defending champions in the Pro-Am division, having won ...by two strokes the previous year over the teams of Chandler Harper/Warren Keeley, Bobby Locke/Frank Stranahan and Lloyd Mangrum/Bob Simmons. Prior to the event starting, Ben played in a practice round at Cypress Point and shot a 63. In the first round Ben shot a 35 – 35 for a two under par 70 at Cypress Point. Bill Nary shot a 66 for the first round lead two strokes ahead of Joe Brown and Sip Alexander. Lloyd Mangrum shot a 71. Sam Snead shot a 74 and Byron Nelson finished ten strokes back with a 76. In the second round Amateur Champion Frank Stranahan shot a 66 to take a one stroke lead over Ben who shot a 68 at Monterey Peninsula. In the third and final round Ben shot a 70 at Pebble Beach to finish two strokes ahead of Jim Ferrier who was one stroke back at the beginning of the round.

Amateur golfer, Frank Stranahan led the tournament going into the final round by four strokes shot a 78 to finish tied for seventh. Byron Nelson emerged from his retirement to play in the tournament only to pick up on the final day. Sam Snead finished in a three way tie for eleventh place, but was in contention until his final two holes where he took 12 strokes, prompting him to throw his ball into the ocean. Ben’s consistency showed in the three rounds he played shooting 70-68-70. Over 10,000 people showed up to watch the final round, the largest crowd ever recorded to that date Ben was quoted after the tournament: “I’m ready to slow down a bit. I’m playing in the Long Beach Open and then at Phoenix next week. After that I’m going to Ft. Worth to help put the finishing touches on our new home. I don’t know if I’ll play in the Houston Tournament. The next tournament after Phoenix that I’m sure of will be the Masters.” Sadly, Ben was involved in a near fatal auto accident a few weeks later and did not play in the Masters.

Pictured is Ben Hogan as he hands his winning score card to scorer Terry Malan at the Bing Crosby Invitational tournament at Pebble Beach, California on Jan. 16, 1949. He carded 208 for 54 holes. At right is Leo Durocher, manager of the New York Giants baseball team. · January 14 at 6:00am · This Day in Hogan History On January 14, 1949, Ben Hogan played in the first round at the Bing Crosby Pro-Amateur tournament, his only victory at this event. The three days, 54-hole tournament was held over three courses in the Monterey Bay area. The first round of 18-holes was played at Cypress Point, second round at the Monterey Peninsula Club and Sunday’s final round was held at Pebble Beach. Ben teamed up with Johnny Dawson for the second year in a row as the defending... champions in the Pro-Am Division. This was Bing Crosby’s eighth time to host this tournament and he teamed up with Cam Puget in the Pro-Am competition, his regular tournament partner for the last three years.

Other teams include Professional Bill Nary teaming with Lefty O’Doul, John Barnum teaming with Harrison Godwin, Jimmy Demaret teaming with Warren Ingersoll, Emery Zimmerman teaming with Doug Lewis and Cary Middlecoff teaming with Frank Stranahan. Pictured is Ben Hogan as he received his plate of food in the outdoor eating area at Pebble Beach, California during the Bing Crosby Pro-Am tournament with his amateur playing partner Johnny Dawson of Los Angeles. · January 12 at 6:00pm · In this article Ben talked about Joe Turnesa’s lessons for beginner golfers. Joe was the third oldest of seven golfing brothers: Phil, Frank, Mike, Doug, Jim, and Willie. All but Willie turned professional and Joe won the most times (14) on the PGA Tour. His best finish in a Major was finishing second to Walter Hagen in the 1927 PGA Championship.. From early in 1947 to late 1949 Ben Hogan wrote a series of short articles (numbering more than 200) about interesting anecdote...s and relationships he developed in the world of golf and tips for golfers of all skill levels.

Tom Shehan, a journalist who made his career by covering horse racing for several publications was the ghost writer of these articles and others, including Ben Hogan’s Power Golf and works by Byron Nelson and Sam Snead. The articles were distributed to newspapers by McNaught Syndicate. This article was published in August 1948. 74th in a series. · January 11 at 6:00am · An illustration from the January 10, 1949 issue of Time Magazine on how far Ben Hogan would typically hit his different clubs. Interesting to note the following on this chart: • His average drive was 265 yards – Ben was one of the longest drivers on the tour in 1948, the 2016 PGA Tour average was 290.0, the driving distance leader in 2016 was J. B. Holmes with an average of 314 yards. • He had a 100 yard spreads between his 7 iron and spoon (3-wood) and his 3 iron and driver ...• His 1-iron averaged 195 yards.

• His "spoon", which is equivalent to today's 3-wood averaged 235 yards. In the book the "Hogan Mystique" they said that he could hit it a bit further when the need arose. How far would he hit it with the clubs of today keeping in mind that early in his career Ben would often supplement his income by competing in long drive contests? Jim McLean, in his DVD, “The Golf Swing: Ben Hogan”, analyzed Hogan’s swing using videos available to him and calculated his swing speed at approximately 132 mph, which can equate to about 320 +/- yards in distance, depending on spin rate, launch angle and other variables. Obviously that 132 mph swing speed was measured pre-accident, but at 5 feet 8.5 inches tall he packed a wallop! · January 10 at 6:00am · On This Day in Hogan History: On January 10, 1949 Time Magazine placed Ben Hogan on its cover based upon his incredible recent golfing accomplishments, i.e.

the winner of the 1948 money title, the Vardon Trophy and PGA Tour player of the year and his consecutive wins at the Los Angeles Open in 1947 and 1948 and the 1948 US Open winner at the same venue, Riviera Country Club. This was a rare occurrence to have a golfer grace the cover of Time as this was not a golfing or eve...n sports oriented periodical, but a national news magazine. The only other golfers that were on the cover prior to Ben were Edith Cummings, August 25, 1924, Bobby Jones (twice), August 31, 1925 and September 22, 1930 and Johnny Goodman, June 6, 1938. The article described Hogan’s work ethic, his ball striking consistency, the long road to his success on the PGA Tour, the hardships he endured as a child, and the potential to dominate the Tour for years to come.

Less than a month later, it looked as if his career was over as he and his wife, Valerie collided head-on with a Greyhound bus on bridge in rural Texas on February 2, 1949. In the article Ben talks about his “secret” to the golf swing: “In a quarter-century of the game, Ben Hogan had probably hit more golf balls than any man alive. Then one day in 1947 while he was walking out to a practice tee in Fort Worth, a brand new idea occurred to him. He hit a few shots in what was for Ben a slight change of style. He had lost the hook (which golfers say always rolls till it reaches trouble) and found a fade which he could control with great accuracy. Then, Ben Hogan began to ease up on his solitary practice lessons. Said he: “I’ve learned how to play golf.” His recent book, “Power Golf” tells most of the golf tactics he knows – but not the one he discovered that day at Fort Worth.

Of that he says: “I won’t even tell my wife.”” · January 9 at 6:00am · On this day in Hogan History: On January 9, 1947, Ben put on an exhibition before the Bing Crosby Pro-Am tournament (pictured) – perhaps over-emphasizing the weight shift. During this tournament Ben finished T-39, 18 strokes behind the winner, George Fazio. He teamed with Frank Stranahan in the Pro-Am, finishing T-17, 11 strokes behind the winners Sam Snead and Roger Kelly. He shot rounds of 78-77-76, the worst golf he had played since returning to the sport after World Wa...r II. Ben loved to play in this tournament, mingling with celebrities, amateurs and fellow pros, finishing third in the professional division and winning in the Pro-Am with his amateur partner, Johnny Dawson in 1948 and winning the professional division and third in the Pro-Am with the same partner in 1949.

Two weeks later, a near-fatal car crash threatened to end Hogan’s playing career and the doctors said he’d never walk nor play competitive golf again due to the injuries he sustained, but Mr. Hogan did not agree and was back at Pebble Beach to defend his title in 1950, finishing tied for 20th. After his accident the cold, damp seaside air was too tough on his injured legs and he declined future invitations to the event until 1956, his only other appearance in The Bing Crosby Pro-Am where he finished T-32 in the professional division, teaming with Bing Crosby and Bing’s brother Larry in the Pro-Am. It was just prior to the 1956 tournament that Ben played in a warm up match teaming with Byron Nelson against two young amateurs, Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward, as memorialized in Mark Frost’s book “The Match”. · January 7 at 6:00am · Pictured is a photo of Ben Hogan’s grip taken just after he won the Los Angeles Open in January 1947. His hands and clubs fit together in perfect unison.

The following quotes were taken from the first installment of “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf” which was originally published in the March 11, 1957 issue of Sports Illustrated on “The Grip”. Good golf begins with a good grip. The grip is the heartbeat of the action of the golf swing. Logically, it has to be.... The player's only contact with the ball is through the clubhead, and his only direct physical contact with the club is through his hands. In a good grip both hands act as ONE UNIT. When a golfer has completed his left-hand grip, the V formed by the thumb and forefinger should point to his right eye. In the completed grip, the main pressure points are the last three fingers, with the forefinger and the palm pad adding assisting pressure. The three fingers press up, the pad presses down, and the shaft is locked in between. The grip of the right hand, since it is the hand that does the overlapping, is more complicated. When you have folded the right hand over, the right thumb should ride down the left side of the shaft, slightly.

This union of left thumb and right thumb pad strengthens the welding together of the two hands and it serves to add real reinforcement to your grip. When you check your right-hand grip, the V formed by the thumb and forefinger should be pointing right at the bottom of your chin. U.S. Open Champions: winners, scores, and locations Sports > Golf > Golf Summary U.S. Open Champions The following table lists the U.S. Open golf champions since 1895. The record for most wins is a four-way tie between Willie Anderson (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905), Robert T. Jones Jr. (1923, 1926, 1929, 1930), Ben Hogan (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953), and Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980). Year R. T. Jones, Jr.1, 2 296 R. T. Jones, Jr.1, 2 294 2.

Amateur. 3. In 1898, competition was extended to 72 holes. 4. In 1917, Jock Hutchison, with a 292, won an Open Patriotic Tournament for the benefit of the American Red Cross at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. 5. In 1942, Ben Hogan, with a 271, won a Hale American National Open Tournament for the benefit of the Navy Relief Society and USO at Ridgemoor Country Club.5. 6. In 2008, competition was extended 19 extra holes. Year of failures led up to Ben Hogan's Triple Crown in 1953 | Masters Year of failures led up to Ben Hogan's Triple Crown in 1953 Record-setting Masters win started memorable campaign February 15, 2013 - 11:09 pm Photos FILE/ASSOCIATED PRESS Ben Hogan tees off on the fifth hole during the 1953 Masters. In shooting 14-under-par 274 to win the green jacket, Hogan broke the tournament's 72-hole scoring record by five strokes.

Back Photo: 1 of 8 Next FILE/ASSOCIATED PRESS Hogan (center) accepts the 1953 U.S. Open trophy in Oakmont, Pa., from U.S. Golf Association President Totton P. Heffelfinger while Sam Snead looks on. Back Photo: 2 of 8 Next FILE/ASSOCIATED PRESS Hogan drives from the 10th tee at the 1953 British Open at Carnoustie. It was his only appearance at the event. Back Photo: 3 of 8 Next FILE/ASSOCIATED PRESS Ben Hogan chips from rough grass during the British Open at Carnoustie in 1953. Hogan, who had planned not to play the event, wound up with a four-stroke victory.

Back Photo: 4 of 8 Next FILE Back Photo: 5 of 8 Next FILE/ASSOCIATED PRESS Back Photo: 6 of 8 Next FILE/ASSOCIATED PRESS Back Photo: 7 of 8 Next FILE/ASSOCIATED PRESS By John Boyette | Sports Editor To understand the origins of Ben Hogan’s magnificent 1953 campaign, you have to understand the failures he experienced in 1952. At the Masters Tour­na­ment, Hogan was tied with Sam Snead for the 54-hole lead but tumbled to 79 in the final round. “Worst round he’d ever shot,” veteran golf writer Dan Jenkins said. “He didn’t play bad, it was just windy and he didn’t get any breaks.” At the U.S. Open, Hogan held the 36-hole lead but came unglued early in the 36-hole finale. He finished with a pair of 74s. “He lost it on the sixth hole of the morning round,” Jenkins said. “Hit a great shot. Overpured it.

Made double bogey.” Hogan’s only win in 1952 came at the Colonial National Invitation in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Because of his near-fatal car crash in 1949, Hogan played a limited schedule. He no longer competed in the PGA Cham­pionship, which had a grueling match-play format, and he had never played in the British Open. Hogan turned 40 in August 1952, and he knew his opportunities were running out. He vowed to make 1953 count. “He was driven to get even,” said Jenkins, who covered Hogan’s exploits for the Fort Worth Press. “It was part of his makeup.” Hogan did just that. He played in an unofficial event in January in Palm Springs, Calif., finishing two shots behind winner Jimmy Demaret. Hogan didn’t play in any official events and arrived early to practice in Augusta. Sportswriter Randy Russell of The Augusta Chronicle made a prophetic statement in his column on the Sunday before the Masters. “He has spent two weeks tuning up for the Masters,” Rus­sell wrote. “Watch out for him.” By the time the tournament started, however, the media were talking about another Texan.

Lloyd Mangrum shot 9-under 63 in Wednes­day’s practice round. The score was one shot better than the official course record he set in the opening round of 1940. Chick Harbert shot 4-under 68 to take the lead on the first day, and Hogan was close behind with 70. Hogan took the lead on the second day when his 69 put him ahead by one shot. Every tournament his its defining round or moment, and Hogan’s came in the third round. He blitzed Augusta National with his best round there – 6-under 66 – to open up a four-shot lead. Hogan made birdies at Nos. 2, 4, 8 and 9 to make the turn in 32, and he added birdies at Nos. 10, 14 and 15. The only blemish on his card was a bogey at No. 16, where he 3-putted from 30 feet. With a 54-hole total of 205, Hogan was in uncharted Masters territory.

He could shoot over par in the final round and still break the tournament’s 72-hole scoring record. Shooting over par, like he did in the final rounds of the Masters and U.S. Open a year earlier, was not Hogan’s style. Playing alongside friend and rival Byron Nelson, who was customarily paired with the leader, Hogan polished off the tournament with 69. The 14-under par total of 274 shattered the previous record of 279. “He said at the time it was the greatest golf he’d ever played for 72 holes,” Jenkins said. “And it was.” Hogan, who carded five birdies against two bogeys in the final round, agreed. “I hit the ball better – more like I wanted to hit it – than in any 72-hole tournament I’ve ever played,” Hogan said after the final round. “Before the tournament started I knew I was playing the best golf of my life, and I knew that if I played in the tourney the way I did while practicing I would win. At least I was going to give a real college try.” Hogan’s season of excellence was just beginning.

Two weeks later, he won the Pan American Open in Mexico City, and he followed that by defending his title with a five-shot victory at Colonial. His only blemish, if you could call it that, came in between those wins at the unofficial Green­brier Pro-Am. He tied for third, four shots behind Snead. Up next for Hogan was the U.S. Open, which was being held at Oakmont. The rugged course outside Pittsburgh was no match for Hogan, who started with rounds of 67 and 72. But hot on his heels was Snead, and after Hogan stumbled to 73 in the third round, Snead trailed only by one. Hogan wouldn’t stumble like he did a year earlier. Playing ahead of Snead, Hogan played steady golf. He would frequently ask others, including Jenkins, how Snead was faring. “Sam was doing alright at the time, but (Hogan) finished 3-3-3,” Jenkins said. Snead finished with 76 to Hogan’s 71, and the Texan had picked off another major. “He just killed everyone,” Jenkins said.

“He killed Snead at Oakmont.” Hogan had said at the Masters that he wouldn’t travel overseas for the British Open, but he had a change of heart. The championship was played at Carnoustie, and Hogan went to Scotland a few weeks early to get used to the conditions. “It’s true that when he went to a major to a course he had never played before, he’d walk it backwards first to see what all he wanted to avoid,” Jenkins said. “He just studied it like a scientist. That was his temperament. He was so meticulous in everything he did.” The extra work paid off as Hogan recorded a four-stroke victory with rounds of 73, 71, 70 and 68. He entered the final round tied with Roberto De Vicenzo, but an early string of birdies gave Hogan the edge he needed. Though the Scots adored Hogan, he wasn’t too keen on the course. It was his first, and last, appearance at the British Open. “I’ve got a lawn mower back in Texas, I’ll send it over,” Hogan famously said after winning. The PGA Championship and Bri­tish Open dates overlapped that year, so winning all four majors was impossible.

But Hogan had done something just as special as Bobby Jones did in his Grand Slam season of 1930, and the press dubbed it the “Hogan Slam” or “Hogan’s Triple Crown.” He recorded five wins in six starts, and three of those came in majors. After returning to New York from Scotland, the “Wee Ice Mon” was greeted with a ticker-tape parade. It was the first time a golfer had been so honored since Jones in 1930. 1963 Arnold Palmer was the undisputed king of golf, and the Masters, from the late 1950s through the early 1960s. But trouble was brewing for Arnie’s Army in the form of Jack William Nicklaus. The pudgy amateur had turned pro in 1962 and promptly unseated the king at that year’s U.S. Open in Palmer’s home state of Pennsylvania. Neither Palmer nor Nick­laus got off to a good start at the 1963 Masters. Both opened with 74s that left them five shots off the pace.

Nicklaus recovered in the second round with 66, the best score of the tournament, and trailed Mike Souchak by one at the midway point. Nicklaus posted 74 in the third round, but with Augusta National playing difficult on a rainy day, it was enough to put him into the lead. Palmer was not in the running – he followed his opening round with scores of 73, 73 and 71 – but Tony Lema, Sam Snead and Julius Boros all made moves in the final round as Nicklaus struggled. Through 12 holes, he was 2-over par for the day. He responded by making birdies at the 13th and the 16th, the latter on a delicate 12-foot putt. Two pars later, Nicklaus had completed his 72 and held off Lema by one stroke. His victory, at age 23, made him the youngest Masters winner at the time. Alfred Wright, writing in Sports Illustrated, commented on the size of Nicklaus’ coat and what the future held for the young golfer. “The size is 44 regular, and they may as well file it where it will be handy,” Wright wrote.

“Jack may earn a few more of those coats in the future.” 1973 Growing up in Gainesville, Ga., Tommy Aaron often dreamed of playing in the Mas­ters. Amateur legend Bob­by Jones, a Georgia native, had started Augusta Na­tional and the Masters after his playing career was over. Claude Harmon had become the first native Geor­gian to win the Masters in 1948, but the state had not produced any other Masters champions since. Aaron changed that in 1973. A 68 in the first round gave him the outright lead, and he backed it up with 73 to enter a four-way tie for first. Saturday’s third round was washed out by rain, which meant the golfers would have to finish on Monday. Aaron struggled to 74 in the third round, and English­man Peter Oosterhuis seized the lead with a fine 68. Aaron trailed Oosterhuis by four shots going into the final round, but he finished with 68 to nip J.C. Snead by a stroke and claim his only major victory.

Aaron had been involved in the Roberto De Vicenzo scorecard incident in 1968 when he marked down an incorrect score for his playing partner. De Vicenzo signed the incorrect scorecard and was forced to take the higher score, which left him one shot behind winner Bob Goalby. Ironically, Aaron caught a mistake on his scorecard at the 1973 Masters. Playing partner Johnny Miller had marked down a 5 on No. 13 for Aaron, but he had made birdie 4. “Winning the Masters for me was a dream come true,” Aaron wrote in 2012. “From the time I started playing in Gaines­ville, Ga., northeast of Atlan­ta, I thought the Masters was the only golf tournament in the world.” Golfer Ben Hogan Biography and Career Details • U.S. Open: 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953 • British Open: 1953 • PGA Championship : 1946, 1948 For scores and details from each of Hogan's major championship wins, see our Ben Hogan Majors page.

Awards and Honors: • PGA Tour money leader , 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1948 • PGA Vardon Trophy winner (low scoring average), 1940, 1941, 1948 • PGA Tour Player of the Year 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953 • Member, U.S. Ryder Cup team, 1947, 1951 • Captain, U.S. Ryder Cup team, 1947, 1949, 1967 continue reading below our video Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time? Quote, Unquote: • Ben Hogan: "I hate a hook . It nauseates me. I could vomit when I see one.

It's like a rattlesnake in your pocket." • Ben Hogan: "I play with friends, but we don't play friendly games." • Dave Marr: "Hogan plays one game and the rest of us play another." More Ben Hogan Quotes Trivia: • Ben Hogan's first PGA Tour event was the 1932 Los Angeles Open. He finished 38th to win $8.50. • Hogan won 30 tournaments before winning his first major ( 1946 PGA Championship ). That's the record for most wins prior to a first major. • Three locations in the golf world are nicknamed Hogan's Alley because of Hogan's success there. • The PGA Tour's developmental tour , later called the Nationwide Tour and Web.com Tour, was originally named the Ben Hogan Tour when it was founded in 1990. • There are two Ben Hogan Awards in golf. One is presented to the male college golfer of the year; another is presented to a golfer who overcomes injury or handicap to remain active in golf. Ben Hogan Biography: In 292 career PGA Tour events, Ben Hogan finished in the Top 3 in 47.6-percent of them.

He finished in the Top 10 in 241 of those 292 events. Hogan was born near Fort Worth in 1912. Hogan and Byron Nelson were childhood acquaintances, caddying at the same Fort Worth club. They even squared off one year for the club's caddie championship (Nelson won). Hogan's childhood was rough - his father committed suicide, and it is believed that Hogan witnessed the tragic event. Hogan turned pro in 1929, at age 17, to play pro events in Texas. He didn't join the PGA Tour until 1932. Much of his early career, Hogan battled a hook. But through a tremendous work ethic, he changed his game to a controlled fade (in his famous words, he "dug it out of the dirt"). In 1940, he began winning, and often. He missed a couple years on Tour due to World War II, but returned full-time in 1946 and won 13 times, including his first major, the 1946 PGA Championship .

From August 1945 to February 1949, Hogan won 37 times. But in 1949, he suffered terrible injuries in a car crash, and was never again able to play a full schedule due to circulatory problems in his legs. Sixteen months after that crash - in which Hogan threw himself across his wife to protect her as their car collided with a bus - Hogan returned to win the 1950 U.S. Open . That victory is sometimes referred to as "the miracle at Merion," because Hogan won despite severe pain and having to play 36 holes on the final day. In fact, from 1950 on, Hogan never played more than seven PGA Tour events in a year. Yet, he won 13 more times, including six majors. Until Tiger Woods did it in 2000, Hogan was the only man to win three professional majors in one year. That was in 1953, when Hogan won the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open.

(He didn't play the PGA Championship because that tournament's dates conflicted with the British Open's .) From 1946 to 1953, Hogan won nine of the 16 majors he played. Hogan brought his same quest for perfection to the golf clubs made by the company that bore his name, and Ben Hogan Golf produced many of the finest clubs available over the years. (The Ben Hogan Golf brand is today owned by Callaway.) His demeanor on the course was quiet and focused. With others, Hogan was often distant and aloof. But he had everyone's respect. Ben Hogan was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 as part of the inaugural class. More reading about Ben Hogan: U.S. Open Champions: winners, scores, and locations Sports > Golf > Golf Summary U.S. Open Champions The following table lists the U.S. Open golf champions since 1895. The record for most wins is a four-way tie between Willie Anderson (1901, 1903, 1904, 1905), Robert T. Jones Jr.

(1923, 1926, 1929, 1930), Ben Hogan (1948, 1950, 1951, 1953), and Jack Nicklaus (1962, 1967, 1972, 1980). Year R. T. Jones, Jr.1, 2 296 R. T. Jones, Jr.1, 2 294 Bethpage State Park (Black Course) 1. Winner in playoff. 2. Amateur. 3. In 1898, competition was extended to 72 holes. 4. In 1917, Jock Hutchison, with a 292, won an Open Patriotic Tournament for the benefit of the American Red Cross at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. 5. In 1942, Ben Hogan, with a 271, won a Hale American National Open Tournament for the benefit of the Navy Relief Society and USO at Ridgemoor Country Club.5. 6.

In 2008, competition was extended 19 extra holes. Ben Hogan Ben Hogan Ben Hogan Ben Hogan's years of victory were not so many, once you think back on it. They began in 1940 and ended in 1953a mere 14 yearsbut during that period he won every major championship available to a professional. The filmed biography of golf champion Ben Hogan is "Follow the Sun". Glenn Ford, no mean duffer himself, stars as Hogan, here depicted as a single-purposed individual to whom golf is everything. Anne Baxter co-stars as Hogan's supportive wife Valerie, who sticks with him through thick and thin. On the brink of his greatest success, Hogan is seriously injured in an auto accident. His recovery and return to the links provides the dramatic momentum of the film's final reels. Co-starring as themselves in Follow the Sun are such golfing legends as Sam Snead, Jimmy Demaret, and Dr. Cary Middlecoff. He took the U.S. Open four times, the British Open the only time he played in it and the PGA twice. In his last great competitive year, 1953, he won the U.S.

and British Opens and the Masters, three-quarters of what is now considered the Grand Slam of professional golf. Since then he has finished on top only oncewinning the Colonial National Invitation on his home course in 1959. It is a full decade now since the Hogan era ended, but the stimulation and chill attraction of the man refuse to recede. So intense was the aura of awe which grew around him that time has failed to dispel it. He was the Hawk then, the Ice Man and, as far as the public is concerned, he is the Hawk today. "Hi there, Byron," the people will shout. "Where's your pink shoes, Jimmy?" they will call. And then they see him, and they whisper, "It's Hogan." His Most Significant Victory May Have Come In A Courtroom He won 64 tournaments-nine of them major championships-but his most significant victory may have come in a courtroom. A very different Hogan story-a story about money and the ever-increasing oodles of it personalities earn from endorsements. But mostly the story of how golfers William B. Hogan, Francis W. Sullivan, and Peter F. Hagan changed the entire sports business world-and kept the matter a secret.

Nineteen-fifty-four was an exciting year for 41-year-old Ben Hogan. All the energy and passion he'd devoted to tournament golf was now committed to developing his equipment company. In July, preoccupied with a costly decision to reject the entire first production run of his own-name irons, Hogan received a letter from one Dave Camerer, asking permission to publish in an upcoming book pictures taken of Hogan at the U.S. Open. In return, Camerer offered two copies of the book when published, plus a payment of $100. Hogan's reply was icily brief: "Are you kidding?" he wrote. Camerer's publisher was A.S. Barnes and the Hawk also penned a letter to the company president, urging him "not to accept for pub-lication any material written about me or my golf swing, either from this fellow Camerer or anyone else so far as that is concerned. This goes for photographs also." Hogan had reason for the additional missive. A.S. Barnes & Company (unrelated to Barnes & Noble) was a long-established New York publishing house and the leading publisher of sports books, including Power Golf, by Ben Hogan.

Power Golf had been highly successful and Hogan had netted $62,950 in royalties since its 1948 publication-significant income in an era when the top prize for Tour events was between $2,000 and $3,000. Moreover, Hogan and Barnes were in early discussions on another publishing venture. A new book by the best golfer on the planet was a valuable property, so although Hogan didn't receive a reply he considered the matter resolved. Imagine the Wee Ice Mon's ire next June at The Olympic Club, trying to win the U.S. Open for a record fifth time, when asked to autograph Golf With the Masters, a newly published book containing the photographs he'd refused to authorize one year earlier. Back in Texas, after that shocking playoff defeat by unheralded Jack Fleck, Hogan reviewed his options and decided that although Barnes was his favored publisher, he had no alternative. He'd have to resolve the conflict by litigation. In today's age of the sports celebrity, when top athletes in every arena earn millions for play, it seems unremarkable they should also derive significant additional income from marketing their name or image.

Top golfers are the most fortunate because they can keep winning for decades, in the process converting their names and faces into recognizable brands. This extended recognition factor shows in last year's professional golfers' off-course earn-ings, where 10 high-profile names shared a total $276 million, although four who earned almost 40 percent of that total haven't played competitive golf in a decade. Some off-course income can be directly attributed to business activities, such as golf course design, but plenty also comes from savvy commercial leverage of name endorsements. Now imagine a land where the law denies individuals any rights over the commercial use of their name or likeness, even if used without permission to sell products or services they abhor. Yet this seemingly preposterous concept was exactly the law of these United States from the Declaration of Independence until as recently as 60 years ago. In 1791 the First Amendment to the Constitution established freedom of speech as a fundamental entitlement of all citizens, and for the next 150 years courts around the country held that an individual's right to restrict the use of his name or image by others was trumped by that First Amendment.

This became more of an issue in the first half of the 20th century, especially in the sports world where athletes were becoming celebri-ties and companies realized they could use the stars' names or images to help sell products. Lawsuits seeking to overturn the accepted interpretation were numerous and routinely denied. One such case brought in 1935 was Hanna Mfg. vs. Hillerich & Bradsby, in which it was ruled that baseball players could not exclu-sively license their names to appear on baseball bats. "Fame is not merchandise" is how the judge concisely stated his reasoning for not giving ballplayers the right to profit from their names. In 1941 famed quarterback Davey O'Brien, a teetotaler, found that he couldn't stop his name being used to advertise beer.

O'Brien submitted he had not given permission for Pabst to use his likeness, but the judge summed up the then-standard interpretation of law stating that "the publicity O'Brien got was only that which he had been constantly seeking and receiving throughout his career as a football player." So, the megastars of the day like Babe Ruth, Red Grange, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Louis, and Bill Tilden were unable to capitalize finan-cially on their image. A crack in the legal wall came in 1953, when New York State appeals court judge Jerome Frank ruled for the first time that an individual did have a personal, and thus assignable, right of own name publicity. His decision marked the first use of the term "right of publicity." It was just one state ruling, a suit between two baseball card companies (Haelan Laboratories vs. Topps Chewing Gum) rather than an athlete directly, but it marked a turning point in the legal struggle. There's no telling if Hogan knew the preponderance of law stacked against him in his case against Barnes but we do know he felt wronged and determined to make his publisher aware of the fact.

When Hogan decided to take legal action, he knew where to turn for an advocate. Philadelphia lawyer Francis Sullivan was a good friend and a brilliant attorney who specialized in publishing. Sullivan had been Ben's host when he won the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, the tournament that capped his comeback from terrible injuries suffered in an automobile-bus accident. Francis Sullivan graduated from Temple University Law School in 1930 and after stints as an assistant U.S. attorney and on Franklin Roosevelt's reelection committee, rapidly became a highly respected trial lawyer, well connected in Philadelphia society. "A calm, serious man with a brilliant mind and superb courtroom oratory," recalls colleague and friend Fred LaValley. John Capers III, historian at Merion, remembers Sullivan as a longtime club member who maintained a single-figure handicap well into his 70s. "A quiet, elegant, modestly understated gentleman who in dress and manner would bring to mind Ben Hogan." Sullivan filed suit on Hogan's behalf for $400,000 in damages, a claim so large it forced Barnes to court against its own star author.

Bringing the case in a Pennsylvania court was legally sound because Golf With the Masters was commonly on sale in that state. By early 1957 the docket had been processed into the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, assigned to Judge Peter F. Hagan in a bench trial. Judge Hagan was a legend in state legal circles, another Temple Law School graduate, class of '23, who colleagues unanimously praised for his exceptional grasp of the finer points of law, as well as his celebrated sense of humor. Appointed to the bench in 1951, Hagan was a man similar to Sullivan and Hogan in stature and quiet demeanor, practicing law during the week, an avid golfer at then near-downtown Overbrook Golf Club when time permitted. Sullivan must have been delighted when he learned the case was to be heard by the open-minded judge who frequently amused audi-ences at the Caveat Club, a Philadelphia Bar Association social group, by lampooning the judiciary. The first step for Sullivan was demonstrating that the use of photographs of Hogan's swing was not only unauthorized but improper because the presentation made it appear Hogan had some direct part in the book's preparation.

But that alone wasn't enough; Sullivan had to convince the judge that Hogan had a property right in the commercial value of his name and photographs. Acutely aware of the raft of similar-style cases previously rebutted, Sullivan devised an entirely novel approach, claiming Hogan had been the victim of unfair competition. He could hardly have realized this acuity would be the naissance of undisputed precedent. Judge Hagan rendered his verdict on June 19,1957. In a masterful 12-page summation not only did he ad-judicate for plaintiff Hogan but structured his interpretation of the law in such a manner that the decision has remained unchallenged for six decades. In summary, Hagan de-clared that in such circumstances "unfair competition" was the same as denying a plaintiff his "own right of publicity," the right established in that 1953 New York State decision. Hagan, Hogan, and Sullivan had just made history, the first case where an athlete was awarded damages based on unauthorized use of his image.

Although Hogan was awarded just $5,000, in part because Golf With the Masters was a flop, Judge Hagan importantly ruled that the book's unprofitability didn't limit recovery of nominal damages. The relatively small award directly benefited future litigants, because Barnes decided not to appeal. Uncontested, the Hogan vs. Barnes decision passed into Pennsylvania common law and lawyers in other states now had a much stronger platform from which to argue personality-value cases. In time 30 states would adopt various forms of legislation protecting the right of publicity. The Hogan case, tried in Pennsylvania on behalf of a Texan against a New York publisher, also set precedent for taking cases to any state where con-tentious material was available. There was another reason Barnes did not appeal. Three years had passed since Camerer's original letter and Barnes was now the pub-lisher of Hogan's next book. Five Lessons The Modern Fundamentals of Golf had already caused huge public interest when serialized that spring in Sports Illustrated. At the moment of Judge Hagan's pronouncement the Barnes organization was finalizing the first run of the book that would be reprinted 64 times. To understand the golf ramifications of this landmark decision, consider the following.

By 1960, nine of ten households in America had a TV set, revolutionizing many aspects of life. Coast-to-coast advertising had come of age, offering colossal opportunities for many, including a smart 29-year-old Yale-educated lawyer named Mark McCormack. An avid low-handicap golfer, he was working in an Ohio law practice and also partnered in a business arranging professional golf exhibitions around the country. In later life Mark McCormack recalled the idea for his International Management Group came in 1960 when "it occurred to me that if a company had a recognizable name which could be put on a new product, that product could have instant recognition, thus saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in new product education." An enlightenment that would lead to a rapid fortune for his first client, 30-year old Arnold Palmer, the charismatic sensation of now-televised golf tournaments, as well as subsequent clients Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and other sports and entertainment figures. There is also a connector that in retrospect is remarkably obvious. As a result of Hogan vs. Barnes, settled three years earlier in nearby Pennsylvania, negotiating legally binding deals on behalf of recognizable names for the value of their images had just been considerably simplified.

In the 50-plus years since, the player-management business has expanded exponentially and it's impossible not to credit some part of this to Hogan, Hagan, and Sullivan. While Haelan vs. Topps first established the right of publicity, the Hogan vs. Barnes case became the frequently referenced precedent in many lawsuits on behalf of athletes and celebrities. In the world of golf, Tiger Woods settled out of court for $1.6 million from a yacht-building company for using his name without authorization in sales publicity. Gone then is the time when celebrities had no right to assign their name or likeness and the law denied relief for illicit use. Gone also our three quiet stars, who for whatever reason decided their part in legal history didn't merit further mention during their lifetimes. Ben Hogan left us quietly in 1997 at age 84, Francis Sullivan at age 90 in 1991. Retired Judge Peter Hagan's passing in 1975 remains a mystery. Still active in law at age 77, the humorist author of The Egg and I was found dead, fully dressed but barefoot, after plunging to death from his 14th-floor apartment.

Hagan left behind an empty pair of slippers, and the most eloquent of legal legacies. Inside the clubhouse at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Ben Hogan awaited the outcome of the 1955 U.S. Open. He lost to Jack Fleck the next day in an 18-hole playoff. In the locker room, Ben Hogan sank heavily on a bench and took a Scotch and water from somebody's hand. It seemed certain that his 287 had clinched his fifth championship. He sipped his drink, shook his head and said slowly: "Boys, if I win it, I'll never work at this again. It's just too tough getting ready for a tournament. This one doggone near killed me. Besides, I don't think it's fair to drag Valerie [Mrs. Hogan] around and put her through this every time." Someone asked if his leg bothered had him. "Only my knee," said Ben.

"The more I walked, the more it hurt." From the end of a row of lockers an attendant shouted: "Jack Fleck is on 16 and he needs one birdie on the last three to tie!" Hogan sipped his drink, then smiled thinly: "Good for him." A reporter asked: "Which hole do you think you won it on, Ben?" He frowned: "There's no one hole. You don't win tournaments on just one hole. There's 72 holes." A newcomer burst into the group. "Fleck's parred 17!" he cried. "Just missed his birdie. Needs a birdie on 18 to tie." Hogan stood up. He stepped out of his slacks, revealing a bandaged left knee. "I got to take a shower," he said. He walked off, stiff-legged. There was small talk, then the group was silent until Ben returned. He pulled on his slacks, slipped on his tasseled shoes, grinned as he looked around. Another runner arrived, panting. "Fleck's in the rough on the 18th," he shouted. Everyone turned back to Hogan.

He reached into his locker, pulled out his tie and slowly began knotting it. Incredibly, somebody decided to ask: "Ben, did you use your own clubs, the ones you manufacture, in the tournament?" Hogan whirled and exploded: "Of course I did! Are you kidding?" Jack Burke walked in, began to wrestle with his locker. "What did you do, boy?" Hogan called to him. "No good, Ben," Burke answered. "Drove in the rough all day." Tommy Bolt came in, elaborately avoided Topic A: "Hey, Benny, you got me all fouled up down there at Fort Worth. You got me to fix that hook. Now, doggone it, I'm slicing the ball. I'm goin' back to hookin'. You son of a gun, I bet you did that a-purpose." Hogan smiled. Cary Middlecoff appeared, stuck out his hand. "Wonderful tournament, Ben, wonderful," he said. "A damn good score." He hurried away. Hogan drew on his jacket, reached into his locker and took out his clubs and threw them on the floor. "Anybody want a club cover?" he asked affably.

Before anyone could answer, a new informant rushed in. "Ben, Fleck's got an eight-foot putt to tie!" Hogan relaxed. No one could think of anything to say for a moment. Then, desperately, a man brought up the subject of Ben's club manufacturing business again. "Now, how many clubs will you make in a day, Ben?" he asked. "It comes to 460 sets a month, Bill," Hogan said. "Isn't it true, Ben," the man rushed on, "that you threw away 100,000 clubs because they weren't perfect?" Hogan nodded. "I got at least $150,000 worth of new clubs I won't ship." He sat down on the bench again. The group fell silent. Then it came: a tremendous roar of the gallery at the 18th. A reporter whispered hoarsely: "The kid's sunk it!" Ben Hogan's head went down and he cursed softly. Then he lifted his head and looked around at them all. "I was wishing he'd either make a two or a five," he said. "I was wishing it was over-all over." He turned to an attendant, indicated his clubs and sighed.

"Well, we might as well git those things back in the locker. Gotta play tomorrow, looks like." He sits in front of the television and watches it glow but can't quite make out the images. His eyes don't see much anymore, shadows mostly, something occasionally caught in his peripheral vision, which has stubbornly stayed sharp. Mostly he just listens. Sometimes what he hears stirs a familiar feeling, a memory of long ago. But the memories don't come as easily anymore. Sometimes they don't come at all. "We prefer to call it memory loss," says his wife of 61 years. "It's actually Alzheimer's." The phone rings, but rarely is he beckoned. The old man has precious little energy left, and none to spare for all the well-wishers. He won the inaugural Colonial National Invitation Tournament in his hometown of Fort Worth. The 83-year-old legend won the U.S. Open at Oakland Hills, he pulled off his most transcendent performance in taming the Monster and winning his second straight National Open. But Hogan is no longer the compact, powerful man of golf mythology. The indomitable will that steeled him against the hardships of the game cannot slow the assault of advanced age.

He has never really recovered from the cancer that led to emergency surgery before the Colonial, when two thirds of his colon was removed. Perhaps he is still feeling the repercussions of a difficult bout with pneumonia in 1987 that put him in the hospital for two months and stripped him of 30 pounds. Right now he is battling an oppressive case of bronchitis, which has kept him trapped in his house for more than a month, sprung only for three trips to the doctor. Famously reclusive, he is now out of touch with even his closest friends. So the golfing world watches anxiously while Hogan sits in front of his television, watching nothing. The Colonial came and went, and all Hogan could do was listen to the play-by-play. This is not the way it should have been. It was Hogan, after all, who put the Colonial on the map, winning it five times, including in 1959, when he triumphed in Fort Worth for the 64th and final victory of his career. But if we know anything about Hogan, it is this: His spirit lives on and will continue to do so long after the body fails. To no one's surprise he still dominates the Colonial.

It was Hogan on the tournament poster, on the tournament program cover, on the banners that waved from every lamppost in Fort Worth and on the lips of nearly every fan and competitor. He was a larger-than-life presence, and not just because of the seven-foot bronze statue at the entry plaza of the Colonial Country Club, the one that looks out toward the 18th green. "He may not be here, but he's still here," said Fuzzy Zoeller, the 1981 Colonial champion. "Every fairway you walk down, you can feel him." "My gosh, yes, we miss having him here," said Ben Crenshaw, a two-time winner of the Colonial and is one of a handful of current players close to Hogan. "The man is synonymous with this tournament. Everyone who is here is honoring him. He knows how we feel about him, and that is the important thing." How Hogan is feeling is a matter of great conjecture and considerable concern. We can only hope, because it is not yet time for Hogan to pass from living legend to heavenly immortal. This yearlong run of ill health came just when Hogan had agreed to allow his accomplishments the celebration they deserve.

He had generally shirked public feting. In 1987 Jack Nicklaus asked Hogan to be the official honoree at Nicklaus's Memorial Tournament. "I don't want to be memorialized," Hogan grumbled. Suspicious of outsiders' motives and churlish by nature, Hogan has compulsively refused the role of elder statesman, ceding it to Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson and Arnie and Jack. Fort Worth declared a Ben Hogan Week leading up to the Colonial, and Hogan was going to speak at the unveiling of his statue. "We had finally talked him into it," says Ken Venturi, a member of Hogan's inner circle since their first competitive round together, at the 1954 Masters. "Valerie and his good friends had been telling him for years he had to do this. We said, 'Ben, people need to see you, they need to remember who you are. And who you were.'" The cancer took care of all of those plans. What Hogan's friends despair about now is that Hogan may go to the grave misunderstood, his Garbo-like seclusion having shrouded his public persona.

An image of Hogan as enduring as him hitting a one-iron into the 18th green at Merion on the way to winning the 1950 U.S. Open is him sitting at the window table of his adopted home, the clubhouse at Fort Worth's Shady Oaks Country Club, a drink in one hand, a smoke in the other and nine empty chairs for company. "Very, very few people have ever gotten to know the man," says one who did, Dave Marr, who was a young assistant pro at Palm Beach's Seminole Golf Club, where in the early 1950s Hogan would do a month of spring training. Then again, the man never gave people the chance to know him. The icy stare that Hogan wore on the golf course, the look that got him the nickname Hawk, was what he often used in lieu of saying hello, or of saying anything at all. He was "as soft as a fire hydrant," Grantland Rice once wrote. There is another Hogan, too, the one who cried over the grave of Buster, the scruffy clubhouse dog at Shady Oaks who used to accompany him around the golf course.

There is the Hogan who suggested starting the past-champions dinner at the Masters so all the old-timers could keep in touch, and then, according to Venturi, insisted there be round tables, so no man would be seated at the head. There is the Hogan who occasionally charged for his autograph but insisted that the checks be made out to the ASPCA. There is the Hogan who supported the launch of the Ben Hogan tour, golf's minor league (now sponsored by Nike), so that young players would have a home. There is also the Hogan who last year, still flat on his back from the cancer surgery, floored Marr by calling him in his hospital room to wish him godspeed on his recovery from a similar operation. Says Venturi, "What people fail to appreciate about Ben is that he is a very shy and a very humble man. Those simple qualities have so often been misinterpreted." The Colonial has always been the one place where Hogan was in his element, especially at the past-champions dinner on Wednesday night, when the golfers would slip on the bad plaid that constitutes a winner's jacket in Fort Worth and then share toddies and the same old stories one more time. "Everything I had ever heard about Mr.

Hogan, I found to be untrue," says Keith Clearwater, the '87 Colonial champ. "He was warm and friendly and always going out of his way to make you feel welcome. He is very, very much in love with the Colonial, and there was almost a fraternity feel between him and all the champions." However, it is instructive to remember that Hogan has surprised us before. After the car crash in 1949 it was not known if he would ever get out of his hospital bed. But rise he did, to even greater heights. It would be unwise to count him out now. As Valerie herself said, "Hopefully, everyone will get to see him at the Colonial next year." There was something wistful in her voice when she said it. David Mackintosh. Hogan's Other Secret. Links Magazine . Summer 2012. Alfred Wright, Herbert Warren Wind, Alan Shipnuck. When the News Arrived / Right Up His Alley. Sports Illustrated . April 5, 1965, June 27, 1955, May 27, 1996.

Question: Ben Hogan won the American Open (Golf) with a record low score of 276. What year?
Answer: 1948