Gene Sarazen

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Eugenio Saraceni was born on February 27, 1902, in Harrison, New York. He was an Italian American as his parents were poor Sicilian immigrants. He began caddying at age ten at local golf clubs, took up golf himself, and gradually developed his skills; Sarazen was essentially self-taught. Somewhat novel at the time, he used the interlocking grip to hold the club. He earned his spot in his first U.S. Open in 1920 at age 18. Sarazen took a series of club professional jobs in the New York area from his mid-teens. In 1921, he became a professional at Titusville (Pa.) Country Club, and he contracted to be the professional at Highland Country Club near Pittsburgh in 1922. Sarazen arrived in April, stocked the golf shop and gave a few lessons, but spent most of his time at Oakmont Country Club practicing with Emil Loeffler. At some point, the pair visited Skokie Country Club to practice on the course that would hold the U.S. Open; in July, he came from four shots behind to win the tournament. He returned to Pittsburgh and was feted at the William Penn Hotel, where he burst from a paper mâché golf ball. He did not return to Highland CC, broke his contract and became a 'touring' golf professional. Later that summer, he won the PGA Championship at Oakmont. Sarazen was a contemporary and rival of amateur Bobby Jones, who was born in the same year; he also had many battles with Walter Hagen, who was nine years older. Sarazen, Jones, and Hagen were the world's dominant players during the 1920s. Rivalries among the three great champions significantly expanded interest in golf around the world during this period, and made the United States the world's dominant golf power for the first time, taking over this position from Great Britain. The winner of 38 PGA tour events, he played on six U.S. Ryder Cup teams: 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935, and 1937. Sarazen claimed to have invented the modern sand wedge, and debuted the club (while keeping it secret during preliminary practice rounds) at The Open Championship at Prince's Golf Club in 1932 (which he won). He called it the sand iron. The original club he used is no longer on display at Prince's as it is worth too much for the insurers to cover. However, a similar club was patented in 1928 by Edwin Kerr McClain, and it is possible Sarazen saw this club. Sarazen had previously struggled with his sand play and there had been earlie

In Their Own Story

Sarazen claimed to have invented the modern sand wedge, debuting the club (while keeping it secret during preliminary practice rounds) at The Open Championship at Prince's Golf Club in 1932, which he won. He called it the sand iron. His innovation was to weld solder onto the lower back of the club, building up the flange so that it sat lower than the leading edge when soled. The flange, not the leading edge, would contact the sand first, and explode sand as the shot was played. Every top-class golfer since has utilized this wedge design and technique. At age 71, Sarazen made a hole-in-one at The Open Championship in 1973, at the 'Postage Stamp' at Troon in Scotland.

Reader's Guide

Gene Sarazen won 38 PGA Tour events and 7 major championships. His major wins: U.S. Open (1922, 1932), PGA Championship (1922, 1923, 1933), Open Championship (1932), Masters (1935). He was the first of six players to complete the Career Grand Slam. He invented the modern sand wedge, debuting it at the 1932 Open Championship. He hit the famous double eagle at the 1935 Masters on the 15th hole, using a spoon (4-wood). He played on six Ryder Cup teams (1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935, 1937). He was the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 1932, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974, and received the PGA Tour's first Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.

Did You Know?

• Sarazen began caddying at age ten, not eight or nine.
• He used the interlocking grip, not the overlapping (Vardon) grip.
• At the 1935 Masters, he parred the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes to preserve a tie, not birdied the 16th.
• The Sarazen Bridge approaches the left side of the 15th green, not the right side.
• He was the first of six players to win all four majors, including Rory McIlroy, not five.