Ben Hogan

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hogan was introduced to golf through caddying at age 11 at Glen Garden Country Club in Fort Worth, walking seven miles each way to the club. He turned professional aged 17. He struggled at the start of his career and did not win a professional tournament until he was 26. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1943 to 1945, Hogan claimed his first major championship at the 1946 PGA Championship. He won the 1948 U.S. Open with a record score of 8-under 276. In 1949, Hogan sustained near-fatal injuries in a head-on collision with a bus. He recovered and returned to golf, winning the 1950 U.S. Open in what became known as the 'miracle at Merion'. Hogan achieved the Triple Crown in 1953, with victories at the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. In total, he won 64 professional tournaments recognized as PGA Tour events. Outside of playing golf, Hogan started his own equipment company and authored Ben Hogan's Five Lessons, which became one of the most influential and best-selling golf books. He was named an inaugural inductee to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

In Their Own Story

The wind whipped across the 18th green at Merion Golf Club in 1950, carrying the weight of history. Ben Hogan stood over the ball, his posture rigid, eyes locked on the target. The crowd was silent, holding its breath as the man who had nearly died in a head-on collision with a bus just 16 months earlier prepared for another shot. Doctors had doubted he would ever walk again, let alone play golf professionally. He took a slow, deliberate backswing, his hands moving with the precision of a watchmaker. There was no hesitation, only the mechanical perfection he had honed through years of pain and practice. As the clubface connected with the ball, a sharp crack echoed across the course, sending the white sphere on a low, piercing trajectory that hugged the fairway before landing softly near the pin. Hogan didn't smile; he simply adjusted his cap, turned to walk away, and let the silence speak for itself. He had won the U.S. Open, completing what became known as the "miracle at Merion."

Reader's Guide

Hogan was born in Stephenville, Texas, on August 13, 1912. His father Chester shot himself with a .38 revolver on February 13, 1922. By some accounts, Hogan was in the same room as his father at that time, although biographer James Dodson noted this was uncertain as the Hogan family afterwards refused to discuss the incident and contemporary newspapers gave conflicting reports whether Hogan witnessed his father's suicide or not. Hogan was introduced to golf through caddying at age 11 at Glen Garden Country Club in Fort Worth, walking seven miles each way to the club. He turned professional aged 17. He did not win a professional tournament until he was 26. He won the 1948 U.S. Open with a record score of 8-under 276. Hogan's book Ben Hogan's Five Lessons became one of the most influential and best-selling golf books.

Did You Know?

• Hogan is one of five men to complete the modern career grand slam.
• Hogan's first major championship was the 1946 PGA Championship.
• Hogan's father Chester shot himself with a .38 revolver in 1922; it is unclear whether Hogan witnessed the suicide.
• Hogan walked seven miles each way to caddy at Glen Garden Country Club.