Golf Betting - Famous Golf Players Bios
Ben Hogan
Ben Hogan was born in Dublin, Texas and began caddying at the age of eleven. His professional career started in 1931. Hogan was the greatest golfer of his time, and still stands as one of the greatest of all time.
Hogan is arguably the greatest ball-striker ever to play golf; even today, when a player is making great contact with the ball, the term "hitting it like Hogan" will be mentioned. Also, Hogan was known as "The Hawk" possessed fierce determination and an iron will and determination which combined with his unquestionable golf skills often intimidated opponents into submission.
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.
Hogan's best season was in 1953, in which he won five of the six tournaments. The first three Major Championships of the year, a feat known as the "Hogan Slam", still stands as 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, as he had entered the same week the British Open at Carnoustie, tournament which he won.
Between the years of 1938 through 1959, Hogan won 63 professional golf tournaments despite his career being interrupted by World War II and a near-fatal car accident.
Hogan was known to practice more than any other golfer of his contemporaries. While afflicted with hooking the golf ball early in his career, Hogan developed a strategy which made his swing nearly automatic.
In the 1950 Los Angeles Open Hogan took second place after a playoff loss to Sam Snead. However, Hogan proved to his critics 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 achieved what is perhaps the greatest sporting accomplishment in history, limping to 12 more PGA Tour wins including 6 Majors before retiring.
In 1953, Ben Hogan won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year in the United States.
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