Background and career
William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He profoundly influenced golf swing theory, and was noted for his ballstriking skill and assiduous practice. Hogan won nine major championships and is one of six men to complete the modern career grand slam. Hogan was introduced to golf through caddying at age 11 and 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, which was one of his 13 tournament victories that year. 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 while driving home from a tournament. 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.
William Ben Hogan was born in Stephenville, Texas, on August 13, 1912. He was the third and youngest child of Clara (née Williams) and Chester Hogan. The family lived in nearby Dublin, Texas, where Chester worked as a blacksmith. Hogan's grandfather and namesake William Hogan was a blacksmith for the 1st Mississippi Cavalry Regiment in the American Civil War. The Hogans were of Irish descent. After the war, William worked as a tenant farmer then moved from Mississippi to Dublin, Texas, where Hogan's father Chester was born in 1885. William opened a blacksmith shop in Dublin. Chester worked as a bottler at Dublin Dr Pepper, before inheriting William's blacksmith shop. As a child, Hogan (who went by the name Ben) spent much of his time around the shop, where he was regarded as a shy but polite boy who calmed horses which were in line to be shoed. As the blacksmith trade declined due to automobiles replacing horses, Chester spiraled into debt; Hogan biographer James Dodson stated Chester "became so despondent that he could barely lift a hammer". In 1921, the family sold their house in Dublin and rented a small house in downtown Fort Worth, where Clara worked as a seamstress to support the family and arranged for Chester to be treated by a doctor for his "black moods". On February 13, 1922, Chester shot himself with a .38 revolver in the family home in Fort Worth. By some accounts, Hogan was in the same room as his father at that time, although 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. He had regarded his father as his hero and he could not bear to see him in a casket during the funeral. The suicide troubled Hogan for the remainder of his life. The family incurred financial difficulties after Chester's suicide, and the children took jobs to help their mother make ends meet. Hogan's brother Royal quit school aged 14 and delivered office supplies, sold copies of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on street corners, pumped gasoline at a service station, and later took night classes to study accounting. Clara described Royal as her "rock of Gibraltar" and said he was crucial to sustaining the family. Nine-year-old Hogan also sold newspaper copies at a nearby train station, and his sister Princess helped by babysitting local children. In a 1983 interview with Ken Venturi, Hogan said he was grateful for his difficult childhood:
Because I know tough things, and I had a tough day all my life, and I can handle tough things. ... And every day that I progressed was a joy for me, and I recognized that. I don't think I could have done what I've done if I hadn't had the tough days to begin with.
A tip from a friend led Hogan to caddying at age 11 at Glen Garden Country Club in Fort Worth. He walked seven miles each way to the club. Hogan was enticed by hearing caddies could make $0.65 (equivalent to $12 in 2025) per round. Glen Garden had a driving range and the members rarely used it, which meant caddies were free to hit balls while waiting for a bag to carry. Hogan hit more balls than any other caddie. He received pointers from the club professional Ted Longworth on basics such as gripping the club. Outside of this, Hogan was self-taught through watching the swings of the players he caddied for and through trial and error. Hogan did not show natural ability at golf, but had an intense work ethic and improved rapidly. Caddies at Glen Garden had a game where the shortest hitter would have to retrieve all the balls from the range, which motivated Hogan to become a long hitter despite his slight stature. In his attempt to gain distance, he began hooking the ball, a tendency which plagued him for years afterwards. Hogan's mother Clara initially discouraged him from golf as she did not see a future in it. She unfavorably compared him to his older brother and said Hogan's golf was "nothing", adding that "nothing divided by nothing is nothing", a phrase which Hogan later used throughout his life. He persisted with golf despite the criticism. Hogan also attempted to play American football but he proved too small, and baseball did not pique his interest. He later said: "Why golf did I do not know, but I just loved it." After seeing Walter Hagen arrive in an extravagant car and clothing for the 1927 PGA Championship in Dallas, Hogan decided that "if golf could make it possible for a fellow to live like that, then I would have a fling at it myself." One of Hogan's fellow caddies at Glen Garden was future major champion Byron Nelson, who was six months older than Hogan. The two became friends, but never close friends. At the annual Christmas caddie tournament in 1927, when both were 15, Nelson sank a 30-foot (9.1 m) putt on the final hole to tie the match and force a playoff. Hogan had a putt to win the match on the first extra hole, but he then was informed the format had changed from sudden death to a nine-hole playoff. He ultimately lost the playoff on the final green, after Nelson holed another long putt. Hogan later said that he felt Nelson had received preferential treatment at Glen Garden. When Nelson was chosen to receive junior membership at Glen Garden instead of him the following year, Hogan became determined to surpass Nelson. Once he turned 16 and reached the age-limit for caddying, Hogan began working in Glen Garden's golf shop, where he repaired and polished clubs. He recalled of this time: "Boy, I'd look at those clubs and they were the most beautiful things, Nichols and Stewarts, all made in Scotland. I got my own set of mongrel clubs out of a dime store barrel for a dollar a piece." As he was no longer a caddie and had not received membership, Hogan was not allowed to practice at Glen Garden. He instead practiced at the nearest public course, Katy Lake. In September 1928, Hogan competed in a match play championship held at River Crest Country Club in Fort Worth. He made eagle on the final hole to force extra holes against defending champion M. L. "Happy" Massingill, but was eliminated on the 19th hole. Hogan also impressed in the tournament's long-drive contest, leading fellow competitor Ed Stewart to say of the 130-pound (59 kg) Hogan: "It's a good thing that kid don't weigh about 170." As a Christmas present in 1928, Clara bought Hogan a set of clubs. She later stated that, upon receiving the clubs, Hogan proclaimed: "Mama, I'm going to be the greatest golfer that ever lived." In 1929, while still in high school, Hogan won the Cleburne Invitational at Cleburne Country Club, where he defeated 52-year-old John Douglas in the final. This was Hogan's first win in a significant tournament. In July of that year, he finished second in the Southwest Amateur in Shreveport, Louisiana, losing in the final to Gus Moreland. Hogan then won the Dublin-DeLeon tournament in August. He shot a course-record 68 to advance to the final, where he defeated George Meredith. This was Hogan's last amateur victory before turning professional. By this stage, he was prioritizing golf ahead of his formal education. He decided to drop out of Central High School in Fort Worth and attempt to become a professional golfer. Hogan persuaded his mother that he would make up for his lack of a diploma by doubling his efforts to read newspapers and books.
As a 17-year-old, Hogan was hired as an assistant at Oakhurst Country Club, a nine-hole course in downtown Fort Worth. The job paid less than $30 (equivalent to $563 in 2025) per week, but it permitted him to practice whenever customers were not around. Hogan made his professional tournament debut in January 1930 at the Texas Open, a PGA Tour event held at Brackenridge Park Golf Course in San Antonio. He hitched a ride from Fort Worth and paid $5 (equivalent to $96 in 2025) as a registration fee. Amidst the Great Depression, Hogan felt that he could not afford to spend time playing amateur tournaments, remarking: "You can't eat trophies." He shot rounds of 78-75 and withdrew. He stated afterwards: "I found out the first day that I shouldn't even be there." A week later, Hogan competed in the Houston Open, where he shot 77-76 and again withdrew. Hogan returned to Fort Worth and took on various jobs, such as mopping floors in a restaurant and bellhopping at the Blackstone Hotel. He also worked as a croupier at night at the hotel, a job which he became ashamed of and was reluctant to mention afterwards. Hogan continued his diligent practice. He would practice to the point that his hands bled, and once the skin blistered and cracked open he soaked his hands in pickle brine to toughen them. He made his second attempt to play on tour in late 1931, having received $75 (equivalent to $1,588 in 2025): 25 from his brother, and 50 from businessman Marvin Leonard, whom Hogan had met while caddying at Glen Garden. He joined fellow Texan Ralph Guldahl and headed west. At the Pasadena Open In December 1931, Hogan failed to finish inside the money as he struggled with a smother hook. Sponsors of the tournament gave competitors a bag of oranges, which he lived off for a week. He earned his first check as a professional in January 1932 at the Los Angeles Open, shooting 71-72-79-69 to receive $50 (equivalent to $1,180 in 2025). He cashed another check at the Agua Caliente Open, shooting 295 over four rounds to earn $200. He also placed in the money at the Phoenix Open, which Guldahl won. Hogan then followed the tour east, but had little success. Paying for his own food, transportation and accommodation while on the road, he soon whittled away his earnings and returned to Texas broke. Hogan then secured a position as club professional at Nolan River Country Club, a small club in Cleburne, Texas. He received $35 (equivalent to $826 in 2025) per week, and rented a room in the back of the club at a nominal price. At Nolan River, Hogan spent a significant amount of his time in the golf shop reshafting clubs from hickory to steel, which gave him a deeper understanding of club construction and mechanics. The club had few members and he rarely was requested to give formal lessons, leaving him ample time to practice and attempt to fix his tendency towards snap hooks. Hogan made two more failed attempts to play on tour in 1933 and 1934. In the latter attempt, he made his first appearance in a major championship, at the 1934 U.S. Open held at Merion Golf Club, where he shot 79-79 to miss the cut. Hogan married Valerie Fox in 1935, and considered quitting the sport as he felt that he was failing to provide for his wife by unsuccessfully pursuing a career as a touring professional. She refused to let him quit and functioned as a form of sports psychologist. He recalled: "She kept saying, 'You can't give up now. You're so close. I just know it'." Hogan's mother later stated that "Valerie is the only one who can honestly say, 'I told you so.' The rest of us hoped Ben would make it, but Valerie was always sure he would." Hogan qualified for the 1936 U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club, where he again missed the cut, shooting 75-79.
After amassing $1,400 (equivalent to $31,354 in 2025) in savings, Hogan made another attempt to play on tour beginning in 1937. He brought Valerie along with him, as his "secretary, treasurer, and wardrobe mistress". By the time he entered the Oakland Open at Sequoyah Country Club in January 1938, they were down to $86. They stayed at the Leamington Hotel in Oakland, and Hogan parked his car across the street to avoid paying the hotel's parking fee. When he exited the hotel on the morning of the first round, he discovered that his car's wheels had been stolen. Childhood friend and fellow competitor Byron Nelson gave him a ride to the course. Hogan ultimately finished the tournament in sixth-place, shooting a final-round 67 to earn $285. This enabled him to continue playing on tour. At the Sacramento Open the following week, Hogan finished third and received $350 (equivalent to $8,005 in 2025). He then received an offer to become assistant professional at Century Country Club in Purchase, New York, a wealthy club which offered him a comfortable salary. Two months later, Hogan made his debut at the 1938 Masters Tournament, where he finished tied-25th. In September of that year, he partnered with Vic Ghezzi to win the Hershey Four-Ball. The pair opened with a best-ball 61, and Hogan made 31 birdies in the 126-hole tournament, six more than anyone else in the field. Despite holding a large lead, he remained determined and emotionless on the final holes. Ghezzi remarked that: "If we had lost, I am quite certain that [Hogan] would have jumped out of a window." This was Hogan's first professional victory, and they earned $1,100 (equivalent to $25,160 in 2025). Hogan ended the year at 13th in the PGA Tour's money list, and he later stated this was the turning point of his career. Hogan had been invited to the Hershey Four-Ball thanks to Henry Picard, who convinced the organizers at Hershey Country Club that the as-yet-winless Hogan was a talented player. Picard also helped Hogan by advising him that weakening his grip might alleviate the tendency to hook the ball. Hogan had received a similar tip to cure the hook in 1937 from Harry Cooper, who noticed that Hogan was letting go of the club slightly at the top of his backswing then regripping it stronger during the downswing than he had done at address. Hogan continued to have success on tour in 1939. He finished runner-up at the Phoenix Open in February, and ninth at the 1939 Masters Tournament in April. Hogan made the cut for the first time at the 1939 U.S. Open, held at Philadelphia Country Club in June, which was won by Nelson. Although he did not win during the year, Hogan recorded 16 top-10 finishes and placed seventh on the money list. Hogan's significant breakthrough came in 1940. He recorded his first individual win in a professional tournament at the North and South Open in March, held at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. He shot a record 11-under 277 to finish three shots ahead of runner-up Sam Snead. Hogan followed this with a nine-stroke win at the Greater Greensboro Open the next week. He added his third straight win at the Asheville Land of the Sky Open at the end of March, shooting 67-68-69-69 to win by three strokes. Although he had previously struggled on the greens, Hogan displayed top-class putting during this winning streak. During the trophy presentation at Pinehurst, Hogan said: "They've kidded me about practicing so much. I'd go out there before a round and practice, and when I was through I'd practice some more. Well, they can kid me all they want because it finally paid off." Hogan added his fourth win of the year at the Goodall Palm Beach Round Robin in May, and ended 1940 as the PGA Tour's money list leader, with over $10,000 (equivalent to $229,810 in 2025) in earnings. He also received the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average.
