Ben Hogan was born August 13, 1912 in Stephenville, Texas. He is best known for being one of the greatest ball strikers of all time, and one of only five men to have won all four modern majors (others are Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Tiger Woods, and Jack Nicklaus).
His first win on the PGA Tour came in 1938, at the Hershey Four Ball. His first major title was not until 1946. In 1949, he survived a head on collision with a greyhound bus. Although a tragic story, it would set off one of the greatest comebacks in golf sports history.
Not only did he nearly win the LA Open in 1950 (less than a year after the accident), but Hogan would go on to win the US Open of 1950 at Merion.
In 1953, Hogan started a golf club company, and came to produce some of the most well regarded clubs over the last century. The company has been sold and re-sold several times since originally being under the close watch of Hogan, and the clubs have had little if any innovation over the last 20 years.
In 1953, Hogan had one of the best years in golf, winning 3 of the 4 majors (all except the PGA Championship). What's interesting about that fact, though, is that the British Open during that time actually conflicted with the PGA Championship, so Hogan didn't really have the chance to play all four majors.
By winning the Open Championship in 1953, he became just the second golfer to complete the career Grand Slam (Gene Sarazen was the first).
In 1957, Hogan co-wrote one of the most famous golf books ever written. Five Lessons still ranks among the most popular books on Amazon (based on # of sales) even today. There were five chapters, describing all parts of golf, from the grip and setup all the way through to course management and practicing effectively.
His last win on the PGA Tour came at Colonial in 1959.
