Ben Hogan

1937–1941: Breakthrough on tour

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.

In 1941, Hogan was hired as head professional at Hershey Country Club. He filled the vacancy left by Picard, who recommended that Hogan receive the job. He did not give lessons, and his role was largely ceremonial in that he would represent Hershey while playing tournaments and visit the club to give the members a close-up look at an elite golfer's swing. He received annual payment in the region of $4,000 (equivalent to $87,557 in 2025). Members at Hershey recalled that Hogan had a meticulous attitude towards practice, focusing on each shot on the range as he would during a tournament. During the year, Hogan had eleven runner-up finishes and won five times, including at the Hershey Open. He again topped the tour's money list, with over $18,000 (equivalent to $394,005 in 2025), and won the Vardon Trophy for a second time. Despite this, he stated that he was not yet satisfied with his play.

1942–1945: Hale America Open victory and military service

Hogan started 1942 by winning the Los Angeles Open and the San Francisco Open in January. At the Texas Open in February, he finished runner-up for the third consecutive year. Hogan won his second North and South Open in March, and his third consecutive Asheville Land of the Sky Open at the start of April. The following week, at the 1942 Masters Tournament, Hogan shot 67 on Saturday, the lowest round of the day by four strokes, to move into contention. He shot 2-under 70 in the final round to finish in a tie for first alongside Byron Nelson. In the ensuing 18-hole playoff, Hogan shot 70 but was defeated by one stroke. This extended Hogan's drought in the majors.

Due to World War II, the U.S. Open was cancelled in 1942. In its place, the USGA and the PGA of America organized the Hale America Open in June. Subject to the same open qualifying system as the U.S. Open, it drew over 1,000 attempted qualifiers and the field included many of the top players on tour. It was held at Chicago's Ridgemoor Country Club, which was not a U.S. Open venue. Hogan opened with a 72, then followed with a 10-under 62 to take the lead. He shot 69-68 on the weekend to win by three strokes ahead of Jimmy Demaret and Mike Turnesa. Hogan was presented with the gold medal as traditionally given to a U.S. Open champion by USGA director Joseph Dey. Due to these factors, Hogan's supporters and some golf historians considered this to be a major championship victory for Hogan. Officially, the tournament is not recognized as a major championship. The event was recognized as a PGA Tour victory, and helped Hogan end the year as the tour's money list leader for the third consecutive year.

Hogan did not play a tournament in 1943. He received his draft notice on March 1, and was inducted into the United States Army Air Forces on March 25. Hogan served in non-combat roles during the war. He was admitted to Officer Candidate School in Miami; he passed and was promoted to second lieutenant later that year. He then returned to Fort Worth and joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program unit, where he received $225 (equivalent to $4,186 in 2025) per month. When aviators returning from overseas arrived in Fort Worth, they were deemed more qualified flight instructors, so Hogan's responsibilities decreased. He was afforded time to continue practicing golf and was permitted to play a handful of events when the tour resumed in 1944, including the Chicago Victory Open in June, where he lost in a playoff to Jug McSpaden. He also offered golf instruction to returning pilots who had been wounded in action. Shortly before being honorably discharged on August 5, 1945, Hogan was promoted to the rank of captain. He received a personal letter of gratitude from President Harry S. Truman.

While Hogan was enlisted, Byron Nelson, who was exempt from military service, established himself as the leading player on tour. Nelson won eight tournaments in 1944, and eighteen in 1945, including an unprecedented eleven-straight victories. At the Nashville Invitational in September 1945, Hogan won his first tournament since being drafted, shooting 19-under to win by four ahead of Nelson and Johnny Bulla. Later that month, at the Portland Open Invitational, he won again, finishing 14 strokes clear of runner-up Nelson. Hogan's score of 27-under 261 broke the PGA Tour scoring record in relation to par; this record stood for 53 years, until John Huston shot 28-under at the Hawaiian Open in 1998. Hogan ultimately won five tournaments in his return to the tour in 1945, the last being the Orlando Open in December.

1946–1948: Establishing dominance, first major titles

Hogan won four tournaments in the first three months of 1946, including the Texas Open. He entered the 1946 Masters Tournament among the favorites to win, and two of Augusta National's members had bet $50,000 (equivalent to $825,512 in 2025) on Hogan at 4/1 odds. Outsider Herman Keiser led wire-to-wire to claim victory, one stroke ahead of Hogan. The following month, Hogan won the inaugural Colonial National Invitation, held at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. At the 1946 U.S. Open in June, Hogan had a short-range putt on the final green to enter a playoff, but missed it and finished in tied-fourth. He rebounded with a win at the Inverness Invitational Four-Ball the next week.

Ahead of the 1946 PGA Championship at Portland Golf Club in August, defending champion Byron Nelson announced that he planned to retire from full-time professional golf. Hogan and Nelson were seeded on opposite sides of the draw, so a showdown in the final between the two was possible, but Nelson was eliminated by Porky Oliver. Hogan dispatched Jimmy Demaret, 10 and 9, to reach the final, where he then defeated Oliver, 6 and 4, to win his first major championship. Aged 34, the victory came 17 years after Hogan had turned professional. In total, Hogan played 32 tournaments in 1946. He made the cut in all 32 events and recorded 27 top-10 finishes, including 13 wins. He claimed the title as money list leader for the fourth time in his career, with over $42,000 (equivalent to $693,430 in 2025) in earnings. As Nelson had retired and Sam Snead won only once between December 1946 and March 1949, Hogan established himself as the dominant player on tour.

Partially influenced by Nelson's early retirement, Hogan reduced his tournament schedule in 1947 to avoid potential burnout. He continued his form from 1946 and won four tournaments at the start of the year. Regarding his success, he proclaimed to a sportswriter: "I've found the secret." He did not initially reveal the secret, and it became the subject of much speculation. He added three more tournament victories in 1947 after announcing this epiphany. Hogan was chosen as a playing-captain at the 1947 Ryder Cup in November, the first edition of the contest since 1937. The United States trounced Great Britain 11–1. Hogan ended 1947 third in the money list, behind Bobby Locke and leader Jimmy Demaret.

Hogan opened 1948 with a win at the Los Angeles Open held at Riviera Country Club. He led wire-to-wire, shooting a record 9-under 275 to win by four strokes ahead of Lloyd Mangrum. Hogan added his second major title at the 1948 PGA Championship, held at Norwood Hills Country Club in May. He defeated Mike Turnesa, 7 and 6, in the final. In this era, the PGA Championship was a grueling 216-hole, seven-day format. After his win, Hogan was exhausted and stated he might not play the PGA Championship again. In June, Hogan competed in the 1948 U.S. Open, which was also held at Riviera Country Club. He opened with a 4-under 67 to take the lead, but was overtaken by Sam Snead in the second round. Hogan rallied with 68-69 on the 36-hole final day to win his first U.S. Open and third major championship title. His total of 276 shattered the U.S. Open scoring record previously held by Ralph Guldahl's 281 in 1937. Hogan's aggregate score of 8-under also set a new U.S. Open record, which stood until Tiger Woods shot 12-under in 2000. With the win, Hogan became the first man to win the PGA Championship and U.S. Open in the same year since Gene Sarazen in 1922.

Following his victory at the U.S. Open, Hogan won five more consecutive tournaments. He was sponsored by equipment company MacGregor Golf at the time, and MacGregor awarded him matching prize money for each of his victories, which averaged $2,090 (equivalent to $28,007 in 2025) during this streak. After the final victory of the streak, at the Denver Open Invitational in August, Hogan signed his scorecard and walked off the course before the trophy presentation. He also refused numerous media requests during this time and the Associated Press issued a report on the incident, which led to negative coverage of Hogan. Biographer Curt Sampson remarked that "Hogan was extraordinarily driven and had no particular interest in savoring a win in public or in public relations. He was a shy man trying to hide while everyone watched, a sad impossibility." Hogan added two more wins before the end of the year. In total, he played 25 events in 1948, finishing in the top-three in 17 of them, including 10 wins. He won the inaugural PGA Player of the Year award, and topped the tour's money list for the fifth and final time of his career, with over $30,000 (equivalent to $402,008 in 2025).

Professional wins (69)

PGA Tour wins (64)

Source: (Barkow 1989, pp. 261–262)

Other wins (5)

this list is probably incomplete

1940 Westchester Open, Westchester PGA Championship

1950 Greenbrier Pro-Am

1956 World Cup of Golf individual; World Cup of Golf team

Health issues

Hogan began smoking cigarettes around the same time he began caddying, and continued the habit into his 80s. He averaged around two packs per day. Hogan appeared in an advertisement for Chesterfield in 1953. After surgery for a ruptured appendix in 1987 led to him developing pneumonia, Hogan's doctors strongly advised him to stop smoking, but he continued to do so.

In his final years, Hogan suffered from blindness and Alzheimer's disease. During an event at Colonial Country Club in 1992 with Ben Crenshaw, Hogan toured the Hogan Room where his trophies and medals were displayed. He did not recognize them and asked Crenshaw: "Are all of these mine?" When Crenshaw confirmed they were, Hogan said: "I really must have been something." As Hogan's mental condition worsened, Valerie forbade visitors from seeing him. In 1995, Hogan had surgery due to colon cancer. He developed bronchitis after the surgery.

Hogan died on July 25, 1997, after suffering a stroke at his home in Fort Worth. He was 84. Pallbearers at the funeral included golfers Tommy Bolt, Sam Snead, and Ken Venturi, as well as sportswriters Dan Jenkins and Jim Murray. Hogan's wife Valerie died two years later on June 30, 1999; they were interred at Greenwood Memorial Park in Fort Worth.