Ben Hogan is perhaps most notable for his profound influence on the golf swing theory and his legendary ball-striking ability, for which he continues to remain renowned. Hogan became a professional golfer more than six months shy of his eighteenth birthday. Despite finishing 13th on the money list in 1938, Hogan had to take an assistant pro’s job, and was hired that year by Century Country Club. He remained at Century and continued to refine his game until 1941. Between the years of 1938 through 1959, Hogan won 63 professional golf tournaments despite his career being interrupted in its prime by World War II and later on a near-fatal car accident. His nine career professional major championships tie him for fourth all-time. Hogan played on two U.S. Ryder Cup teams, 1947 and 1951, and captained the team three times, 1947, 1949, and 1967. Hogan won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average three times: 1940, 1941, and 1948 and won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year in the United States. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. In 1976, Ben Hogan was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. A special room is dedicated to Hogan’s career, comeback, and accomplishments at the United States Golf Association Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History.
