Golf’s “Wee Mon” was an enigma to many, but nowhere more so than on a golf course where he was often portrayed as cold and calculating. This September 1970 story by Nick Seitz for Golf Digest shows another side. The paragraph below is from the introduction to the article which appeared in GolfDigest.com on March 26, 2020. Click here to see the entire article.
“Ben Hogan was the man of mystery, known as a recluse, golf’s Howard Hughes. Seventy years after his historic victory in the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion following a near-fatal accident in which his car was demolished by a Greyhound bus, Hogan is still held with equal measures of reverence and curiosity by golfers everywhere. Half a century ago, when this story first appeared, the public interest in him exceeded that of Tiger Woods today….At the time of publication, he was unquestionably thought to be the greatest golfer in history, certainly the greatest ball-striker. (Jack Nicklaus had played only half of his career by then.) Hogan essentially retired from full-time competition shortly after winning the Triple Crown in 1953 (three majors—the Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship).”
