The Greatest Comeback

Last Sunday was, of course, Easter Sunday. It was also Masters Sunday, which to me is a National Holiday all its own. The tournament itself has been tentatively rescheduled for the second week of November. But April 12th was still Masters Sunday. I wore my traditional green shirt and white slacks. Jackie and I had our traditional steak dinner. The final round of the 2019 Masters was aired on CBS. Many have referred to Tiger Woods’ stirring victory as the greatest comeback in golf history and even sports history. As great as his victory was, I have to disagree.

On February 2, 1949, Ben and Valerie Hogan were driving home in their new Cadillac sedan to Fort Worth, Texas from Phoenix, Arizona and the Phoenix Open. This was at a time before private jets, swing gurus, equipment deals and clothing sponsors. Pro golfers drove from stop to stop on the tour. East of Van Horn, a little town in the middle of nowhere about a hundred miles from El Paso, a bus attempting to pass a car on a narrow bridge hit them head on. In the instant before the collision, Ben threw himself across Valerie to protect her. It was an act of chivalry that ultimately saved his life, because the steering column punctured the left front seat. While Valerie was basically uninjured, the whole left side of Ben’s body was crushed, including his pelvis, ankle, knee, ribs, collarbone and shoulder. He also sustained injuries to his internal organs and suffered damage to his left eye, which worsened as he grew older.

At first he was told he would never walk again. After he began to walk, he was told he would never be able to play golf again. When he started to play golf, they said he would never be able to play competitively again. When he started back on the tour, they said he would never win again. Mr. Hogan proved them all wrong.

The first week of January 1950, eleven months after the accident, Hogan teed it up at the Los Angeles Open, which was played at Riviera Country Club. Tied for the lead with Sam Snead after 72 holes, he lost to Snead in an 18-hole Monday playoff. Famed sportswriter Grantland Rice wrote that, “his legs simply were not strong enough to carry his heart any longer.”

The 1950 U.S. Open was played June 8-11 at Merion Country Club outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hogan made the cut and at that time the USGA required players to play 36 holes on the final day of competition. Hogan almost fell down on the twelfth hole and could barely walk after that. He would later admit that he almost quit after the 13^th, but his caddy admonished him to press on. When he came to the 18^th tee, he needed a par to force a playoff. He hit his drive to the middle of the fairway and faced a two hundred thirteen yard shot to the green. He pulled out his 1-iron and striped it to the middle of the green, then two-putted for par. He would later admit, “I only had one shot left in me.”

Hy Peskins, a photographer for Life magazine, positioned himself behind Hogan and caught him at the end of his follow through, facing the green in perfect form with the 1-iron parallel to the ground. The fairway and green are lined with the gallery and the photograph became one of the most iconic pictures in golf history.

Hogan would defeat Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio by four strokes in an 18-hole playoff the next day. Seventeen months after being run over and maimed by a bus, Ben Hogan was the U.S. Open champion. He would defend that title in 1951 as well as winning The Masters. In 1953 he won The Triple Crown of The Masters, The U.S. Open and The Open Championship. All told, he won twelve tournaments and six majors after the accident.

Tiger Woods was run over by a bus as well, although metaphorically and largely of his own making. Hopefully he has conquered his demons and will continue his march toward nineteen professional majors. Was his comeback win at the Masters in 2019 great? Absolutely. Was it the greatest comeback in history? Not by a long shot.