Ben Hogan won four (4) official U.S. Open Championships and more
To Ben Hogan, June might have just been the most important month of the year, because it was the time for his country’s national championship. Certainly Mr. Hogan’s career record at the U.S. Open underscores the importance he placed on this very special event.
- Ben Hogan won four (4) ‘official’ U.S. Open Championships, but many credit him with five (5) victories. This is because he won the ‘Hale America Open’ in 1943; a year in which the U.S. Open was not played because of the war. The Hale America Open was a USGA championship that followed U.S. Open protocol to the letter and offered the biggest purse in professional golf that year. The USGA awarded Mr. Hogan with a gold medal that is identical to his four ‘official’ U.S. Open medals.
- Ben Hogan raised his game time and again at the U.S. Open. From 1940 to 1960, he finished in the top 10 in every U.S. Open he entered, and was out of the top 5 only five times (three of those his last three opens after age 46). Imagine . . . not one off week for 20 years. A record that will likely never be equaled.
- From 1948 to 1953 – out of five U.S. Opens, Ben Hogan won four and finished third in the other. No other golfer has ever matched that feat.
- No golfer has every won three straight U.S. Open Championships. However, Mr. Hogan did win in 1950, 1951 and 1953. Unfortunately, he missed the event in 1949 because of a near-fatal automobile accident. Mr. Hogan did win three consecutive U.S. Opens in which he played.
After winning the 1953 Masters, U.S Open and Open Championship (at Carnoustie, above), Hogan received a ticker-tape parade in New York City.
