Ben Hogan's U.S. Open Wins, Yearly Scores, Superlatives
His first appearance in a U.S. Open was in 1934 and his last in 1967. That's a span of 33 years, so why did Hogan play only 22 times? His career was interrupted twice, first by World War II, then by a terrible car crash. In the years after the car crash, Hogan played in pain from the lingering effects of the leg injuries he suffered in that crash.
He got off to a faltering start in U.S. Open play, missing the cut the first three times he played. But from 1940 through 1960, Hogan never finished outside the Top 10.
Ben Hogan's U.S. Open Wins
1948 U.S. Open: Hogan's first U.S. Open victory was his third in a major, following two previous wins in the PGA Championship. Hogan passed Sam Snead to take the lead after the third round, with a 2-stroke margin over his good friend Jimmy Demaret going into the final round. And that's how it finished. Hogan's 276 was a new U.S. Open scoring record, lowering the previous mark by a whopping five strokes.1950 U.S. Open: This is the tournament called the "Miracle at Merion" because Hogan won it at Merion Golf Club less than a year-and-a-half after his near-fatal auto accident. It's also where that famous photo of Hogan hitting a 1-iron to the final green was taken. That shot helped Hogan get into a playoff against Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio. In that playoff, Hogan shot 69, Mangrum 73 and Fazio 75. (Related: List of all U.S. Open playoffs)
1951 U.S. Open: Hogan's third U.S. Open win was his sixth overall in majors. Hogan trailed by two strokes entering the final round, but his 67 in Round 4 pushed him to the two-stroke victory.
1953 U.S. Open: His fourth U.S. Open win, the eighth of his nine career major wins, the second of his three major wins in 1953 alone. Hogan led by one after three rounds, but wound up winning by six shots over runner-up Sam Snead.
Ben Hogan's Yearly Scores, Finishes in U.S. Open
Here are Ben Hogan's yearly results in the U.S. Open tournament:- 1934: 79-79—158, missed cut
- 1934: did not play
- 1936: 75-79—154, missed cut
- 1937: did not play
- 1938: 77-79—156, missed cut
- 1939: 76-74-78-80—308, tie 62nd
- 1940: 70-73-74-73—290, tie 5th
- 1941: 74-77-68-70—289, tie 3rd
- 1942-45: No tournament (World War II)
- 1946: 72-68-73-72—285, tie 4th
- 1947: 70-75-70-74—289, tie 6th
- 1948: 67-72-68-69—276, win
- 1949: did not play
- 1950: 72-69-72-74—287, win (won playoff)
- 1951: 76-73-71-67—287, win
- 1952: 69-69-74-74—286, 3rd
- 1953: 67-72-73-71—283, win
- 1954: 71-70-76-72—289, tie 6th
- 1955: 72-73-72-70—287, 2nd (lost playoff)
- 1956: 72-68-72-70—282, tie 2nd
- 1957: did not play
- 1958: 75-73-75-71—294, tie 10th
- 1959: 69-71-71-76—287, tie 8th
- 1960: 75-67-69-73—284, tie 9th
- 1961: 71-72-73-73—289, tie 14th
- 1962-65: did not play
- 1966: 72-73-76-70—291, 12th
- 1967: 72-72-76-72—292, tie 34th
Hogan's U.S. Open Superlatives
- Hogan shares the U.S. Open record of four career wins. He was the third to reach that number, after Willie Anderson and Bobby Jones. Jack Nicklaus is the fourth golfer with four wins in this tournament.
- He was the fifth golfer in tournament history to win back-to-back when he did it in 1950-51. There wasn't another back-to-back winner until Curtis Strange in 1988-89.
- In 1953, Hogan became the third golfer (after Walter Hagen and Jim Barnes) to win wire-to-wire with no ties.
- In 1953, Hogan became the first golfer to win three professional majors in the same year, of which the U.S. Open was his middle victory (after The Masters and before the British Open).
- The scoring record of 276 that Hogan set in 1948 lowered the previous record of 281 (Ralph Guldalh, 1937) by five strokes. It wasn't broken until Jack Nicklaus won with 275 at the 1967 U.S. Open.
- Hogan's eight finishes in the Top 3 of the U.S. Open was the record (shared with Bobby Jones) until it was bettered by Nicklaus.
- Hogan's 10 Top 5 finishes is tied for third-best in tournament history.
- Hogan's 15 Top 10 finishes is third-best in tournament history.
- Hogan's seven consecutive Top 10 finishes from 1950 through 1956 shares the tournament record (with Stewart Gardner, 1900-06, and Bobby Jones, 1920-26).
