Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan

    Majors won: 9 (1951 & 1953 Masters; 1948, 1950, 1951 & 1953 U.S. Open; 1953 Open Championship; 1946 & 1948 PGA Championship)

PGA Tour victories: 64 (fourth all time)

Notes: A legendary ball-striker, The Hawk, as he was known, completed his career grand slam with a victory in the 1953 Open Championship. That 1953 season is known as "The Triple Crown" season. It's when Hogan won five of the six tournaments he entered, including three majors. He was unable to try for a calendar-year grand slam because the dates of the Open Championship and the PGA Championship overlapped that year. During the prime of his career, Hogan's competitive golf was interrupted by World War II (he served in the Army as a utility pilot) and a near-fatal car crash. The crash happened on Feb. 2, 1949 when a Greyhound bus hit Hogan and wife, Valerie, head on. Doctors were unsure if Hogan would ever walk again, let alone resume his golf career. Nine months later, not only was he walking, but back to playing. He won six more majors after the crash.