Books

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Controversy defined

By Robert Gable

Ben Hogan is a legendary figure from golf’s not-so-distant past. He was an enigma—friendly and caring, aloof and cold—depending on whom you ask. What is no mystery is the record of what he accomplished on the golf course. His tournament victories, and his overall record in tournaments, continue to astound the golf world. One accomplishment, however, on whether he won four or five U.S. Opens is a topic for 19th hole debates over post-round cocktails. Peter May examines this debate in his book, The Open Question.

The book came about when sportswriter May overheard golf writer Dan Jenkins, in 2017, say that Hogan won five U.S. Opens, not the four listed in record books. The controversy stems from the 1942 Hale America National Open. Since World War II was in full force, the United States Golf Association (USGA) decided to suspend its championships for 1942 but it did conduct a national open in June, at the same time and in the same manner as a usual U.S. Open tournament. Hogan, for as long as he lived, claimed it was a U.S. Open, and the USGA should just call it that. The USGA contends it wasn’t a regulation U.S. Open, and they’re just as adamant about it.

May takes the approach of putting all the arguments, for and against, on the table and letting the reader decide. The first-place medal Hogan received looks a whole lot like the medals he received after winning the 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1953 U.S. Opens, and 1,540 golfers signed up as entries for the field. The USGA, as usual, held local and sectional qualifying tournaments around the U.S. to determine which golfers would compete at Broadmoor CC, outside of Chicago. Except for Sam Snead, all of the era’s best golfers participated. The course itself, on the other hand, wasn’t prepared the way a typical U.S. Open course would have been prepared. There were invitees to fill spots in the field, and there was no typical cut after the second round. The USGA considered the tournament a fundraiser for the war effort, not their annual tournament.

A sports reporter for 30 years, May now teaches journalism at Brandeis University. He did considerable research using multiple sources—contacting golf historians, librarians, archivists and golf collectors to bring this project to life. The narrative flow of the book dwells on the story of four men from that era (Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, Lloyd Mangrum and Jimmy Demaret) detailing how their life stories intersected. May states, “One of the obligations of those who have a grasp of the past is to remind those who do not of what came before them. There’s a generation of golf fans who think Tiger Woods is the embodiment and sole icon of the game. But before Tiger there was Jack Nicklaus, and before Nicklaus there was Arnold Palmer, and before Palmer there was this fellow named Ben Hogan.”

He has a brisk style of writing—not too flowery, straight to the point. While going chronologically through the months leading up to the tournament, he includes information about the early era of professional golf. He then he takes you through each round, digressing throughout to give readers the back story of the players and events. He also explains what was happening in the rest of the world. (During the tournament, a Nazi plot with eight spies was unfolding on Long Island. The FBI would eventually foil the plot later in June.) May takes you back to a time when $1,000 went to the winner of a tournament, and most of the players earned a pat on the back. (Of the 120 players in the field at the Hale America Open, the top 30 finishers got paid. The bottom 90 players got nothing—a whole universe away from today’s prize money.)

May includes a reasoned critique of the USGA’s detailed statement from 2020 asserting why the Hale America was not an Open. He puts each assertion under a microscope, coming up with his own conclusion that some of these assertions amount to “a distinction without a difference.” In the Epilogue he visits the “Hoganistas,” those people who never met the man but are compelled to carry on his legacy. Years after his death, Hogan is still inspiring people. No matter how many U.S. Opens he won, this much is certain: He lived with distinction, and he made a difference.

The Open Question

By Peter May 183 pages, Rowman & Littlefield / $24.95

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Robert Gable worked in book publishing for 18 years before going into the golf industry. He lived and worked in Pinehurst for five years and still misses it. He currently lives in Queens and works as an assistant golf pro at Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, New York.