When They Were Young By Lee Pace Ben Hogan was a 30-year-old journeyman when the PGA Tour came to Pinehurst in March 1940. Hogan had been playing for eight years and didn’t have a win to show for it. He was out of money — and confidence. If he didn’t crack the winner’s circle that year, he was going to go back home to Fort Worth, Texas, and work full-time as a club pro. But with a lesson from good friend Henry Picard that helped eliminate his dreaded hook, with hours-on-end putting practice in his hotel room late at night and a driver on loan from Sam Snead, Hogan put together a magical week on No. 2, bolting into the lead with a 66 in the first round and cruising to his first professional win. “I won one just in time,” Hogan said. “I had finished second and third so many times I was beginning to think I was an also-ran. I needed that win. They’ve kidded me about practicing so much. I’d go out there before a round and practice, and when I was through, I’d practice some more. Well, they can kid me all they want because it finally paid off. I know it’s what finally got me in the groove to win.” And what a groove it turned out to be. The volcano had erupted. Hogan proceeded to win the Greater Greensboro Open and then the Land of the Sky Open in Asheville. Three straight tournaments in North Carolina, three straight wins. The rest, as they say, was a Hall of Fame career and a victory in every major championship. “I always loved to play Pinehurst,” Hogan said. “I thought it was a great place. I thoroughly Michigan Golf Journal
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