At Augusta National in 1967, 54-year-old Ben Hogan rolled back the years with an incredible back nine of 30 in the third round of his final Masters
Ben Hogan had not played a competitive round for ten months prior to The Masters Tournament of 1967. He was 54 years old, suffering a persistent shoulder injury, and his troublesome legs were aching. But on Saturday April 8 at Augusta National, ‘Bantam Ben’ shot the lowest round of the tournament to give himself a realistic chance of a most unlikely victory. This is the story of how the sweet-swinging veteran equalled an Augusta scoring record in his last ever Masters outing.
Hogan was a late developer as a professional. Unlike his contemporaries Sam Snead and Byron Nelson (all three were born in 1912), his early years in the paid ranks were tough and he didn’t get an individual win until 1940, ten years after turning pro. His nine Majors all came in a relatively short spell from 1946 to 1953, with his two Masters wins in 1951 and 1953.
In 1951 Hogan caught and passed Skee Riegel in the final round at Augusta. Riegel had been US Amateur Champion but his runner-up finish to ‘The Hawk’ that year was the highlight of his professional playing career.
In 1953, Hogan enjoyed a stellar year. Aged 40, he won three Majors and only logistics meant he couldn’t go for the Grand Slam. In April, he stormed to a second Masters title, smashing the scoring record to finish on 14-under-par, five clear of Ed ‘Porky’ Oliver – a pro renowned for second-place finishes in Majors, although that was a slightly exaggerated reputation, as he had just three of them.
Hogan went on to win the US Open and then The Open Championship that year at Carnoustie in his only start in the event. That trip across the pond ruled him out of the US PGA and the chance to make more history by claiming all four Majors in a calendar year as the dates meant he couldn’t play in both The Open and the US PGA.
Hogan’s competitive schedule by the late 1960s was limited, to say the least. He hadn’t won on the PGA Tour since 1959 and, by the time of the ’67 Masters, he hadn’t played a tournament since the US Open at the Olympic Club the previous June, where he finished a creditable 12th. In discussions with reporters early in Masters week, he reckoned he’d played just 15 rounds of golf in total that year.
This didn’t seem to have too much effect on his legendary tee-to-green game. Even into his mid-50s, he was able to strike a golf ball better than almost anyone in the field. “He hits the irons so good, he’s cheating,” said Gardner Dickinson after pl
