It should probably come as no surprise that older golfers seem to have a better chance of success at The Open Championship than any of the other majors, given all of the skills which are usually required to win around one of the courses on the rota.
The likes of Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson had all turned 40 when they won the Claret Jug from 2011 onwards. Meanwhile, Zach Johnson was 39 years of age when he won in 2015.
And of course, Tom Watson very nearly won in 2009 at the age of 59. The five-time champion only lost out in a play-off with Stewart Cink at Turnberry.
So experience of playing links golf is usually extremely beneficial. But there was one golfer who emerged victorious from his one and only appearance at The Open Championship.
The golfer who made one appearance in The Open Championship and won by four shots
Ben Hogan made his debut in the four events which now make up the majors in 1934, at the US Open. And he would bow out at the same tournament 33 years later.
In total, he played in 58 majors. But remarkably, Hogan only made the long trip across the Atlantic to take part in The Open on one occasion, in 1953.
Hogan had already won The Masters and the US Open that year. But his decision to play at Carnoustie meant that he was unable to feature in the PGA Championship, an event he had already won twice before.
Image credit: Bettman via Getty Images
Hogan – who, like everyone else, had to qualify through two rounds ahead of the event – found himself among the top 10 over the first two days on the east coast of Scotland. It seemed that the putter was the only thing holding the then-eight-time major champion back.
But he was tied for the lead with one round to go. And when he posted a 68 to conclude his tournament – it was only the third round in the 60s all week from any player in the field – Hogan did enough to win by four shots.
How Ben Hogan made history with his victory at the 1953 Open Championship
The result makes Hogan the only player to ever win The Masters, the US Open and The Open Championship in the same year. And golf fans would have to wait until Tiger Woods secured the first three legs of the Tiger Slam before anyone else would win any three of the current majors in one season.
It seems bizarre to think now that Hogan – one of the greatest of all-time – would decide to play in just one Open Championship. However, it appears that it was Arnold Palmer nearly a decade later who would play a key role in encouraging more Americans to make the trip. Palmer did not finish outside the top two – winning twice – in his first three appearances in the event.
Hogan had been in a life-threatening car accident in 1949, which did seemingly have an impact on his willingness to undertake the long trip to the British Isles each year as he continued to deal with various ailments. And he was far from the only golfer stateside who was reluctant to make the journey, particularly with no guarantees of actually getting to play in the event itself.
But in many ways, it only adds to Hogan’s legend that his record in The Open Championship remains absolutely perfect.
Featured image credit: Bettman via Getty Images
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