Miracle at Merion: The Inspiring Story of Ben Hogan's Amazing Comeback and Victory at the 1950 U.S. Open

by David B. Barrett

Legendary sportswriter Red Smith characterized Ben Hogan’s comeback from a near-fatal automobile crash in February 1949 as “the most remarkable feat in the history of sports.” Nearly sixty years later, that statement still rings true. The crowning moment of Hogan’s comeback was his dramatic victory in the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia, where his battered legs could barely carry him on the 36-hole final day. Miracle at Merion tells the stirring story of Hogan’s triumph over adversity—the rarely-performed surgery that saved his life, the months of rehabilitation when he couldn’t even hit a golf ball, his stunning return to competition at the Los Angeles Open, and, finally, the U.S. Open triumph that returned him to the pinnacle of the game.

While Hogan was severely injured in the accident, fracturing his pelvis, collarbone, rib, and ankle, his life wasn’t in danger until two weeks later when blood clots developed in his leg, necessitating emergency surgery. Hogan didn’t leave the hospital until April and didn’t even touch a golf club until August. It wasn’t until November, more than nine months after the accident, that he was able to go to the range to hit balls. Hogan’s performance at the Los Angeles Open in early January convinced Hollywood to make a movie out of his life and comeback (Follow the Sun, starring Glenn Ford). Five months later, Hogan completed his miraculous comeback by winning the U.S. Open in a riveting 36-hole playoff against Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio, permanently cementing his legacy as one of the sport’s true legends.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2010

Reviews

[Ryan Stoffield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this book on the #roadtodoorcounty. Great book about hogan’s remarkable comeback to win the open jn 1950, really hope tiger has one more in him!

[Ryan Rench · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping for a solid history book on a topic I knew nothing about (golf history), and this book did not disappoint. I love when I can both learn about a subject (in this case golf) and stay hooked by a good story. The hook in the intro showed a pro golfer about to make history after a car accident nearly kills him, and the story arc takes you from his childhood to that historic victory at Merion.

I'm no golf fan--I mean, I think I've heard of Tiger Woods and that's about it--but this book held me from beginning to end. If you like a good history and like learning about the sport along the way, check out this book next.

[Tim Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very inspiring story, not very well told.

I found that the author lost his way once he actually got the reader to the US Open where Hogan ultimately triumphed. An odd place to lose your way. He went off into too many tangential stories when you really just want to read and experience what Hogan was experiencing.

It’s still worth a read, if anything just to see the obstacles Mr Hogan needed to overcome to continue his already legendary career.

It’s also a quick and easy read.

[Syon Bhanot · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a golfer living 15 mins from Merion, with a soft spot for the game’s history, I enjoyed this book. It’s not a literary gem, but it does paint a picture of what the previous generation of professional golf looked like, and I do appreciate that the author told the story of several of the key figures/golfers in the story and not just Hogan.

[Charles · Rating 2 out of 5]

The parts about Ben and his life were good but that was about 1/5 of the book. Don’t need all the stories about the other 40 or so golfers.

[Bill Webber · Rating 3 out of 5]

...solid story of Hogan's win overcoming some serious adversity...golf fans only!

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2008, the world watched agog as Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open on the 91st hole while struggling with a fractured left knee. In the excitement of the moment, little was said about a similar feat of physical endurance and mental strength by Ben Hogan in his epic victory at the 1950 U.S. Open, otherwise known as The Miracle at Merion.

Golf writer David Barrett, who has covered 25 U.S. Opens, presents a thorough and rounded account of Ben Hogan's comeback from a near-fatal car wreck to win the most coveted trophy in the sport. The astonishing story of how Hogan survived a head-on crash with a speeding Greyhound bus, fought through months of life-threatening surgery and painful therapy, then returned to the PGA Tour a year later has been told many times, but Barrett gives the reader both a wide view of the events and people surrounding the story as well as an incisive account of how Hogan the individual was changed by it.

Of particular interest are Barrett's portraits of Hogan's compatriots. Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, and Cary Middlecoff are among the giants of the game with whom Hogan competed. Barrett shows the reader how their careers meshed with Hogan's and, even more importantly, he reveals them not just as golfers but as human beings--just like he does Ben Hogan.

The book also gives a great look at the PGA Tour of Hogan's day. About the only thing today's tour has in common with Hogan's is the use of a little white ball and a four-and-a-quarter-inch hole. Among the many differences, of course, is money. Tiger Woods earned $1,350,000 for his victory in 2008; Hogan's check in 1950 was for a whopping $4,000. The Miracle at Merion brings both Hogan's historic win and the professional game of the era vibrantly to life.

Barrett is first and foremost a journalist, which gives this book a gravitas lacking in many other books on the sport. He not only made extensive use of the USGA archives in Far Hills, NJ, but visited Merion Golf Club itself and conferred at length with the club historian John Capers and archivist Wayne Morrison. He also interviewed many people who were on hand at Merion in 1950 and checked and double-checked media reports of the day--finding several interesting contradictions. The result is a book that deserves a place in the bookcase of any serious student of golf.David Barrett

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book via Kindle unlimited, and have been plodding through this book in small, sometimes sub-10 minute, increments. I will never turn down an opportunity to read more about one of the greatest, and most enigmatic, figures in golf history. Of the golf books I own, almost all of them relate to Ben Hogan.

I believe that Curt Sampson's biography, Hogan, is the definitive work regarding Ben Hogan, and this book helped to provide supplemental details around one of the great moments in Hogan's career. There was much more detail around Merion's history and the other players in the 1950 US Open. The details about all of the player was hard to keep track of, but likely due to my reading the book in micro installments.

One thing that I realised about my thinking is that I always assumed that media coverage and sports statistics was well beyond that of oral tradition or recollection. I think this lack of detail during this era helped only to further the "Hogan mystique." The closing remarks in the epilogue reminded me of how rare a figure such as Ben Hogan really was.

I would recommend this book if you're a Hoganophile, or have already consumed Sampson's treatment of Hogan's life and are curious to know more about the 1950 US Open.

[Lawrence Roberts]

A good read for golf fans and a story about overcoming adversity. Ben Hogan was one of golf's greatest players ever. He nearly died in a head-on collision where his Cadillac was hit by a Greyhound bus that was passing a truck on a foggy two-lane highway. Hogan instinctively saved his wife's life by diving across her body (the days before seat belts) and ended up saving his own as well. Suffering severe injuries, he came back 18 months later to win the U.S. Open in an 18-hole playoff at Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia. It was a day when first prize was $4000 and 12th place paid $133.33. A different age, but values that should stand the test of time.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only complaint I have about this book is that there are no photos; I would like to have seen some of the tournament included.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are much better Hogan books out there than this one.