内容简介
"Authorized, intimate, and definitive, Ben Hogan: A Life isthe long-awaited biography of one of golf's greatest, mostenigmatic legends, narrated with the unique eloquence that has madeauthor James Dodson a critically acclaimed national bestseller. "One man is often credited with shaping the landscape of moderngolf. Ben Hogan was a short, trim, impeccably dressed Texan whosefierce work ethic, legendary steel nerves, and astonishing triumphover personal disaster earned him not only an army of adoring fans,but one of the finest careers in the history of the sport. Hogancaptured a record-tying four U.S. Opens, won five of six majortournaments in a single season, and inspired future generations ofprofessional golfers from Palmer to Norman to Woods. Yet for allhis brilliance, Ben Hogan was an enigma. He was an American herowhose personal life, inner motivation, and famed "secret" were thesource of great public mystery. As Hogan grew into a giant on thepro tour, the combination of his cool outward demeanor andinvincible, laser-guided accuracy on the golf course frozeformidable opponents in their tracks. In 1949, at the peak of hiscareer, Hogan's mystique was reinforced by a catastrophicautomobile accident in which he and his wife, Valerie, were nearlykilled after being hit head-on by a Greyhound bus. Doctorspredicted Hogan might never walk again - let alone set foot onanother golf course. But his miraculous three-year recovery andcomeback led to one of the greatest performances in golf historywhen in 1953 he won the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the BritishOpen (something that's never been repeated). In this first-everfamily-authorized biography, renowned author James Dodson expertlyand emotionally reconstructs Hogan's complicated life. He discoversan intensely honest man handicapped by self-doubt, buoyed by thedetermination to prove his own abilities, and unable to escape along-buried childhood tragedy - the core of the Hogan "secret."Dodson also reveals both the legendary devotion and eventual strainin Hogan's sixty-two-year marriage, and a Hogan rarely seen by thepublic: a warm, jovial man whose charitable spirit and sharpbusiness sense enabled him to build the powerful golf equipmentcompany bearing his name to this day. Ben Hogan: A Life is theauthoritative inside portrait golf fans have long awaited.