Born in Dublin, Texas, on 13 August 1912, William Ben Hogan grew up in Fort Worth and began around golf as a young caddie. He turned professional in the early 1930s, but success did not come quickly. He spent years refining his grip, swing and ball flight, developing the controlled fade and relentless practice routine that later became central to his reputation.

Hogan won his first major at the 1946 PGA Championship. In 1948 he added another PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, announcing himself as one of the strongest players of his era. His success was interrupted on 2 February 1949, when a car carrying Hogan and his wife collided with a bus. He suffered severe injuries and faced a long recovery that affected his walking for the rest of his life.

His return was extraordinary. Hogan won the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion after a playoff, then captured the Masters and U.S. Open in 1951. In 1953, despite entering only a limited schedule, he won the Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship. That three-major campaign became known as the Triple Crown and remains one of golf’s defining seasons.

Hogan became a reference point for ball-striking because his swing produced a repeatable flight and an unusually precise start line. He was intensely private and guarded about his methods, but his instructional book, Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons, gave golfers a systematic account of grip, stance, posture and swing mechanics.

His legacy also rests on how he returned to major-championship golf after the 1949 accident. Rather than simply resuming his former level, he won some of the sport’s biggest titles again, including the 1953 Triple Crown. His career remains a combination of technical influence, major-championship excellence and determination.