This was sort of a trick question. Any golf fan worth their salt knew instantly that was Ben Hogan‘s famous 1-iron from the No. 18 fairway at Merion Golf Club during the final round of the 1950 U.S. Open.
And while Hogan’s shot was spectacular, the best shot on No. 18 that day might have been made by Hy Peskin, the photographer who captured this image.
This was the second of Hogan’s three consecutive U.S. Open’s he played in that he won. Unfortunately, he was unable to play the 1949 Open due to a near fatal accident he and his wife, Valerie, sustained on their return to Texas from Phoenix. In foggy conditions, the Hogans’ Cadillac was struck head-on by a Greyhound bus attempting to pass on a narrow bridge. Hogan sustained a double-fracture to his pelvis, a fractured collar bone and ankle, chipped ribs, and near-fatal blood clots. There was concern he might never walk again.
Yet there he was on Merion’s famed course playing 36 holes on Saturday (the third and fourth rounds were played in one day until 1965). The shot, captured by Peskin, was on the 36th hole of the day by Hogan who was in a battle with Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio down the stretch. Hogan’s par on the 18th earned him a spot in the 18-hole Sunday playoff with the pair. Hogan fired a 1-under 69 on Sunday to win by four shots over Mangrum and six over Fazio. (Here‘s the Wikipedia page on the tournament.)
Doing a bit of research on this photo, we discovered Peskin was an interesting cat. Not only was he an incredible photographer (the first staff photographer hired by Sports Illustrated and owner of over 50 SI covers), but in the 1960s he grew interested in other ventures, changed his name to Brian Blaine Reynolds, and became an active philanthropist and entrepreneur. He formed the World Series of Sport Fishing in collaboration with baseball legend, Ted Williams, and the Academy of Achievement. Here’s Peskin’s obituary from the New York Times and a 2013 article from the United States Golf Association announcing it had acquired the rights to Peskin’s golf photos, including the famed Hogan 1-iron shot.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.