The Open Question

Ben Hogan and Golf's Most Enduring Controversy

The Open Question
Peter May
Hardback
h238 x 162mm - 224pg
12 Jul 2021 US
9781538137093
Out Of Stock
Sorry not currently available to order
Golfing legend Ben Hogan went to his grave believing he had won a record five US Open titles. The USGA says otherwise, and the controversy has endured for over 75 years. In 1942, the United States Golf Association (USGA) cancelled its four golf tournaments for the duration of World War II. But then it did something different in only that year-it sponsored the Hale-America National Open on the same weekend as the cancelled US Open. The great Ben Hogan won that tournament and went to his grave believing he had therefore won a record five US Open titles. In The Open Question, Peter May turns his attention to this controversial, colorful Hale-America National Open of 1942. While providing an in-depth look at the tournament itself, May champions Hogan' s claim to five US Open titles and debunks some questionable assertions that the tournament was not worthy of a US Open. Set against the backdrop of World War II, May also tells the stories of other professional golfers in the tournament and the impact of the war on all their lives. The USGA has never recognized the Hale-America Tournament as an official US Open and remains firm in its stance. It was a decision that bothered Ben Hogan for the rest of his life. The Open Question shows how dominant Ben Hogan was against some of the biggest names in golf, and reveals why he deserves to be recognized as a five-time US Open winner.
Avid fans of any combination of Ben Hogan, the U. S. Open or World War II history in will want to clear their reading list for The Open Question. --GolfPass If you ever wanted to get the scoop on the true story of Ben Hogan' s fifth US Open, or Bobby Jones' service in World War II, you would do well to have Peter May conduct the investigation. His efforts are thorough and exhaustive as he turns over every stone and his skill at communicating with the well-crafted phrase is both entertaining and illuminating. --Sidney L. Matthew, author of Bobby: The Life and Times of Bobby Jones Peter May' s very thorough research is just what was needed to shed light on one of golf' s historical controversies, while compellingly telling the stories of players whose lives and careers were affected by the onset of World War II. --David Barrett, author of Miracle at Merion: The Inspiring Story of Ben Hogan' s Amazing Comeback and Victory in the 1950 US Open When is a US Open not a US Open? When the USGA says it' s not, even though it sure quacked like a golfing duck. Peter May takes us through the fascinating saga of Ben Hogan and the 1942 Hale-America National Open, which Hogan won and which had every trapping of a US Open, including a medal that looked suspiciously like the ones given to all US Open winners. Along the way, you' ll meet all the key golfers of that era, including an un-retired Bobby Jones. There is plenty here for any golf fan, or sports fan, for that matter. --Bob Ryan, former award-winning Boston Globe columnist and ESPN commentator Peter May offers an in-depth look at the 1942 Hale-America National Open while also presenting a compelling case to correct one of the game' s great wrongs by awarding Hogan a fifth US Open championship, giving him his rightful title as the greatest U. S. Open winner of all time. --Ron Sirak, Longtime Golf Digest writer, Golf Channel contributor and recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism
Peter May has been covering and writing about sports for more than three decades, for the last several years as a Boston-based correspondent for The New York Times. At the Boston Globe, he specialized in covering the Boston Celtics and the NBA, earning numerous writing awards. He also covered three Super Bowls, two World Series, the 2004 Olympics, and a number of international basketball tournaments. He is a senior lecturer in journalism at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. May is the author of four books: The Big Three: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish: The Best Frontcourt in the History of Basketball ; The Last Banner: The Story of the 1985-86 Boston Celtics, the NBA' s Greatest Team of All-Time; Won' t Back Down: Teams, Dreams and Family with Kim Mulkey , and Top of The World: The Inside Story of the Boston Celtics' 2007-08 Championship Season .
Status: No local or imported stock presently available
ISBN-13: 9781538137093
Published: 12 Jul 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Format: Hardback
Height: 238mm
Width: 162mm
Spine: 20mm
Weight: 494g
Pages: 224

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