The Open Question

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.

Peter May has spent the last four decades covering sports for the Boston Globe, the New York Times, ESPN, the Hartford Courant, and United Press International. He is the author of five books, most recently Changing the Course: How Charlie Sifford and Stanley Mosk Integrated the PGA (2024).

Prologue Acknowledgments Part One - Eleven Months Chapter 1: May 1941-January 1942: The USGA Giveth and the USGA Taketh Away Chapter 2: April-June 1942: Augusta, Seaview and East Lake Part Two - Four Days Chapter 3: The Hale-America Round One, June 18: Ridgemoor and Mr. Icicle Chapter 4: The Hale-America Round Two, June 19: Mr. 62 Chapter 5: The Hale-America Round Three, June 20: Good Times Jimmy Chapter 6: The Hale-America Round Four, June 21: Ben and Bobby One Last Time Part Three - Controversy and Aftermath Chapter 7: Controversy: When Is a US Open Not a US Open? Chapter 8: October 1945 to August 1946: The End of Hostilities and the Return of the US Open Chapter 9: The Back Nine: The Foursome on the Back Nine of Life Epilogue: Preserving the Legacy: The Hoganistas Bibliography Index About the Author