The Miracle at Merion

Chatting with Jimmy Demaret on Sunday morning, Hogan seemed more positive. He was still tired but his legs felt better. He even outlined a game plan which included breaking his rivals’ spirit over the front nine and hopefully cruising to victory before his physical strength gave out. True or not it worked with Fazio who ultimately fell away with a 75. But Hogan's famous cold stare fared less well with the more experienced Mangrum.

Still in contention with three holes to play, "Mr Icicle" trailed Hogan by a single shot standing on the 16th green. Looking to make a strong finish he noticed a fly clinging to his ball. Reaching down he picked it up and blew the insect away. Under PGA tournament rules, which he had been playing all year, cleaning the ball was allowed. Unfortunately for Mangrum, under the USGA rules which governed the US Open it was not. Hammered with a soul crushing two-stroke penalty, it widened the gap to three and his race was run. "Fair enough," he said afterwards. "I will eat tomorrow no matter what happens ..." Holing a 50-foot bomb for a birdie on the 17th to go even further ahead, Hogan’s dominance was complete. Finishing with a 69, he beat Mangrum by four and Fazio by six.

The first time in US Open history that pros who made the halfway cut were assured of receiving cheque, Hogan collected his US$4,000 before retreating to a private room to remove the bandages which by now had become almost unbearable. "He was in quite a bit of pain," recalled Fred Byrod of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He even admitted at one point he didn't think he'd be able to continue."

Lifting the same trophy he had claimed before his accident must have given him pause for thought. His place in golf history assured, Hogan continued to pay a high price for that fateful night in Van Horn. After Merion, he played no more than seven tournaments a year because his legs could not take the physical stress of walking 18-holes. Swelling up every time he walked any great distance, his left shoulder caused him pain right up until his death in 1997. Despite this, the record books show that he won 63 tournaments, including nine major championships – six of which came after his crash.

His inspirational life story was captured on film when Glenn Ford agreed to play him in the 1951 movie Follow the Sun. Recreating the crash and his comeback from injury it proved a popular choice at theatres all over America.

Sixty-three years on and the United States Open returns to Merion and the scene of perhaps his greatest ever triumph. As the drama unfolds on Sunday afternoon, one can only speculate if Hogan’s ghost will be looking down and wondering: "How would I have got on against these modern stars?"

My bet is very well indeed ...