Sarazen, Gene
[Eugenio Saraceni]
Golf
b. Feb. 27, 1902, Harrison, NY
d. May 13, 1999
A school dropout who became a caddie to help support his family, Sarazen burst onto the professional golf scene in 1922, when he shot a 68 in the final round to win the U. S. Open. Then he won the PGA Championship. That set up a much-publicized 72-hole match with the great Walter Hagen, which Sarazen won. He beat Hagen again in the finals of the 1923 PGA Championship.
Only 5-foot-4, Sarazen was solidly built and was a remarkably long hitter for his day. He was also a supremely confident competitor in his early years. During the mid-1920s, then went on a series of exhibition tours and seemed to lose his competitive edge for a time. From 1927 through 1932, he did win about twenty tournaments, but no major titles.
Through study of slow-motion films, Sarazen decided he was holding the club too loosely. He developed an extra-heavy club to strengthen his hands during practice and he also cured his biggest weakness by inventing the modern sand wedge after much experimentation.
Sarazen shot 70-69-70 in the first three rounds of the 1932 British Open to build up an unbeatable lead, and he won with a record 283. After a slow start in the U. S. Open, he played the last 28 holes in just 100 strokes to win by three shots. He was named Associated Press Athlete of the year.
He won his third PGA Championship in 1933, then began exhibition tours again. He missed the first Masters Tournament, in 1934, because of a South American tour, but he played it in 1935. Trailing Craig Wood by three shots with only four holes to play, Sarazen holed a wood shot from 220 yards away for a double eagle on the fifteenth hole, tying Wood; he won the 36-hole playoff handily. Sarazen is one of only four golfers to win all four major professional tournaments.
After World War II, Sarazen became one of television's first golf commentators. For many years, he was given the honor of being the first to tee off at the Masters.