Posted 4/14/03 9:57 am ET

Masters Playoffs - 1940s

Hometown rivals battle in Augusta as war breaks out

Byron Nelson played the final 13 holes in 5-under to win the 1942 Masters in a playoff against Ben Hogan. File/The Augusta Chronicle

By John Boyette
The Augusta Chronicle

Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan came from similar backgrounds.

Both had grown up in Fort Worth, Texas, and both had been caddies at Glen Garden Country Club.

But when the two squared off in a playoff to decide the 1942 Masters Tournament, they were a study in contrasts.

Nelson was an established star on the PGA Tour. With a win in the 1937 Masters to his credit, Nelson had added victories in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship to his growing resume.

Hogan, on the other hand, was beginning to blossom after struggling for years. His six victories in 1942 would lead the PGA Tour, but he had yet to win a major championship.

Just four months before golf's rite of spring, the United States found itself in World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Because of the war, the Masters would take a hiatus until 1946.

Nelson and Hogan made the 1942 tournament a memorable one. After tying in regulation at 8-under 280, the two men squared off in an 18-hole playoff.

That Hogan forced a playoff was no small feat. Nelson fired rounds of 68 and 67 to open the tournament, leaving Hogan eight shots back. But Hogan was up to the task, firing a third-round 67 and a 70 in the final round.

Hogan was quick out of the gate in the playoff, taking a three-shot lead after just five holes. Nelson took a double bogey on the first hole and dropped a shot on the par-3 fourth. Both posted birdies on the par-5 second.

But the tide turned in Nelson's favor on the short sixth. His birdie and Hogan's bogey made the match more competitive, and Nelson took the lead for good when he eagled the par-5 eighth after his approach wound up six feet away. After nine holes, Nelson had a one-shot lead over his hometown opponent.

On the back nine, Nelson pulled off an improbable feat by birdieing all three holes at Amen Corner. A bogey at the 10th put Hogan further behind, but he stayed in the match with birdies at Nos. 11 and 13.

After a birdie at the 14th, Hogan's tee shot found the greenside bunker at the 16th, and he couldn't save par. Nelson missed a short birdie putt on the par 3 but made par to increase his advantage to two. A closing bogey trimmed the final margin to one, in Nelson's favor.

``Except for the first hole, I think that was the finest round of golf I ever shot,'' Nelson was quoted as saying by Tom Wall inThe Augusta Chronicle the next morning.

Indeed, Nelson was spectacular over the final 13 holes, playing them in 5-under fashion. He joined Horton Smith as the tournament's only double-winner to date.

Hogan had yet to win that elusive first major. In that summer of '42, Hogan traveled to Chicago to play in the Hale America National Open. Hogan overtook Jimmy Demaret down the stretch to win the tournament and received a gold medal.

Hogan would receive four gold medals for his wins in the U.S. Open in years to come.

Nelson, meanwhile, kept his rank as golf's best player. Three years later, he would solidify that title with an astonishing 18 victories on the PGA Tour, including 11 in a row. The next year, 1946, Nelson built a ranch and retired from competitive golf, much as Bobby Jones did at the height of his career.

Nelson and Hogan were good friends who both grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and were caddies at Glen Garden Country Club. File/The Augusta Chronicle

Although Nelson abruptly gave up the vagabond life of a touring professional, he wouldn't turn his back on the Masters. For years he continued to play in the Masters, often paired in the final round with the tournament leader. He became an honorary starter in 1981, joining Gene Sarazen and, later, Sam Snead in a tradition that has become one of the most cherished in the game.

1942 Masters
Players	Score	Earnings
*Byron Nelson	68-67-72-73-280	$1,500
Ben Hogan	73-70-67-70-280	$800
Paul Runyan	67-73-72-71-283	$600
Sam Byrd	68-68-75-74-285	$500
Horton Smith	67-73-74-73-287	$400
Jimmy Demaret	70-70-75-75-290	$300
E.J. Harrison	74-70-71-77-292	$200
Lawson Little Jr.	71-74-72-75-292	$200
Sam Snead	78-69-72-73-292	$200
Chick Harbert	73-73-72-75-293	$100
Gene Kunes	74-74-74-71-293	$100
* Nelson won 18-hole playoff 69-70

 

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