Courtesy of Chautauqua Institution Archives
Ben Hogan visited the Chautauqua Golf Club in 1941.
The follow is excerpted from the Aug. 6, 1941 edition of The Chautauquan Daily.
“Craig Wood, Ben Hogan Set Blistering Pace to Nose Out Local Stars” by Samuel Scheriner.
More than 500 sore, sweltering spectators tramped over the green hills of the Chautauqua Golf Course yesterday afternoon to watch Craig Wood and Ben Hogan capture four out of the last six holes for a seven-up victory in 18 holes of match play against Bill Souter and Charles Eberhardt.
For the first 12 holes it was nip and tuck with the visiting professionals taking Nos. 5 and 9 while the locals won Nos. 11 and 12 to tie the match.
Craig Wood was far and away the most sensational player on the course. Starting off with a poor one-over-par 36 for the first nine, Wood came back on the second round with a 32 to shatter par by five strokes and end up with a 68 low score for the foursome.
On No. 9, Wood drove to the right behind a clump of trees which hid him from the green. With a No. 5 iron, he sliced out through a channel in the trees and curved up to the green to earn plaudits for one of the nicest played shots of the day. Again on dog-legged 17, Wood drew tremendous applause from the crowd when he followed up a 330-yard drive over the trees with a 40-foot approach into the cup for an eagle 2.
Bill Souter, who tied Ben Hogan with a 71 for 18 holes, provided comedy relief a la Ripley on the 14th hole when he planted his second shot, a 203-yard wood approach, down the open neck of a woman’s dress. Holding up the locals’ side of the match, Souter played consistently good golf and took No. 12 for the home duo with a birdie 2. He never got the breaks, however, and many of his long putts trembled on the lip of the cup drawing groans from the crowd.
Ben Hogan, biggest money winner in professional golf in the past two years, was out of the chips today although he played a consistent game, earning low man and par on the first nine and a one-under-par on the second for a 71. With two perfect outs from traps on holes 13 and 14, Hogan gave the audience a demonstration of his best professional technique.
Generally erratic but showing flashes of brilliance, Charles Eberhardt, Souter’s teammate, clinched one of the holes for the home side with a birdie on No. 11, but a 6 on number nine and several fives put him well above par to finish with a 76.
Referee for the match was Bill Broadhead and Doc Al Sharpe was official scorer.
The Chautauquan Daily 
