Born:
Feb. 27, 1902 in New York City
Died:
May 13, 1999
Nickname:
The Squire
Tour Victories:
39
Major Championships:
7
• Masters: 1935
• U.S. Open: 1922, 1932
• British Open: 1932
• PGA Championship: 1922, 1923, 1933
Awards and Honors:
• Member, World Golf Hall of Fame
• Recipient, PGA Distinguished Service Award
• Member of 6 U.S. Ryder Cup teams
Quote, Unquote:
Gene Sarazen: "I don't care what you say about me. Just spell the name right."
Trivia:
• "Gene Sarazen" was not Gene Sarazen's real name. He was born Eugenio Saraceni.
• From 1984 to 1999, Sarazen was part of a threesome of greats hitting honorary opening tee shots at The Masters. Byron Nelson and Sam Snead were the other members of the group.
Gene Sarazen Biography:
Gene Sarazen was the first golfer to win the career grand slam (victories in each of golf's four professional majors), and was among the first class of inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
But as much as he's known for his accomplishments on the course, Sarazen is also famous for an off-course accomplishment: he invented the modern sand wedge. Sand wedges had been used in competition before (notably by Horton Smith and Bobby Jones), but those sand wedges had concave faces and were eventually banned by the USGA and R&A. The modern sand wedge was given birth by Sarazen, according to the World Golf Hall of Fame, after Sarazen noticed how an airplane's tail adjusted during flight while receiving a flying lesson from Howard Hughes in 1931.
Sarazen's innovations also included a weighted practice club. He argued unsuccessfully for enlarging the hole size, believing more made putts would increase the popularity of the sport.
Sarazen turned pro in 1920, while still a teenager, and started winning majors - the 1922 U.S. Open and PGA - at the age of 20. He won three majors in 1922-23, and four more in 1932-35. His "Shot Heard 'Round the World" at the 1935 Masters - a final-round hole-out from 225 yards with a 4-wood for a double-eagle on No. 15 - is one of the most famous shots in golf history. It helped Sarazen get into a playoff with Craig Wood, which Sarazen won to claim his career grand slam.
Sarazen was an excellent golfer well after his PGA Tour career ended, winning the PGA Seniors Championship twice and even scoring a hole-in-one in the British Open at age 71 in 1973 (it came on the famed "Postage Stamp" hole at Royal Troon).
In the 1960s, Sarazen teamed with Jimmy Demaret to form a colorful commentary team for broadcasts of "Shell's Wonderful World of Golf."
At the time of his death in 1999, Sarazen was the oldest and longest-serving member of the PGA of America.
