Circuit Rider

U.S. Open Champion Ben Hogan was Sticking to his grand design (TIME, Jan. 10). The other pros could make the full winter circuit; "Little Ice Water" would take what he could get in four tournaments, then rest until spring.

Warming up on the Los Angeles Open early last month, Ben had come in behind Lloyd Mangrum and nine others. But as he sank his final putt for a birdie, he promised: "Things are going to get better." A week later, Ben won the Bing Crosby invitation tournament. At Long Beach the week after, he won again. On the 18th green he sank an 11-ft. putt ("It seemed like the longest I ever made") to tie Jimmy Demaret; next day, in the playoff, Hogan won by two strokes. Said he: "I guess I'm making myself unpopular."

This week, after 72 holes of the Phoenix Open, Demaret and Ben Hogan were tied up again. In the 18-hole playoff, things got better for Demaret. He took an early lead, lost it, took it back again with a birdie on the 345-yd. 14th. Then he got his big break (a double one) on the 17th.

Jimmy hooked his drive toward the rough, but the ball hit a spectator and caromed back onto the fairway. His next, a strong approach shot headed for the back-of-beyond, hit a second spectator and dropped on the edge of the green. Demaret took a par for the hole and gained another stroke on Hogan. Jimmy sealed the victory on the 18th with a 30-ft. putt for a birdie, a 67 and first-prize money of $2,000. Hogan missed an easy putt for a 70. Grinned Jimmy, who would be riding the rest of the winter circuit: "I feel like a race horse beating Citation."

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