About Eddie Hogan
Eddie Hogan began his outstanding career in golf like
many of
Upon turning 18, Eddie joined Riverside Golf & Country
Club, where he was touted as a rising star on the
His
first major tournament was the 1928 Oregon Amateur. Oscar Doc Willing,
a 4-time Oregon Amateur champion gave Hogan (pictured right) a cordial
indoctrination into the world of tournament golf by defeating him, 3 &
2, in the first round.
Hoganīs first of five appearances in the PNGA Menīs
Amateur Championship soon followed. In his dashing debut in 1928, he
tied his nemesis Willing for medalist honors. Willing declined a playoff
for the medal, giving young Hogan the honor. This was the first of many
matches staged by Hogan and Willing over the next 10 years.
There was no beginnerīs luck to Hoganīs win in the
1930 PNGA Menīs Amateur Championship at Vancouver Golf Club. In the
semi-final matches, Hogan handily defeated Frank Dolp, then a two-time
Western Amateur champion 2 and 1 with an unbeatable combination of
power, exceedingly long and straight off the tee, and deadly finesse
with his short irons and putter.
In the finals, Hogan faced Johnny Robbins, a former
At
the 1932 PNGA Menīs Amateur Championship, Hogan was a finalist, losing
to Chandler Egan (the famed designer of Pebble Beach Golf Links pictured
right). Eganīs experience and hot putter defeated Eddieīs quest for a
second title. Hogan, who many believed at the time as the best player
ever developed in the Northwest, held a three-hole advantage in his
match with Egan. But the wily veteran whittled the lead to all-square
and maintained pressure until the match concluded on the 34th hole.
After the 1932 PNGA Menīs Amateur Championship, Hogan,
for unknown reasons, didnīt enter many local golf competitions after
turning pro. He did reemerge in 1954 and 1956 to put himself in position
to win two Oregon Open titles, but his miscues along with a late charge
by eventual winner, Bruce Cudd (a member of the 1955 Walker Cup team),
in the final round foiled his bid in the 1954 Oregon Open, and in 1956,
hitting a turf burner on the next-to-last hole was his downfall as he
was nosed by Gene Bunny Mason.
Transforming a
Profession
When one thinks of golf professionals, they are
naturally assumed to be both expert players and teachers of the game.
Not only did Hogan have few peers in these areas, he was also one
of the first area golf professionals to be involved in course
construction and golf operations.
Eddie Hogan developed into a golf-industry leader
after becoming a golf professional. Even today, young apprentices must
learn to wear many hats while running a pro shop. Techniques perfected
by Hogan during his tenure at
When Eddie first entered the business, most golf shops
sold a few balls, tees, some clubs and a shirt or two. Hogan built
Hogan was a leader in PGA activities as well, serving
as an officer in the Oregon Chapter of the Pacific Northwest Section,
and as a member of several sectional committees. In keeping with a
personal philosophy to back any causes that bettered the game, he hosted
many tournaments and exhibitions over the years.
Sadly, Eddie Hogan met a tragic death in 1968 when he drowned during a
boating accident while fishing. But his legacy lives on in the modern
pro shop and his namesake junior golf event, the
Eddie Hogan Cup Memorial Team
Matches.
A Guardian of Junior
Golf
In hopes of attracting future members, coupled with a
desire to give back to the game, Hogan dedicated himself to junior golf.
Not only did he make the development of junior golf a major activity at
Hoganīs tireless efforts in spreading the gospel of junior golf is
recognized annually at Riverside in the Eddie Hogan Cup Memorial Team
Matches, a competition that pits
the best juniors from the Western U.S. and Canada against each other.
Left to
Right: Neil Christian, Waverley Country Club head professional;
the legendary Gene Sarazen, winner of the U.S. Open, British Open,
Masters, PGA Championship,
and 1930 Oregon Open; Eddie Hogan, 1930 PNGA Menīs Amateur champion.