While Ben Hogan can be blamed for all the current fuss at Valhalla, it is interesting that at the peak of his formidable powers, he was an absentee from the USPGA Championship. In fact he didn't play in the fourth "major" of the professional season from his near-fatal accident in 1949 until the tournament went to Firestone in 1960.

That was due largely to a format in which daily matches of 36 holes were too severe on his damaged legs. So it was that his only participation in matchplay USPGAs was in seven stagings between 1939 and 1948 in which he twice emerged victorious, in 1946 and in 1948 when, incidentally, he crushed Mike Turnesa by 7 and 6 in the final.

But what of 1953, when he set the record of three major triumphs which Tiger Woods is now attempting to emulate? As it happened, the USPGA was played on July 1st to 7th of that year and the British Open took place on July 8th to 10th. Clearly, he couldn't have played in both of them, though the USPGA was never really an option.

That was one of the main reasons why, after capturing the US Masters and the US Open, he turned his attentions to Carnoustie and a first challenge at the British Open. Yet he remained typically tight-lipped about his plans, as Jay Herbert, the 1950 US Amateur champion confirmed.

After an exhibition match at Jamestown, New York in June 1953, Herbert drove Hogan to the nearest railway station, a journey of 45 minutes. "Would you believe he didn't mention he was on his way to the British Open?" said Herbert. But reflecting later on their exhibition match, the amateur realised why Hogan had been hitting head-high one-iron shots: he was already practising for North Sea winds.

Ultimately, he was swayed by fellow professionals Walter Hagen, Tommy Armour and Bobby Cruickshank. Another leading player urged him to do it "for the good of the game." His name? Claude Harmon, whose son, Butch, now coaches the would-be record beater.

Of course, Hogan won at Carnoustie and later returned to the USPGA when it became a strokeplay event, sharing ninth place behind Bobby Nichols in 1964.

Quote: "If I wanted to be a Mark James, I could write a pretty good best-seller about that time."- Former PGA of America president Pat Rielly (stet) recalling the drama at Shoal Creek 10 years ago, when they eventually accepted a black member under threat of losing the PGA Championship.