Long-time sportscaster Jimmy Roberts has interviewed or spent time with pretty much every big name in golf, although he’ll tell you there’s one person he wishes he had the chance to meet or work with but never did: Ben Hogan.
Hogan, who died in 1997, was a nine-time major champ and remains one of the game’s ultimate legends. He also won 64 PGA Tour events, and his Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons is still devoured by golf fans today.
Roberts was the guest on this week’s Subpar podcast, where he discussed his career, Arnold Palmer, on-air blunders and more. He brought up Hogan when he was asked which person he didn’t work with but would have loved to if he had the chance. Hogan was the easy answer, he said, not only because of his skill and accomplishments but also his quiet personality and small inner-circle, which made Roberts even more curious about him.
“He must have been a fascinating guy,” Robert said. “He’s not the greatest golfer of all time depending on who you are or what you believe. It’s gotta be either Nicklaus or Woods or maybe Bobby Jones, but damn I’ll tell you what, as far as being a ball-striker, I want that.”
Roberts also told one of his favorite Hogan stories, which he wasn’t present for but is well-known in golf circles. Playing the par-3 12th during an Augusta National practice round with Claude Harmon one year, Hogan hit his tee shot to about 5 feet. Harmon followed with an ace.
“They are walking up to the green,” Roberts said, “and Hogan turns to him and says, ‘Claude, did you see my shot? It’s pretty good, huh?’ [The hole-in-one] wasn’t on his radar.”
You can listen to the complete interview here, or you can watch it on YouTube below.
