Midway Review of Miracle at Merion by David Barrett

Miracle at Merion initially starts with a short introduction, depicting Ben Hogan standing over a putt on the 72^nd hole of the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club. Immediately after this, the book shifts all the way back to the 1948 U.S. Open. From there the book pretty much stays in chronological order describing the greatest players on the tour during this time and explaining the events of tournaments leading up to the 1950 U.S. Open. About midway through the book Ben Hogan gets in a head on car accident with a Greyhound bus, experiencing near fatal injuries. The events after this accident are all about Hogan’s recovery and comeback to the U.S. Open. I have enjoyed the book so far although it is occasionally hard to follow due to the author going in depth into smaller, less significant players on the tour at that time. In addition, the book can get slightly boring at times when the author is discussing the events of a tournament at a course in which I am unfamiliar. Despite this being a drawback to the book, when the author discusses a course that I am extremely familiar with such as Augusta National or Merion, the book becomes much more enjoyable.

“I stood on top of the steep hill over the 18^th green and watched Snead come in,” (73) This event takes place during the 1949 Masters tournament and Hogan is the viewer of Snead playing the 18^th at Augusta National. Having been there for the 2012 Masters tournament, I can visualize the beautiful 18^th hole severely sloped from the tee box up to the green. This quote is an example of a part of this book that I really enjoy because it allows me to be immersed in the story and feel as though I am there.