Before we start to put this in the lexicon of greatest comeback ever, let's remember a lot of Tiger's problems were his own fault. Not to undermine his achievements in the past twelve months but this story of a fellow grand slam golfer trumps what Tiger has endured should add some perspective.
"During Hogan's prime years of 1938 through 1959, he won 63 professional golf tournaments despite the interruption of his career by
World War II and a near-fatal car accident. Hogan served in the
U.S. Army Air Forces from March 1943 to June 1945; he was stationed at Fort Worth, Texas, and became a utility pilot with the rank of
lieutenant.
Hogan and his wife Valerie survived a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus on a fog-shrouded bridge, early in the morning, east of
Van Horn, Texas on February 2, 1949. Hogan threw himself across Valerie in order to protect her. He would have been killed had he not done so, because the steering column punctured the driver's seat.
This accident left Hogan, age 36, with a double-
fracture of the pelvis, a fractured
collar bone, a left
ankle fracture, a chipped
rib, and near-fatal
blood clots: he would suffer lifelong circulation problems and other physical limitations. His doctors said he might never walk again, let alone play golf competitively. While Hogan was in the hospital, his life was endangered by a blood clot problem that led doctors to tie off the
vena cava. Hogan left the hospital on April 1, 59 days after the accident.
Hogan regained his strength by extensive walking and resumed his golf activities in November 1949. He returned to the PGA Tour to start the 1950 season at the
Los Angeles Open, where he tied with
Sam Snead over 72 holes, but lost the 18-hole playoff." - wiki
He we t on to win two Masters, an open and three US opens.
Hogan, along with Bobby Jones, are the two men who in my opinion stand in front of Tiger as the undisputed greatest of all time.
