Between 1938 and 1959, Hogan won a total of 63 professional golf tournaments, but it wasn't without obstacles along the way. Hogan also served in the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1943 to 1945 (he was a utility pilot with the rank of lieutenant based in Fort Worth, Texas), and suffered a life-threatening car accident.
Hogan and his wife Valarie Fox survived a head-on collision with a bus during a heavy fog in 1949. By throwing himself across Valarie, he saved her life. The impact would have killed her as the steering column punctured the driver's seat. Hogan, 36 years old at the time, was left with a double-fracture of the pelvis, an ankle fracture, a chipped rib, and a broken collar bone. Worse yet, he suffered near-fatal blood clots and would from then on have lifelong circulation problems and other physical limitations. He was in the hospital for 59 days, finally overcoming the blood clot problem which nearly took his life.
Extensive walking was how Hogan regained his strength. He resumed his golf game in November 1949, eight months after he left the hospital. In 1950, he returned to the PGA Tour at the Los Angeles Open, where he was left tied with Sam Snead for the win after 72 holes. Hogan lost the 18-hole playoff.
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