Sarazen, Gene

Sarazen, Gene (sä'ruzun) [key], 1902–99, American golfer, b. Harrison, N.Y. The son of an Italian immigrant carpenter, he entered golf as a caddie at Rye, N.Y. In 1922—at the age of 20—Sarazen won the U.S. Open championship. He won it again in 1932, when he also won the British Open. He won the Professional Golfers Association championship three times (1922, 1923, 1933). His 1935 Masters win was punctuated by a 15th-hole final-round double eagle often called the most famous shot in golf history. One of the great golfers of all time, Sarazen won Seniors championships in the 1950s and played into his nineties.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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