By Ward Clayton
Chronicle Sports Editor
A memorial to the legendary Ben Hogan is appropriately stuck smack dab in the middle of the most famous holes at the Augusta National Golf Club.
Hogan Bridge was dedicated on April 2, 1958, in honor of Hogan's then-record score of 14-under-par 274 in 1953, and Hogan's second and final Masters victory (1951 also).
The plaque to the right of the bridge ends by calling Hogan's 1953 tournament one "that may even stand for all time as the record for the Masters Tournament." Hogan's mark was surpassed by the 17-under total of Jack Nicklaus in 1965 and Ray Floyd in 1976 and then by Tiger Woods' 18-under total last year.
Hogan died last July 25 in Fort Worth, Texas, at age 84.
The bridge, which is covered by an astroturf surface today but was originally grass, is located left of the par-3 12th green over Rae's Creek, in the middle of Amen Corner, hole Nos. 11-13.
Hogan last played in the Masters in 1967, when he shot a third-round 66, punctuated by a back-nine 30. He last came to the tournament as a guest in 1978.
The bridge serves as a sign of Hogan's impact on the tournament. In addition, Hogan created the Masters Club in 1952 to honor past champions with a dinner on the Tuesday before the tournament, a tradition which still stands.
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