Gene Sarazen

Sarazne has served as Honorary starter of the Masters since 1981. Played on the 1927, '29, '31, '33, '35 and '37 Ryder Cup teams.
He was christened Eugene Saraceni, but changed his name to avoid being confused with a violinist.
He was a grade school dropout and along with Ed Sullivan, the famous entertainer, became a caddie at the Apawamis Club which is north of New York City. In 1913, a member there told Sarazen and Sullivan the story of a young American caddie, Francis Ouimet, who had recently beaten the best British professionals to win the U.S. Open. Then and there, Francis Ouimet became Sarazen's idol, and Ouimet's accomplishment became Sarazen's goal.
In 1917, with his father experiencing business difficulties, young Gene was brought along to help with the masonry work. At that time, the family was living in Connecticut. After a year of apprenticeship, Sarazen contracted pleurisy, and was instructed by doctors to find less strenuous work. While recuperating, Sarazen began to play golf again at a nearby public course. His health and his game improved and he decided to make golf his living, which did not go over very well with his father. A couple of months later, he started working in a pro shop, turned professional and worked hard on his game.
In 1922, Sarazen was an unknown 20-year-old when he arrived at the U.S. Open held at Skokie, Ill. With a last round of 68, he became the surprise winner. Later that year, he won the PGA at Oakmont. Challenged by Walter Hagen to a 72-hole match for "the world championship" Sarazen rose to the occasion and beat Hagen. To prove that this was no fluke, Sarazen beat Hagen again in the finals for the PGA Championship in the most exciting match in the history of the championship. Tied with Hagen after regulation, Sarazen birdied the 38th hole to win the championship.
Sarazen went on to win the PGA Championship again in 1933. He won the British Open in 1932 by five strokes. Two weeks later, he won his second U.S. Open, playing the last 28 holes in a mere 100 strokes to come from nowhere to win. In 1935, he played in his first Masters and made the most famous shot in the history of the game, a double-eagle with a 4-wood at the 15th hole to make up a three-shot deficit on Craig Wood. The next day, he won their playoff, making him the first player ever to win the professional Grand Slam of golf.
Sarazen is famous for many achievements, but his most influential moment in golf may have been the invention of the sand iron. After watching military aircraft take off and land one day, he produced the first sand wedge ever in his Florida garage. He did so by taking a pitching wedge and soldering lead to the trailing edge off the club to help glide it through the sand.
After World War II Sarazen continued to play golf, despite not being competitive anymore. In 1954 and 1958 he won the PGA Seniors' Championship. With the advent of television, he became a television host and in 1961 joined Shell's Wonderful World of Golf show which led him to remark that more people saw him in an hour on television than watched him play in all his decades as a tournament golfer. In 1973, age 71, he made a pilgrimage to the British Open to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his first British Open. He announced that after the championship he would be officially retired from competitive golf. In the first round, Troon's eighth hole, Sarazen scored a thrilling hole in one before a live audience on British Television. The next day on the same hole he hit his tee shot into a greenside bunker and holed the shot for a birdie.
Today Sarazen attends the Masters and along with Byron Nelson and Sam Snead hits the ritual tee shots that begin the tournament."