Golf: Ranking The Top Golfer From All 50 States

The spirit of “The Hawk” lives on at the Dean & Deluca Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Texas

South Dakota

Marlene Hagge

One of the original 13 founders of the LPGA in 1950, the Eureka native had some game, too. Highlighted by a win at the Women’s PGA Championship in 1958, Hagge won 26 times on Tour and helped pave the way for women in the professional circuit. Marlene’s sister, Alice, was also a co-founder and finished as high as 14th on the money list. Marlene was the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1949, LPGA money winner in 1956 and a World Golf Hall of Fame inductee in 2002.

Tennessee

Cary Middlecoff

Middlecoff almost forwent his golf pursuits for a career as a dentist. Instead, he cut his teeth on the PGA Tour, winning as an amateur in 1945 for the first of 40 career wins (10th all time). Of those 40 wins, three were majors: 1949 and 1956 US Open, 1955 Masters. The Halls native won 28 events in the 1950s, more than any other. Since 1986, Middlecoff has been a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and was renowned for his power and accuracy in his ballstriking.

Texas

Ben Hogan

Born within six months of legends Byron Nelson and Sam Snead, Hogan was part of one of the earliest golden ages in golf beginning in the 1930. “The Hawk” got his start in Stephenville, Texas, and turned professional before he was 18. The decision obviously worked out. Hogan is regarded as having one of the best swings of all time, one that’s still emulated nearly 60 years after Hogan’s last of 69 professional wins (64 PGA Tour) in 1959. If his nine major championships (and a Triple Crown in 1953) as part of a Hall of Fame career aren’t enough to impress you, consider his path to revive the latter part of his career. In February of 1949, Hogan and his wife survived a head-on car accident that left him with an array of injuries that carried the diagnoses that he may never walk on. Hogan defied the odds to come back ready for the 1950 season and 11 more wins before hanging it up.

Utah

George Von Elm

Based on his early form on the PGA Tour, Tony Finau might take over this helm in a decade or two. For now, it’s Salt Lake City native, Von Elm. He was one of the more dominant players in the 1920s and early ’30s. In an era where amateur status carried significant weight, he was one of the fixtures. Early in his career he won three Utah State Amateurs. Later, after losing twice to Bobby Jones in the US Amateur finals and semifinals in 1924 and ’25, Von Elm got the best of him in ’26 for a major championship in that time. He won five times on the PGA Tour and in majors finished second at the ’31 US Open and third at the ’26 Open Championship. Von Elm was also a course architect in his post-playing days.

Vermont

Keegan Bradley

Vermont has the right to claim World Golf Hall of Famer Patty Sheehan, who lived her young days in the Green Mountain State. But we won’t. The nod goes to major champion, Keegan Bradley. Perhaps affected by the anchored putter ban, the Woodstock native hasn’t made much of a splash since his last win at the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Championship. Still, it’s hard to diminish his two-year run between ’11 and ’12. He won at the Byron Nelson and PGA Championship to earn ROY honors, and tacked on a WGC win in his sophomore season. At age 30, there’s plenty of time to reestablish himself as an elite player, but even if his career were to end today, he’ll be forever revered by the folks from USA’s second smallest state.