Synopsis
The inspirational story of the unknown golfer from Iowa who beat his idol in the 1955 U.S. Open
With the overlooked Jack Fleck still playing the course, NBC-TV proclaimed that the legendary Ben Hogan had won his record fifth U.S. Open and signed off from San Francisco. Undaunted, the forgotten Iowan rallied to overcome a nine-shot deficit over the last three rounds—still a U.S. Open record—and made a pressure-packed putt to tie Hogan on the final hole of regulation play. The two men then squared off in a tense, 18-hole playoff from which Fleck emerged victorious in one of the most startling upsets in sports history.
On par with the classic golf narratives of Mark Frost and John Feinstein, The Longest Shot will surprise and delight fans as they trace the improbable journey of an unheralded former caddie who played his way into the record books by out-dueling the sport's greatest champion of his time.
About Neil Sagebiel
See more books from this AuthorSagebiel takes his time, working leisurely as golf demands, but does a thorough job.
Read Full Review of The Longest Shot | See more reviews from NY TimesThe combination of a taut narrative and Sagebiel’s golf knowledge make the story accessible to general readers
Read Full Review of The Longest Shot | See more reviews from Publishers WeeklyBarkow’s The Upset, above, works through the same story... Both narratives are well told, recommended to aficionados of golf history, who should choose between the two.
Read Full Review of The Longest ShotReading this book is like reading the golf coverage from a major newspaper in the 1950s when a keen ability to describe the players and their venue was the key to having readers.
Read Full Review of The Longest ShotHe writes respectfully about the players and the game, but allows himself some fun with phrases...
Read Full Review of The Longest ShotNeil Sagebiel obviously poured his soul into researching and writing this fantastic book.
Read Full Review of The Longest ShotAn aggregated and normalized score based on 39 user ratings from iDreamBooks & iTunes