Gene Sarazen (1902-1999) was the first man to win the career Grand Slam, that is, the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA championships.  Altogether, Sarazen won seven major championships among his 39 victories around the world, and as late as 1940 nearly won his third U.S. Open, losing to Lawson Little in a playoff. He was known for his compact but ferocious swing, the grim delight he seemed to take from competition and his fast play.

One of his greatest contributions to the game was the invention of the sand wedge.  In 1931, while being taught by Howard Hughes how to fly a plane, Sarazen noticed the tail adjusting downward during take off and came upon the idea for the modern sand wedge, which he spent months perfecting.

Sarazen was perhaps the greatest early ambassador of golf among American pros, playing exhibitions all over the world.  He earned his nickname, "The Squire" after he bought a farm for his family in upstate New York.  In the early 1960's, he came back into the public eye as the host of Shell's Wonderful World of Golf, himself beating Henry Cotton in a match at St. Andrews in 1962.

He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.