NEIL SAGEBIEL is the founder and editor of "Armchair Golf Blog," one of the top golf blogs on the Internet. A former copywriter for a Seattle advertising agency and major newspaper, he is a freelance writer in Floyd, Virginia.
Fifty-seven years after the fact (and in time for this year's Open
at Olympic), two books about one of golf's most improbable upsets
have surfaced simultaneously. Like the clash between Hogan and
Fleck, the works pit an established, celebrated veteran against a
relative upstart. And as in 1955, the upstart wins. But, unlike in
1955, it's not close. "The Longest Shot" is the first book from
Neil Sagebiel, the founder and editor of Armchair Golf Blog, and he
makes a strong bid to create shelf space for himself alongside
21st-century golf literati like John Feinstein, Mark Frost and Don
Van Natta Jr. Sagebiel takes his time, working leisurely as golf
demands, but does a thorough job. And his narrative pace during the
last hour of that final round, as he bounces back and forth between
Hogan in the locker room and Fleck on the course, may have a rhythm
more suited to a tennis rally, but here it aces. "The New York
Times Sunday Book Review" A compelling read Golf historians can
thank Sagebiel. "PGA Magazine" Long before a small circle of
American kids dismantled the Soviets' Big Red Machine at Lake
Placid, Jack Fleck's defeat of the mighty Ben Hogan at the 1955
U.S. Open was as stunning and stirring an upset as sports had ever
seen. In "The Longest Shot," Neil Sagebiel not only expertly
reconstructs the million-to-one tale of the Iowa muni pro who
denied Hogan his chance to become the only man to win the Open five
times, he honors the grand tradition of profound and poetic
literature in golf. "Ian O'Connor, New York Times bestselling
author of Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest
Rivalry" "The Longest Shot" is the remarkable story of how Jack
Fleck, the improbably named municipal course pro from Iowa,
defeated the great Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open. Moment by
moment, Neil Sagebiel lyrically describes the drama of the
David-and-Goliath clash at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
Sagebiel persuades a new generation of readers that Fleck's triumph
was not only the most unlikely result at a U.S. Open, but one of
the greatest upsets in American sports history. "The Longest Shot"
is destined to become a classic of golf literature. "Don Van Natta
Jr., New York Times bestselling author of First Off the Tee:
Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush and
Wonder Girl: The Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias" Iowa
golfer topples big-time golf legend. Zach Johnson over Tiger Woods
at the 2007 Masters? Sure, that was a huge upset. But how does it
compare to another Iowa golfer taking down an icon? Jack Fleck had
never won on tour, was playing a few hours behind the immortal Ben
Hogan--who had already accepted congratulations for winning the
1955 U.S. Open--and had to birdie the 18th hole just to tie the
four-time Open champion. Then it was on to an 18-hole playoff the
next day in which the unknown Iowa muni pro knocked off his idol by
three strokes. In "The Longest Shot," Neil Sagebiel details how
this remarkable outcome unfolded. "Bob Harig, senior golf writer,
ESPN.com" Lost in the pages of golf history is a remarkable story
of an unknown municipal golf professional who won the 1955 U.S.
Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. Author Neil Sagebiel's
account of the courage and determination of Jack Fleck, who late on
a Saturday afternoon came out of the pack to tie the legendary Ben
Hogan, and then go onto defeat him in an 18-hole playoff, is
dramatically recounted in The Longest Shot. It is a Cinderella
story of a young professional from Iowa who against all odds wins
the U.S. Open. It is also the bittersweet account of Ben Hogan's
last hurrah. "John Coyne, author of The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan"
The Longest Shot is more than the story of the greatest upset in
U.S. Open history. It's a book for anyone who's ever risked
everything to follow a dream. Golfers owe Sagebiel a thank you for
lending a voice to this oft-forgotten tale. "Bob Smiley, author of
Follow the Roar: Tailing Tiger for All 604 Holes of His Most
Spectacular Season" Upsets are the lifeblood of sports, and golf
has provided its share--but arguably none so startling as
unheralded Jack Fleck's triumph over the legendary Ben Hogan in the
1955 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. In "Dewey
Beats Truman" fashion, NBC proclaimed Hogan the winner of his
unprecedented fifth U.S. Open while there was still one man on the
course, the unknown Iowan Fleck, who had a chance to tie. He did
exactly that, with a birdie on the eighteenth hole, and then went
on to beat Hogan by three strokes in the next day's playoff.
Sagebiel wrings every ounce of drama and poignancy out of this
remarkable sporting event, backtracking to tell the story of the
lanky, teetotaling, socially insecure Fleck's improbable rise to
success and judiciously reprising Hogan's life and career,
including the nearfatal car accident and the inspirational comeback
that followed it. And, of course, just like in a movie, Fleck
idolized Hogan and was the first professional, other than Hogan
himself, to use Hogan-designed clubs. But it's the on-course drama
that golf fans will relish, Fleck, "whose long, fluid golf swing
wrapped around his lean body like a loose belt," besting the man
whose steely determination to win that fifth Open made him seem
unbeatable. As fellow player Bob Rosburg observed about the
outcome, "It defied everything anybody knew about golf." Great
storytelling and great golf history. "Booklist" Neil Sagebiel of
Floyd County captures the drama and the ambiance of professional
golf in the mid-1950s in a book that will delight golfers but also
enhance any reader's understanding of American society in
post-World War II America. The story of Iowa club pro Jack Fleck's
rise from obscurity to win the U.S. Open is the essence of the
American Dream....Sagebiel brings to life the drama of the
tournament and the long road to arrive there. He also re-creates a
time when golf was just a sport, and the players enjoyed the game
without the money and the fame that accompany modern-day athletes.
Reading 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. "Roanoke Times" The
author's imaginative narrative gives a fascinating insight into
Hogan's character, avoiding death by inches in a 1951 car crash to
become one of the game's great icons. "GolfMagic.com""
**A BN.com Top 100 book and Top 25 Nonfiction book**
**Named one of "Booklist"'s Top 10 Sports Books of 2012**
**Named one of the Best Books of 2012, According to Business
Leaders by BloombergBusinessweek**"Fifty-seven years after the fact
(and in time for this year's Open at Olympic), two books about one
of golf's most improbable upsets have surfaced simultaneously. Like
the clash between Hogan and Fleck, the works pit an established,
celebrated veteran against a relative upstart. And as in 1955, the
upstart wins. But, unlike in 1955, it's not close. "The Longest
Shot" is the first book from Neil Sagebiel, the founder and editor
of Armchair Golf Blog, and he makes a strong bid to create shelf
space for himself alongside 21st-century golf literati like John
Feinstein, Mark Frost and Don Van Natta Jr. Sagebiel takes his
time, working leisurely as golf demands, but does a thorough job.
And his narrative pace during the last hour of that final round, as
he bounces back and forth between Hogan in the locker room and
Fleck on the course, may have a rhythm more suited to a tennis
rally, but here it aces."
--"The New York Times Sunday Book Review
""A compelling read...Golf historians can thank Sagebiel."
--"PGA Magazine
""Long before a small circle of American kids dismantled the
Soviets' Big Red Machine at Lake Placid, Jack Fleck's defeat of the
mighty Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open was as stunning and stirring
an upset as sports had ever seen. In "The Longest Shot," Neil
Sagebiel not only expertly reconstructs the million-to-one tale of
the Iowa muni pro who denied Hogan his chance to become the only
man to win the Open five times, he honors the grand tradition of
profound and poetic literature in golf."
--Ian O'Connor, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Arnie &
Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry
"""The Longest Shot" is the remarkable story of how Jack Fleck, the
improbably named municipal course pro from Iowa, defeated the great
Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open. Moment by moment, Neil Sagebiel
lyrically describes the drama of the David-and-Goliath clash at the
Olympic Club in San Francisco. Sagebiel persuades a new generation
of readers that Fleck's triumph was not only the most unlikely
result at a U.S. Open, but one of the greatest upsets in American
sports history. "The Longest Shot" is destined to become a classic
of golf literature."
--Don Van Natta Jr., "New York Times" bestselling author of "First
Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft
to Bush" and "Wonder Girl: The Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson
Zaharias
""Iowa golfer topples big-time golf legend. Zach Johnson over Tiger
Woods at the 2007 Masters? Sure, that was a huge upset. But how
does it compare to another Iowa golfer taking down an icon? Jack
Fleck had never won on tour, was playing a few hours behind the
immortal Ben Hogan--who had already accepted congratulations for
winning the 1955 U.S. Open--and had to birdie the 18th hole just to
tie the four-time Open champion. Then it was on to an 18-hole
playoff the next day in which the unknown Iowa muni pro knocked off
his idol by three strokes. In "The Longest Shot," Neil Sagebiel
details how this remarkable outcome unfolded."
--Bob Harig, senior golf writer, ESPN.com
"Lost in the pages of golf history is a remarkable story of an
unknown municipal golf professional who won the 1955 U.S. Open at
the Olympic Club in San Francisco. Author Neil Sagebiel's account
of the courage and determination of Jack Fleck, who late on a
Saturday afternoon came out of the pack to tie the legendary Ben
Hogan, and then go onto defeat him in an 18-hole playoff, is
dramatically recounted in The Longest Shot. It is a Cinderella
story of a young professional from Iowa who against all odds wins
the U.S. Open. It is also the bittersweet account of Ben Hogan's
last hurrah."
--John Coyne, author of "The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan"
"The Longest Shot is more than the story of the greatest upset in
U.S. Open history. It's a book for anyone who's ever risked
everything to follow a dream. Golfers owe Sagebiel a thank you for
lending a voice to this oft-forgotten tale."
--Bob Smiley, author of "Follow the Roar: Tailing Tiger for All 604
Holes of His Most Spectacular Season
""Upsets are the lifeblood of sports, and golf has provided its
share--but arguably none so startling as unheralded Jack Fleck's
triumph over the legendary Ben Hogan in the 1955 U.S. Open at the
Olympic Club in San Francisco. In "Dewey Beats Truman" fashion, NBC
proclaimed Hogan the winner of his unprecedented fifth U.S. Open
while there was still one man on the course, the unknown Iowan
Fleck, who had a chance to tie. He did exactly that, with a birdie
on the eighteenth hole, and then went on to beat Hogan by three
strokes in the next day's playoff. Sagebiel wrings every ounce of
drama and poignancy out of this remarkable sporting event,
backtracking to tell the story of the lanky, teetotaling, socially
insecure Fleck's improbable rise to success and judiciously
reprising Hogan's life and career, including the nearfatal car
accident and the inspirational comeback that followed it. And, of
course, just like in a movie, Fleck idolized Hogan and was the
first professional, other than Hogan himself, to use Hogan-designed
clubs. But it's the on-course drama that golf fans will relish,
Fleck, "whose long, fluid golf swing wrapped around his lean body
like a loose belt," besting the man whose steely determination to
win that fifth Open made him seem unbeatable. As fellow player Bob
Rosburg observed about the outcome, "It defied everything anybody
knew about golf." Great storytelling and great golf history."
--"Booklist
""Neil Sagebiel of Floyd County captures the drama and the ambiance
of professional golf in the mid-1950s in a book that will delight
golfers but also enhance any reader's understanding of American
society in post-World War II America. The story of Iowa club pro
Jack Fleck's rise from obscurity to win the U.S. Open is the
essence of the American Dream....Sagebiel brings to life the drama
of the tournament and the long road to arrive there. He also
re-creates a time when golf was just a sport, and the players
enjoyed the game without the money and the fame that accompany
modern-day athletes. Reading 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."
--"Roanoke Times
""The author's imaginative narrative...gives a fascinating insight
into Hogan's character, avoiding death by inches in a 1951 car
crash to become one of the game's great icons."
--GolfMagic.com
"Fifty-seven years after the fact (and in time for this year's Open
at Olympic), two books about one of golf's most improbable upsets
have surfaced simultaneously. Like the clash between Hogan and
Fleck, the works pit an established, celebrated veteran against a
relative upstart.
And as in 1955, the upstart wins. But, unlike in 1955, it's not
close.
"The Longest Shot" is the first book from Neil Sagebiel, the
founder and editor of Armchair Golf Blog, and he makes a strong bid
to create shelf space for himself alongside 21st-century golf
literati like John Feinstein, Mark Frost and Don Van Natta Jr.
Sagebiel takes his time, working leisurely as golf demands, but
does a thorough job. And his narrative pace during the last hour of
that final round, as he bounces back and forth between Hogan in the
locker room and Fleck on the course, may have a rhythm more suited
to a tennis rally, but here it aces."
--The New York Times Sunday Book Review
"Long before a small circle of American kids dismantled the
Soviets' Big Red Machine at Lake Placid, Jack Fleck's defeat of the
mighty Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open was as stunning and stirring
an upset as sports had ever seen. In "The Longest Shot," Neil
Sagebiel not only expertly reconstructs the million-to-one tale of
the Iowa muni pro who denied Hogan his chance to become the only
man to win the Open five times, he honors the grand tradition of
profound and poetic literature in golf."
--Ian O'Connor, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Arnie &
Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry
"""The Longest Shot" is the remarkable story of how Jack Fleck, the
improbably named municipal course pro from Iowa, defeated the great
Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open. Moment by moment, Neil Sagebiel
lyrically describes the drama of the David-and-Goliath clash at the
Olympic Club in San Francisco. Sagebiel persuades a new generation
of readers that Fleck's triumph was not only the most unlikely
"Long before a small circle of American kids dismantled the
Soviets' Big Red Machine at Lake Placid, Jack Fleck's defeat of the
mighty Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open was as stunning and stirring
an upset as sports had ever seen. In "The Longest Shot," Neil
Sagebiel not only expertly reconstructs the million-to-one tale of
the Iowa muni pro who denied Hogan his chance to become the only
man to win the Open five times, he honors the grand tradition of
profound and poetic literature in golf." --Ian O'Connor, "New York
Times" bestselling author of "Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and
Golf's Greatest Rivalry """The Longest Shot" is the remarkable
story of how Jack Fleck, the improbably named municipal course pro
from Iowa, defeated the great Ben Hogan at the 1955 U.S. Open.
Moment by moment, Neil Sagebiel lyrically describes the drama of
the David-and-Goliath clash at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
Sagebiel persuades a new generation of readers that Fleck's triumph
was not only the most unlikely result at a U.S. Open, but one of
the greatest upsets in American sports history. "The Longest Shot"
is destined to become a classic of golf literature." --Don Van
Natta Jr., "New York Times" bestselling author of "First Off the
Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush"
and "Wonder Girl: The Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias
""Iowa golfer topples big-time golf legend. Zach Johnson over Tiger
Woods at the 2007 Masters? Sure, that was a huge upset. But how
does it compare to another Iowa golfer taking down an icon? Jack
Fleck had never won on tour, was playing a few hours behind the
immortal Ben Hogan--who had already accepted congratulations for
winning the 1955 U.S. Open--and had to birdie the 18th hole just to
tie the four-time Open champion. Then it was on to an 18-hole
playoff the next day in which the unknown Iowa muni pro knocked off
his idol by three strokes. In "The Longest Shot," Neil Sagebiel
details how this remarkable o
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