Gene Sarazen was born to destitute Italian immigrants and began caddying at the age of eight. He won the U.S. Open in both 1922 and 1932, as well as the British Open in 1932. He won the PGA Championship three times and the Masters Tournament once, in 1935. With his victory at the Masters, he became the first golfer to complete a career Grand Slam. Sarazen also competed in six consecutive Ryder Cups.
Sarazen created the golf club known as the sand wedge. This customized club makes it easier for golfers to strike out of sand traps. The introduction of the sand wedge to the game resulted in lower scores and the revamping of many golf courses to maintain their former level of difficulty.
After retiring from active competition in 1973, Sarazen worked to promote golf and wrote several books on the subject. His autobiography, Thirty Years of Championship Golf, came out in 1950.
