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Wednesday, July 30, 1997

LPGA's Kris Tschetter remembers friendship with golfing great Hogan

By JIMMY BURCH / Fort Worth Star-Telegram

FORT WORTH, Texas - As his health deteriorated in recent years, Ben Hogan's visits to Colonial Country Club became infrequent, especially during tournament weeks when there would be large crowds.

It is ironic, perhaps, that his last stroll down "Hogan's Alley" as a gallery member came in 1991. But it wasn't during the event he won five times as a PGA Tour competitor.

Instead, Hogan last graced the Colonial grounds in a public setting at the 1991 U.S. Women's Open, where he watched former TCU standout Kris Tschetter compete in the final round.

Among the current crop of professional golfers, Hogan maintained the closest bond with Tschetter, 32. The LPGA performer is among a long list of luminaries from the golf world expected to attend Hogan's funeral Tuesday at University Christian Church.

Tschetter and Hogan began their friendship in 1983, when Tschetter was a freshman at TCU and her parents purchased a membership at Shady Oaks Country Club. Hogan, at that time, made the Shady Oaks grill room a regular stop during the lunch hour and often lingered into the evening.

Tschetter recalled being warned by members that Hogan preferred to be left alone, but the temptation to meet a legend was too overpowering when Tschetter experienced her first "Hawk" sighting.

"Everyone used to say, 'Mr. Hogan won't talk to anyone. You should leave him alone,' " Tschetter said. "I thought, 'This is ridiculous.' I wasn't about to ignore him because I would say 'Hi' to everyone. So, I decided to be myself and we struck up a great friendship. He would watch me hit golf balls and I would watch him, and then we would pick them up together."

During her 10 seasons on the LPGA tour, Tschetter said she regularly talked with Hogan at least twice a month. Occasionally, she sought input from him about proper fundamentals or the best mental approach to take on the golf course. But mostly, the talks were lighthearted and centered on mutual friends from Shady Oaks.

"Ben was a friend before he was anything with my career," said Tschetter, who left Fort Worth in 1993 and now lives in McLean, Va. "I saw what a great person he was, what a great character he was, and what a great heart he had. He inspired me. I miss the old days at Shady Oaks, when he'd take my club and hit a shot or two and we'd talk."

Although saddened by his death, Tschetter said she looks at Hogan's passing as "a time to celebrate his life" and expressed hope that stories summarizing Hogan's career would capture the warmhearted friend she knew, as well as the fierce competitor who captured 63 titles, including nine major championships.

"I guess this will be a time to celebrate his life. People will get to know what a great man he was," Tschetter said. "Hopefully, he is playing the best golf he possibly can right now (in heaven). I'm sure he is hitting them straight and long, if that is what he wants to do."

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