With all due respect to Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods, the greatest, most inspirational comeback story in golf, and probably all of sports, was authored by Babe Zaharias.

It is necessary to shout that today because Zaharias’ courageous fight against colon cancer seems to have been totally discounted during the “greatest comeback” arguments raging since Tiger won the Masters. Golf publications, golf writers, the Golf Channel, even the New York Times seem oblivious to the magnitude of Babe’s triumph.

Hogan winning a U.S. Open 16 months after a bus smashed into his car and shattered his body was, for sure, an incredible accomplishment. Tiger donning his fifth green jacket after four back surgeries and self inflicted personal carnage was, without question, a remarkable story.

Under a microscope, however, what they overcame was a short par-4 compared to the monster dogleg of the Big C that Babe stared down.

Zaharias paid the ultimate price. She died. And it’s a media black eye that her struggle to live, to play golf again, to win another major championship, can’t seem to get acknowledged in the comeback discussion.

Golfers in Southeast Texas know the story. Babe was diagnosed with colon cancer shortly after the inaugural Babe Zaharias Invitational was played in Beaumont in April of 1953. She underwent a colostomy, was told she would never play golf again and 15 months later won the U.S. Women’s Open.

She didn’t just win it, she owned it by 12 shots. While wearing a colostomy bag. Like Hogan, she had to play 36 holes the final day in summer heat and barely had the strength to finish.

Between rounds, she needed the assistance of a friend who had to syringe and dress the colostomy. Nothing, though, not pain, not fatigue, was going to stop her from winning a 10th major. Not even the cancer that had spread into her lymph nodes and would take her life in a little more than two years.

Zaharias’ victory was enhanced by her willingness to step up and talk about cancer at a time when it was mentioned in whispers. The connotations of cancer, the fear, the lack of understanding, caused folks in the 1950s to cower, to hide. Babe, after initially feeling beaten, came out swinging.

That was in stark contrast to the other Babe of the day — Babe Ruth. The baseball slugger didn’t want the cancer he died from in 1948 out in the open.

Zaharias’ courage in the face of a killer, her relentless struggle to play golf again, to be a champion again, reached all the way to the White House. The day after her death in 1956, president Dwight Eisenhower opened his daily briefing by saluting her to the world.

“I would like to take one minute to pay tribute to Mrs. Zaharias, Babe Didrikson,” Eisenhower began. “She was a woman who in her athletic career certainly won the admiration of every person in the United States and all sports people all over the world.

“In her gallant fight against cancer, she inspired us all.”

Well, all but apparently the modern day media who either didn’t know or didn’t bother to research that the woman who is arguably the most outstanding female athlete of all time closed out Ben and Tiger, 4 and 3, for the greatest comeback.

Among the most appalled at Babe’s snubbing is ESPN senior writer Don Van Natta. In 2011, Van Natta authored the definitive look at Zaharias — “Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Zaharias.”

A member of Pulitzer Prize winning teams at the NY Times, Van Natta’s book on Babe was widely heralded and won the United States Golf Association’s Herbert Warren Wind 2011 book award. Since then, Van Natta has been disappointed at lack of interest in the book being turned into a movie.

Not nearly as disappointed, however, as with how the golf media and his former employer, the NY Times, appeared to turn its back on Zaharias.

“I was stunned when the Times omitted Babe Didrikson Zaharias from its greatest ever sports comeback list after Tiger’s incredible fifth Masters triumph,” he said. “Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus were the paper’s only other
entries in the golf category. The Babe’s snub really stung.

“Where it hurts most is that Babe being mentioned in this argument would have created an awareness of her for younger generations. I wish more young Americans knew about Babe’s phenomenal all sports career and a comeback that belongs right next to Tiger’s in sports history.”

The good news is that it is not too late to right this wrong. Somebody in the national media needs to step up and say, “Hey, we have done a terrible disservice to Babe Zaharias and it needs to be rectified.”

A first step in that discussion seems to have been taken Monday in conjunction with Tiger being presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek authored a terrific piece headlined: “Time for golf’s Babe to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

Now that the ice has finally been broken, lets hope others in the sports media pick up the ball and run with it.
Maybe Google Babe Zaharias to get some background. Read Wonder Girl. Make young people aware of this phenomenal athlete who won Olympic gold medals, was a basketball star, played in men’s PGA Tour events, pitched to major league baseball players and claimed 10 LPGA majors, including one while wearing a colostomy bag.

Heck, go all out and challenge somebody in Hollywood to make a serious movie about her fabulous life. Tiger won’t mind. Hogan wouldn’t either.
CHIP SHOTS

Ed Holley of Vidor delivered the local highlight of the week with a hole in one Monday on the 123-yard, second hole at Babe Zaharias.

Holley used a pitching wedge for the shot witnessed by Larry Johnson, Harrell Guidry and Pete Reobroi. It was Holley’s second ace, with the other having come on No. 7 at Zaharias.

In the Monday Senior 50 Plus 2-ball at Zaharias, the team of Benny Sharpe, Bob Luttrull, Rusty Hicks and James Trahan won the front with minus 5. On the back there was a four-way tie at minus 2 among teams captained by Kenny Robbins, Holley, Sharpe and Cap Hollier. …

The Friday 2-ball at Zaharias was won at minus 7 by the team of Tom LeTourneau, Brad Royer, Charlie Perez and Larry Foster. On the back, the team of Hollier, Rufus Reyes, Dennis Kiger and Trahan won with minus-4.

In the Wednesday DogFight at Zaharias, the team of Craig Geoffroy, Johnson, Charles Leard and Todd Hebert won with 19 points. Closest to the pin winners were Larry Reece (No. 2) and Bob West (No. 7, No. 12).

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Golf news should be emailed to rdwest@usa.net