Gene Sarazen is one of only five golfers who have won all of golf's modern major championships—The Masters, US Open, British Open, and PGA. The other four professional golfers with "career grand slams" are Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Ben Hogan.

Sarazen's accomplishments extend beyond his 7 major championship victories and 39 PGA Tour wins. He is credited with inventing the modern sand wedge. His double eagle at the 15th during the last round of the 1935 Masters became the "shot heard 'round the world" and put the Masters squarely on the golf map. He was the host of Shell's Wonderful World of Golf for seven years. At 71 years of age, as the oldest competitor at the 1973 British Open Championship at Royal Troon, he aced the eighth hole—"The Postage Stamp." He was the honorary starter at the Masters from 1981 to 1999. He was the Associated Press 1932 Male Athlete of the Year. In 1974 Sarazen was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame along with Bobby Jones and Sam Snead. In 1992, he was voted the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association, in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. In 1996, the PGA Tour voted unanimously to award Sarazen with its inaugural PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Three oil paintings of Gene Sarazen were on display in his home/office. They were all gifts that Gene received at various points during his life.  In 1992 he donated one of his oil portraits to the USGA.  The Oil painting offered here is one of the two that remained with his family upon his passing in 1999. (See lot 1 for the other portrait.)

This oil on canvas portrait of Gene Sarazen was painted by Frank Bensing, who signed the bottom left-hand corner of the image "Gene Sarazen by Frank C. Bensing". The painting itself measures 13 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches. Including the frame, this piece measures 21 3/4 x 18 inches. The frame has a number of small chips in its painted finish. The portrait itself is in pristine condition. Simply put this is a very meaningful work of art that beautifully depicts one of Golf's greatest legends. 

According to Gene's daughter Mary Ann Sarazen, her father and Ralph Cordiner, the President of General Electric from 1950 to 1958 and Chairman of GE from 1958 to 1963, were very close friends. They would sometimes winter together in Belleair/Clearwater, Florida.  Mary Ann believes it was Cordiner who commissioned Bensing to paint Gene's portrait, which Cordiner then presented to Gene as a gift.  GE used Frank Bensing for a great deal of their advertisng work during Wilson's tenure.

A signed letter of authenticity from the Gene and Mary Sarazen Foundation will accompany this painting.  The letter states that this portrait was Gene's personal property and part of his estate.

A quick search of Frank Bensing (1893-1983) on Google Images will show a wide array of Bensing's work.  Frank Bensing's biography on AskArt.com reads as follows: 

     "Long associated with General Electric, both appliances and lighting, Frank Bensing also did ad work for Karo Syrup, Coke, Hinds, Monarch Foods and Post Toasties. He also did "slick work", covers and story art, for Country Gentlemen, American Legion, Pictorial Review, McCall's, Saturday Evening Post, Coronet, Redbook.
     "He contributed photography for the Post and American Legion and created movie posters for RKO.
     "Bensing handled inks, oils, and watercolors expertly and was especially good at creating interesting lines of action in what would otherwise be static scenes."