Sam Snead

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Sam Snead
— Golfer —
Sam Snead 1967.JPG
Snead in 1967
Personal information
Full nameSamuel Jackson Snead
NicknameSlammin' Sammy
BornMay 27, 1912
Ashwood, Virginia
DiedMay 23, 2002 (aged 89)
Hot Springs, Virginia
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight185 lb (13 st 3 lb; 84 kg)
Nationality United States
SpouseAudrey Karnes Snead
(m. 1940–90, her death)
ChildrenSam Jr., Terrence
Career
Turned professional1931
Retired1987
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins165
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour82 (1st all time)
LPGA Tour1
Other69 (regular)
14 (senior)
Best results in major championships
(Wins: 7)
Masters TournamentWon: 1949, 1952, 1954
U.S. Open2nd/T2: 1937, 1947, 1949, 1953
The Open ChampionshipWon: 1946
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1942, 1949, 1951
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame1974 (member page)
PGA Tour
leading money winner		1938, 1949, 1950
PGA Player of the Year1949
Vardon Trophy1938, 1949, 1950, 1955
PGA Tour Lifetime
Achievement Award		1998
Samuel Jackson Snead (May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for most of four decades. Snead won a record 82 PGA Tour events, including seven majors. He never won the U.S. Open, though he was runner-up four times.
Snead's nickname was "Slammin' Sammy" and he was admired by many for having the so-called "perfect swing," which generated many imitators. Snead was famed for his folksy image, wearing a straw hat, playing tournaments barefoot, and making such statements as "Keep close count of your nickels and dimes, stay away from whiskey, and never concede a putt."[1] He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974, and received the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.

Personal[edit]

Born in Ashwood, Virginia, near Hot Springs, Snead began caddying at age seven at The Homestead in Hot Springs. He worked as an assistant pro at The Homestead at 19 and turned professional in 1934. Snead joined the PGA Tour in 1936, and achieved immediate success.[citation needed] In 1936 he won two matches at the Meadow Brook Club, earning a $10,000 fee. This gave him the money he needed to start playing professionally full-time.[2] In 1944 he became head pro at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and maintained ties to Hot Springs and The Homestead all of his life.
Snead served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1942 to 1944.[3] He was an athletic specialist in Cmdr. Gene Tunney's program in San Diego, and was given a medical discharge for a back injury in September 1944.[4]

Career[edit]

Snead won his first tournament, the West Virginia Closed Pro, contested at The Greenbrier's Championship Course and Old White Course. He shot rounds of 70-61 to rout Logan, West Virginia, pro Clem Weichman by 16 strokes (74-73).[5] Later that summer, he won the first of 17 West Virginia Open championships by beating Art Clark by five strokes at Guyan Country Club in Huntington, West Virginia.
In 1937, Snead's first full year on the Tour, he won five events, including the Oakland Open at Claremont Country Club in California.
In 1938, he first won the Greater Greensboro Open. He won that event eight times, the Tour record for victories of a single tournament event and tied by Tiger Woods in 2013 when Woods won his eighth Arnold Palmer Invitational. His last win at Greensboro was in 1965, at the age of 52 years, 311 days, making him the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event.[6][7]
Also in 1937, while working at The Greenbrier, he played in the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, facing eventual winner Karel Kozeluh in the first round, losing to Kozeluh, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. The year 1939 was the first of several times he failed at crucial moments of the U.S. Open, the only major event he never won. Needing par to win, but not knowing this, since on-course scoreboards did not exist at that time, he posted a triple-bogey 8 on the par-5 72nd hole. Snead had been told on the 18th tee by a spectator that he needed a birdie to win.[3]
At the U.S. Open in 1947, Snead missed a 30-inch (76 cm) putt on the final playoff hole to lose to Lew Worsham.
In 1950, he won 11 events, placing him third in that category behind Byron Nelson (18, in 1945) and Ben Hogan (13, in 1946).[8] His scoring average of 69.23 was a PGA Tour record that stood for 50 years until broken by Tiger Woods in 2000.[7][9]
Snead won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average four times: 1938, 1949, 1950, and 1955.
At the 1952 Jacksonville Open, Snead forfeited rather than play an 18-hole playoff against Doug Ford after the two golfers finished in a tie at the end of regulation play. The forfeit stemmed from a ruling Snead received during the tournament's second round of play. On the 10th hole, Snead's drive landed behind an out of bounds stake. While Chick Harbertwho was playing with Snead thought the ball was out of bounds,[10] a rules official ruled differently due to the starter not telling players the stakes had been moved since the previous day's play had ended. Afterwards, Snead explained why he forfeited even though Ford suggested they play sudden death for the title. "I want to be fair about it. I don't want anyone to think I took advantage of the ruling."[11]
In December 1959, Snead took part in a controversial match against Mason Rudolph, at the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda. Snead decided to deliberately lose the televised match, played under the 'World Championship Golf' series, during its final holes, after he discovered he had too many golf clubs in his bag on the 12th hole. The match was tied at that stage. A player is limited to 14 clubs during competitive rounds. The extra club in his bag, a fairway wood Snead had been experimenting with in practice, would have caused him to be immediately disqualified according to the Rules of Golf, even though he did not use it during the round. After the match was over, Snead explained the matter, and said he did not disqualify himself in order not to spoil the show. The problem did not become known outside a small circle until the show was televised four months later. After the incident came to light, the sponsor cancelled further participation in the series.[12]
On February 7, 1962, Snead won[13] the Royal Poinciana Plaza Invitational. He is the only man to ever win an official LPGA Tour event.[14]
He played on seven Ryder Cup teams: 1937, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1955, and 1959, and captained the team in 1951, 1959, and 1969.
Inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1973[15]
In 1973, Snead became the oldest player to make a cut in a U.S. Open at age 61.
He shot a final round 68 at the 1974 PGA Championship to finish tied for third, three strokes behind winner Lee Trevino. At age 62, it was Snead's third consecutive top-10 finish at the PGA Championship, but his last time in contention at a major.
In 1978, he won the first Legends of Golf event, which was the impetus for the creation two years later of the Senior PGA Tour, now Champions Tour.
In 1979, he was the youngest PGA Tour golfer to shoot his age (67) in the second round of the 1979 Quad Cities Open. He shot under his age (66) in the final round.
In 1983, at age 71, he shot a round of 60 (12-under-par) at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.
In 1997, at age 85, he shot a round of 78 at the Old White course of The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
In 1998, he received the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award, the fourth person to be so honored.
From 1984 to 2002, he hit the honorary starting tee shot at The Masters. Until 1999, he was joined by Gene Sarazen, and until 2001, by Byron Nelson.
Snead wrote several golf instructional books, and frequently wrote instructional columns in golf magazines. His 1962 autobiography was titled The Education of a Golfer.
In 2000, he was ranked the third greatest golfer of all time, in Golf Digest magazine's rankings, behind only Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan.[16]
In 2009, Snead was inducted into the West Virginia Golf Hall of Fame.[17]

Death[edit]

Snead died in Hot Springs, Virginia, in 2002 following complications from a stroke, four days before his 90th birthday. He was survived by two sons: Sam Jr. of Hot Springs, and Terry, of Mountain Grove, Virginia, and a brother, Pete, of Pittsburgh, as well as two grandchildren. His wife Audrey died in 1990. His nephew J. C. Snead was also a PGA Tour golfer.

Playing style[edit]

During his peak years, Snead was an exceptionally long driver, particularly into the wind, with very good accuracy as well. He was a superb player with the long irons. Snead was also known for a very creative short game, pioneering use of the sand wedge for short shots from grass. As he aged, he began to experiment with different putting styles. Snead pioneered croquet-style putting in the 1960s, where he straddled the ball with one leg on each side. The United States Golf Association banned this technique in 1968 by amending the old Rule 35–1,[18] since until that time, golfers had always faced the ball when striking. Snead then went to side-saddle putting, where he crouched and angled his feet towards the hole, and held the club with a split grip. He used that style for the rest of his career.

Records[edit]

Snead holds the following records:[8]
Snead also held the record for most PGA Tour wins after reaching age 40, with 17, until it was broken at the 2007 Mercedes-Benz Championship by Vijay Singh.

Professional wins (165)[edit]

PGA Tour wins (82)[edit]

Major championships are shown in bold.
Source:[20]

LPGA Tour wins (1)[edit]

Other wins[edit]

Note: this list is incomplete.

Senior wins (14)[edit]

Major championships[edit]

Wins (7)[edit]

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner(s)-up
1942PGA Championshipn/a2 & 1United States Jim Turnesa
1946The Open ChampionshipTied for lead−2 (71-70-74-75=290)4 strokesUnited States Johnny Bulla, South Africa Bobby Locke
1949Masters Tournament1 shot deficit−6 (73-75-67-67=282)3 strokesUnited States Johnny Bulla, United States Lloyd Mangrum
1949PGA Championship (2)n/a3 & 2United States Johnny Palmer
1951PGA Championship (3)n/a7 & 6United States Walter Burkemo
1952Masters Tournament (2)Tied for lead−2 (70-67-77-72=286)4 strokesUnited States Jack Burke, Jr.
1954Masters Tournament (3)3 shot deficit+1 (74-73-70-72=289)Playoff 1United States Ben Hogan
Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958.
1 Defeated Ben Hogan in 18-hole playoff – Snead 70 (−2), Hogan 71 (−1)

Results timeline[edit]

Tournament193719381939
Masters Tournament18T312
U.S. Open2T385
The Open ChampionshipT11DNPDNP
PGA ChampionshipR162DNP
Tournament1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
Masters TournamentT7T6T7NTNTNTT7T22T161
U.S. OpenT16T13NTNTNTNTT1925T2
The Open ChampionshipNTNTNTNTNTNT1DNPDNPDNP
PGA Championship2QF1NTDNPDNPR32R32QF1
Tournament1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
Masters Tournament3T81T1513T4213T22
U.S. OpenT12T10T102T11T3T24T8CUTT8
The Open ChampionshipDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNP
PGA ChampionshipR321R64R32QFR32QFR163T8
Tournament1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
Masters TournamentT11T15T15T3CUTCUTT42T1042CUT
U.S. OpenT19T17T38T42T34T24DNPDNPT9T38
The Open ChampionshipDNPDNPT6DNPDNPCUTDNPDNPDNPDNP
PGA ChampionshipT3T27T17T27DNPT6T6DNPT34T63
Tournament1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
Masters TournamentT23CUTT27T29T20WDCUTWDCUTCUT
U.S. OpenCUTDNPDNPT29DNPCUTDNPCUTDNPDNP
The Open ChampionshipDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPDNPCUTDNPDNPDNP
PGA ChampionshipT12T34T4T9T3CUTCUTT54DNPT42
Tournament1980198119821983
Masters TournamentCUTCUTWDWD
U.S. OpenDNPDNPDNPDNP
The Open ChampionshipDNPDNPDNPDNP
PGA ChampionshipWDWDDNPDNP
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary[edit]

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament323915264431
U.S. Open041712213127
The Open Championship10012353
PGA Championship3231319263834
Totals78730487611895
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 55 (1937 Masters – 1958 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 6 (1948 U.S. Open – 1950 Masters)

U.S. national team appearances[edit]

Professional
  • Ryder Cup: 1937 (winners), 1947 (winners), 1949 (winners), 1951 (winners, playing captain), 1953 (winners), 1955 (winners), 1959 (winners, playing captain), 1969 (tied, non-playing captain)
  • Canada Cup: 1954, 1956 (winners), 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 (winners), 1961 (winners, individual winner), 1962 (winners)

See also[edit]

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References[edit]

  1. Jump up ^ Apfelbaum, Jim, ed. (2007). The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60239-014-0.
  2. Jump up ^ Moss, Richard J. (June 1, 2013). The Kingdom of Golf in America. U of Nebraska Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-8032-4680-5. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Barkow, Al (1986). Gettin' to the Dance Floor: An Oral History of American Golf. New York: Atheneum. ISBN 978-0-689-11517-2.
  4. Jump up ^ "Sam Snead discharged from navy". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. September 13, 1944. p. 6.
  5. Jump up ^ Kelley, Brent. "Largest Margin of Victory on the PGA Tour". About.com. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  6. Jump up ^ Kelley, Brent. "Oldest PGA Tour Winners". About.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Ray, Justin. "Sam Snead's legacy all over record books". ESPN. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Victory Records". PGA Tour. June 3, 2006. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  9. Jump up ^ Kelley, Brent. "Lowest PGA Tour Vardon Trophy Scoring Averages". About.com. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  10. Jump up ^ "Ford Gets First Major Golf Win". Reading Eagle (Reading, Pennsylvania). United Press. March 25, 1952. p. 17. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  11. Jump up ^ "Sam Snead Forfeits First in Jacksonville Open". The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 25, 1952. p. 12. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  12. Jump up ^ "Sponsor Cancels After Snead TV Golf Incident". The Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas). Associated Press. April 9, 1960. p. 9. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  13. Jump up ^ Taylor, Dick (February 8, 1962). "It's Sam In Rally By Five". The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Florida). p. 13. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  14. Jump up ^ LPGA Tournament Chronology 1960-1969
  15. Jump up ^ "Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum – Sam Snead". Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  16. Jump up ^ Yocom, Guy (July 2000). "50 Greatest Golfers of All Time: And What They Taught Us". Golf Digest. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
  17. Jump up ^ "Snead, Campbell inducted into W.Va. Golf Hall". USA Today. August 3, 2009.
  18. Jump up ^ "Historical Rules of Golf, 1968". ruleshistory.com. January 1, 1968. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  19. Jump up ^ "1946 Sam Snead". The Open. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  20. Jump up ^ Barkow, Al (November 1989). The History of the PGA TOUR. Doubleday. pp. 259–60. ISBN 0-385-26145-4.

External links[edit]

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