Sam Snead
220px | |
Personal Information | |
---|---|
Birth | May 27, 1912 Ashwood, Virginia |
Death | May 23, 2002 Hot Springs, Virginia |
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
Nationality | United States |
Career | |
Turned Pro | 1934 |
Retired | 1979 |
Professional wins | 165 (PGA Tour: 82, Senior: 13, Other: 70) |
Best Results in Major Championships Wins: 7 | |
Masters | Won 1949, 1952, 1954 |
U.S. Open | 2nd/T2: 1937, 1947, 1949, 1953 |
British Open | Won 1946 |
PGA Championship | Won 1942, 1949, 1951 |
Awards | |
PGA Tour Money Winner |
1938, 1949, 1950 |
PGA Player of the Year |
1949 |
Vardon Trophy | 1938, 1949, 1950, 1955 |
Samuel Jackson "Sam" Snead (May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an American golfer who was one of the top players in the world for most of 4 decades. He and two others of the greatest golfers of all time, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, were born within 6 months of each other in 1912. He won a record 82 PGA Tour events and about 70 others worldwide. He won seven majors: three Masters, three PGA Championships and one British Open. In spite of his great achievements, his reputation has always been slightly tainted by his failure to win a U.S. Open.
Snead was famed for his folksy image, wearing a straw hat and 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." His nickname was "Slammin' Sammy." He has also been admired by many for having the so-called "perfect swing," and generated many imitators.
Snead was born in Ashwood, Virginia near Hot Springs, Virginia. At the age of seven he began caddying at The Homestead in Hot Springs; he worked as an assistant pro at The Homestead at 19, and became a professional in 1934. Snead maintained ties to Hot Springs and The Homestead for all of his life; he died in Hot Springs following complications from a stroke four days short of his 90th birthday. He was survived by two sons, Sam Jr., of Hot Springs, Virginia and Terry, of Mountain Grove, Virginia; a brother, Pete, of Pittsburgh; and two grandchildren. His wife, Audrey, died in 1990. His nephew J. C. Snead was also a PGA Tour golfer.
Snead won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, and has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Career
In 1937, his first 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, which he won eight times, the Tour record for victories at an event, concluding in 1965 at the age of 52, making him the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event.
1939 was the first of several times he failed at crucial moments of the U.S. Open, the only major event he never won.
He won 11 events in 1950. No one has since won more in one year.
He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average four times: 1938, 1949, 1950, and 1955.
He played on seven Ryder Cup teams: 1937, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1955, and 1959, and captained the team in 1951, 1959, and 1969.
In 1971, he won the PGA Professional National Championship.
In 1974, at age 62, he shot a one-under-par 279 to come in third (three strokes behind winner Lee Trevino) at the PGA Championship at Tanglewood in Clemmons, North Carolina.
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 known as the 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 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 fourth PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award.
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.
Records
From official PGA Tour site.
- Most PGA Tour victories: 82
- Most PGA Tour victories at an event: 8 at the Greater Greensboro Open (1938, 1946, 1949, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1965)
- Oldest player to win a PGA Tour event: age 52 years, 10 months, 8 days at the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open
- First PGA Tour player to shoot his age: 67 in the second round of the 1979 Quad Cities Open
- Oldest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour: age 67 years, 2 months, 21 days at the 1979 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic.
He 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.
PGA Tour wins (82)
- 1936 (1) West Virginia Closed Pro
- 1937 (5) Oakland Open, Bing Crosby Pro-Am, St. Paul Open, Nassau Open, Miami Open
- 1938 (8) Bing Crosby Pro-Am, Greater Greensboro Open, Chicago Open, Canadian Open, Westchester 108 Hole Open, White Sulphur Springs Open, Inverness Invitational (with Vic Ghezzi), Palm Beach Round Robin
- 1939 (3) St. Petersburg Open, Miami Open, Miami-Biltmore Four-Ball (with Ralph Guldahl)
- 1940 (3) Canadian Open, Anthracite Open, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Ralph Guldahl)
- 1941 (6) Bing Crosby Pro-Am, St. Petersburg Open, North and South Open, Canadian Open, Rochester Times Union Open, Henry Hurst Invitational
- 1942 (2) St. Petersburg Open, PGA Championship
- 1944 (2) Portland Open, Richmond Open
- 1945 (6) Los Angeles Open, Gulfport Open, Pensacola Open, Jacksonville Open, Dallas Open, Tulsa Open
- 1946 (6) Jacksonville Open, Greater Greensboro Open, The Open Championship (not counted as a PGA Tour win at the time, but designated as such in 2002), World Championship of Golf, Miami Open, Virginia Open
- 1948 (1) Texas Open
- 1949 (6) Greater Greensboro Open, The Masters, Washington Star Open, Dapper Dan Open, Western Open, PGA Championship
- 1950 (11) Los Angeles Open, Bing Crosby Pro-Am (tie with Jack Burke, Jr, Smiley Quick, Dave Douglas), Texas Open, Miami Beach Open, Greater Greensboro Open, Western Open, Colonial National Invitation, Inverness Four-Ball Invitational (with Jim Ferrier), Reading Open, North and South Open, Miami Open
- 1951 (2) PGA Championship, Miami Open
- 1952 (5) The Masters, Palm Beach Round Robin, Inverness Round Robin Invitational (with Jim Ferrier), All American Open, Eastern Open
- 1953 (1) Baton Rouge Open
- 1954 (2) The Masters, Palm Beach Round Robin
- 1955 (4) Greater Greensboro Open, Palm Beach Round Robin, Insurance City Open, Miami Open
- 1956 (1) Greater Greensboro Open
- 1957 (2) Dallas Open Invitational, Palm Beach Round Robin
- 1958 (1) Dallas Open Invitational
- 1960 (2) De Soto Open Invitational, Greater Greensboro Open
- 1961 (1) Tournament of Champions
- 1965 (1) Greater Greensboro Open
Major championships are shown in bold.
Other wins
this list may be incomplete
- 1936 West Virginia Open
- 1937 West Virginia Open
- 1938 West Virginia Open
- 1948 West Virginia Open
- 1949 North and South Open, West Virginia Open
- 1957 West Virginia Open
- 1958 West Virginia Open
- 1960 West Virginia Open
- 1961 West Virginia Open
- 1966 West Virginia Open
- 1967 West Virginia Open
- 1968 West Virginia Open
- 1970 West Virginia Open
- 1971 PGA Club Professional Championship, West Virginia Open
- 1972 West Virginia Open
- 1973 West Virginia Open
Senior wins (14)
- 1964 PGA Seniors' Championship, World Seniors
- 1965 PGA Seniors' Championship, World Seniors
- 1967 PGA Seniors' Championship
- 1970 PGA Seniors' Championship, World Seniors
- 1972 PGA Seniors' Championship, World Seniors
- 1973 PGA Seniors' Championship, World Seniors
- 1978 Legends of Golf (with Gardner Dickinson)
- 1980 Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am
- 1982 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Don January)
Major Championships
Wins (7)
Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runners Up |
1942 | PGA Championship | N/A | 2 & 1 | 2 strokes | Jim Turnesa |
1946 | The Open Championship | Tied for lead | -2 (71-70-74-75=290) | 4 strokes | Johnny Bulla, Bobby Locke |
1949 | The Masters | 1 stroke deficit | -6 (73-75-67-67=282) | 3 strokes | Johnny Bulla, Lloyd Mangrum |
1949 | PGA Championship (2) | N/A | 3 & 2 | 3 strokes | Johnny Palmer |
1951 | PGA Championship (3) | N/A | 7 & 6 | 7 strokes | Walter Burkemo |
1952 | The Masters (2) | Tied for lead | -2 (70-67-77-72=286) | 4 strokes | Jack Burke Jr. |
1954 | The Masters (3) | 3 shot deficit | +1 (74-73-70-72=289) | Playoff 1 | Ben Hogan |
Note: The PGA Championship was match play until 1958.
1 Defeated Ben Hogan in 18-hole playoff - Snead (70), Hogan (71)
Results timeline
Tournament | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
---|---|---|---|
The Masters | 18 | T31 | 2 |
U.S. Open | 2 | T38 | 5 |
The Open Championship | T11 | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | R16 | 2 | DNP |
Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | T7 | T6 | T7 | NT | NT | NT | T7 | T22 | T16 | 1 |
U.S. Open | T16 | T13 | NT | NT | NT | NT | T19 | 2 | 5 | T2 |
The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | 1 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | 2 | QF | 1 | NT | DNP | DNP | R32 | R32 | QF | 1 |
Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | 3 | T8 | 1 | T15 | 1 | 3 | T4 | 2 | 13 | T22 |
U.S. Open | T12 | T10 | T10 | 2 | T11 | T3 | T24 | T8 | CUT | T8 |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | R32 | 1 | R64 | R32 | QF | R32 | QF | R16 | 3 | T8 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | T11 | T15 | T15 | T3 | CUT | CUT | T42 | T10 | 42 | CUT |
U.S. Open | T19 | T17 | T38 | T42 | T34 | T24 | DNP | DNP | T9 | T38 |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | T6 | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | T3 | T27 | T17 | T27 | DNP | T6 | T6 | DNP | T34 | T63 |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | T23 | CUT | T27 | T29 | T20 | WD | CUT | WD | CUT | CUT |
U.S. Open | CUT | DNP | DNP | T29 | DNP | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | T12 | T34 | T4 | T9 | T3 | CUT | CUT | T54 | DNP | T42 |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Masters | CUT | CUT | WD | WD |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | WD | WD | DNP | DNP |
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R## — Round of 16, 32, etc. The PGA Championship was conducted at match play before 1958.
QF — Quarterfinal
SF — Semifinal
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10, or for Round of 16 appearance in PGA Championship pre-1958.
Summary of major championship performances
- Starts - 117
- Wins - 7
- 2nd place finishes - 8
- Top 3 finishes - 22
- Top 5 finishes - 29
- Top 10 finishes - 48 (includes appearances in the Round of 16 in the PGA Championship during its match-play era)
- Longest streak of top-10s in majors - 6
Trivia
- Snead was referenced in several jokes in the Peanuts comic strip in the 1950s and 1960s. Linus Van Pelt has claimed to "have always sort of admired him".
- Snead hit the Wrigley Field scoreboard with a golf ball teed off from home plate.
- Snead once appeared in an episode of The Phil Silvers Show (Sergeant Bilko).
- According to an edition of the Book of Sports Lists, Snead made a commercial for Bromo-Seltzer in which he said, "On the day of atonement, I cannot afford to be sick." It was a while before the Jewish part of the audience realized Sammy was not referring to Yom Kippur, but "could not pronounce 'tournament' like other white folk."
- Venerable West Coast gangsta rapper Snoop Dogg gave props to Sam Snead in his song of the same title.
See also
- Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
- Golfers with most wins in men's major championships
- Most PGA Tour wins in a year
- Most wins in one PGA Tour event
External links
- about.com profile Profile, stats and quotes
- Sam Snead Profile at Golf Legends
- Photos of Sam Snead at Palm Beach Golf Classic
1934 Horton Smith · 1935 Gene Sarazen · 1936 Horton Smith · 1937 Byron Nelson · 1938 Henry Picard · 1939 Ralph Guldahl · 1940 Jimmy Demaret · 1941 Craig Wood · 1942 Byron Nelson · 1943-45 Cancelled due to World War II · 1946 Herman Keiser · 1947 Jimmy Demaret · 1948 Claude Harmon · 1949 Sam Snead · 1950 Jimmy Demaret · 1951 Ben Hogan · 1952 Sam Snead · 1953 Ben Hogan · 1954 Sam Snead · 1955 Cary Middlecoff · 1956 Jack Burke, Jr · 1957 Doug Ford · 1958 Arnold Palmer · 1959 Art Wall, Jr. · 1960 Arnold Palmer · 1961 Gary Player · 1962 Arnold Palmer · 1963 Jack Nicklaus · 1964 Arnold Palmer · 1965-66 Jack Nicklaus · 1967 Gay Brewer · 1968 Bob Goalby · 1969 George Archer · 1970 Billy Casper · 1971 Charles Coody · 1972 Jack Nicklaus · 1973 Tommy Aaron · 1974 Gary Player · 1975 Jack Nicklaus · 1976 Raymond Floyd · 1977 Tom Watson · 1978 Gary Player · 1979 Fuzzy Zoeller · 1980 Severiano Ballesteros · 1981 Tom Watson · 1982 Craig Stadler · 1983 Severiano Ballesteros · 1984 Ben Crenshaw · 1985 Bernhard Langer · 1986 Jack Nicklaus · 1987 Larry Mize · 1988 Sandy Lyle · 1989-90 Nick Faldo · 1991 Ian Woosnam · 1992 Fred Couples · 1993 Bernhard Langer · 1994 José María Olazábal· 1995 Ben Crenshaw · 1996 Nick Faldo · 1997 Tiger Woods · 1998 Mark O'Meara · 1999 José María Olazábal · 2000 Vijay Singh · 2001-02 Tiger Woods · 2003 Mike Weir · 2004 Phil Mickelson · 2005 Tiger Woods · 2006 Phil Mickelson · 2007 Zach Johnson· 2008 Trevor Immelman· 2009 Ángel Cabrera· 2010 Phil Mickelson· 2011 Charl Schwartzel· 2012 Bubba Watson· 2013 Adam Scott· 2014 Bubba Watson· 2015 Jordan Spieth· |
1860 Willie Park, Snr. · 1861-62 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1863 Willie Park, Snr. · 1864 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1865 Andrew Strath · 1866 Willie Park, Snr. · 1867 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1868-69-70 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1871 No championship · 1872 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1873 Tom Kidd · 1874 Mungo Park · 1875 Willie Park, Snr. · 1876 Bob Martin · 1877-78-79 Jamie Anderson · 1880-81-82 Bob Ferguson · 1883 Willie Fernie · 1884 Jack Simpson · 1885 Bob Martin · 1886 David Brown · 1887 Willie Park, Jnr. · 1888 Jack Burns · 1889 Willie Park, Jnr. · 1890 John Ball · 1891 Hugh Kirkaldy · 1892 Harold Hilton · 1893 William Auchterlonie · 1894-95 John Henry Taylor · 1896 Harry Vardon · 1897 Harold Hilton · 1898-99 Harry Vardon · 1900 John Henry Taylor · 1901 James Braid · 1902 Sandy Herd · 1903 Harry Vardon · 1904 Jack White · 1905-06 James Braid · 1907 Arnaud Massy · 1908 James Braid · 1909 John Henry Taylor · 1910 James Braid · 1911 Harry Vardon · 1912 Edward Ray · 1913 John Henry Taylor · 1914 Harry Vardon · 1915-19 No Championships due to World War I · 1920 George Duncan · 1921 Jock Hutchison · 1922 Walter Hagen · 1923 Arthur Havers · 1924 Walter Hagen · 1925 Jim Barnes · 1926-27 Bobby Jones · 1928-29 Walter Hagen · 1930 Bobby Jones· 1931 Tommy Armour · 1932 Gene Sarazen · 1933 Denny Shute · 1934 Henry Cotton · 1935 Alf Perry · 1936 Alf Padgham · 1937 Henry Cotton · 1939 Richard Burton (golfer) · 1940-45 No Championships due to World War II · 1946 Sam Snead · 1947 Fred Daly · 1948 Henry Cotton · 1949-50 Bobby Locke · 1951 Max Faulkner · 1952 Bobby Locke · 1953 Ben Hogan · 1954-55-56 Peter Thomson · 1957 Bobby Locke · 1958 Peter Thomson · 1959 Gary Player · 1960 Kel Nagle · 1961-62 Arnold Palmer · 1963 Bob Charles · 1964 Tony Lema · 1965 Peter Thomson · 1966 Jack Nicklaus · 1967 Roberto DeVicenzo · 1968 Gary Player · 1969 Tony Jacklin · 1970 Jack Nicklaus · 1971-72 Lee Trevino · 1973 Tom Weiskopf · 1974 Gary Player · 1975 Tom Watson · 1976 Johnny Miller · 1977 Tom Watson · 1978 Jack Nicklaus · 1979 Severiano Ballesteros · 1980 Tom Watson · 1981 Bill Rogers · 1982-83 Tom Watson · 1984 Severiano Ballesteros · 1985 Sandy Lyle · 1986 Greg Norman · 1987 Nick Faldo · 1988 Severiano Ballesteros · 1989 Mark Calcavecchia · 1990 Nick Faldo · 1991 Ian Baker-Finch · 1992 Nick Faldo · 1993 Greg Norman · 1994 Nick Price · 1995 John Daly · 1996 Tom Lehman · 1997 Justin Leonard · 1998 Mark O'Meara · 1999 Paul Lawrie · 2000 Tiger Woods · 2001 David Duval · 2002 Ernie Els · 2003 Ben Curtis · 2004 Todd Hamilton · 2005-06 Tiger Woods · 2007-08 Pádraig Harrington · 2009 Stewart Cink · 2010 Louis Oosthuizen · 2011 Darren Clarke · 2012 Ernie Els · 2013 Phil Mickelson · 2014 Rory McIlroy · 2015 Zach Johnson |
Template:PGA Champions Template:Male golfers who have won 2 or more Major Championships in one year
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