Sam Snead

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Sam Snead
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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 Flag of United States 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 Flag of United States Jim Turnesa
1946 The Open Championship Tied for lead -2 (71-70-74-75=290) 4 strokes Flag of United States Johnny Bulla, Flag of South Africa Bobby Locke
1949 The Masters 1 stroke deficit -6 (73-75-67-67=282) 3 strokes Flag of United States Johnny Bulla, Flag of United States Lloyd Mangrum
1949 PGA Championship (2) N/A 3 & 2 3 strokes Flag of United States Johnny Palmer
1951 PGA Championship (3) N/A 7 & 6 7 strokes Flag of United States Walter Burkemo
1952 The Masters (2) Tied for lead -2 (70-67-77-72=286) 4 strokes Flag of United States Jack Burke Jr.
1954 The Masters (3) 3 shot deficit +1 (74-73-70-72=289) Playoff 1 Flag of United States 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

Template:PGA Champions Template:Male golfers who have won 2 or more Major Championships in one year

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