Sam Snead
Samuel Jackson "Sam" Snead (
May 27,
1912 –
May 23,
2002) was one of the top
golfers 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."
Snead was born in Ashwood,
Virginia near
Hot Springs, Virginia where he died 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.
Snead has been inducted into the
World Golf Hall of Fame.
In
1937, his first year on the Tour, he won five events, including the
Oakland Open 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
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
Homestead in Hot Springs.
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
2001, he was joined by
Byron Nelson, and until
1999, by
Gene Sarazen.
* 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 at age 67 years, 2 months, 21 days at the 1979
Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic.
* Most PGA Tour victories after the age of 40: 17 (tied with
Vijay Singh)
*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 OpenMajor championships are shown in
bold.
*1963
PGA Seniors' Championship*1964 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
*1980 Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am
*1982 Legends of Golf (with
Don January)
