Sam Snead

For more information on Samuel Jackson Snead, visit Britannica.com.

In a world inundated with sports legends, pro golfer Sam Snead (born 1912) is truly a standout. From his smooth rhythmic swing at the tee to his entertaining personality to his 81 PGA Tournament victories"Slammin' Sam" is a legend that will never go away.

Snead is probably the only pro golfer who claims that some of his athletic prowess is due to of all things - squirrel hunting. Growing up in the rural south Snead, like many of his boyhood friends, hunted both for sport and for the table. His accurate eye on the golf tee, professes Snead, is due in part to his learning to shoot accurately with a squirrel rifle. Stories like these are part of the Snead legend that makes him continually popular both on and off the course. Even though long retired from the professional circuit, Snead continues to draw accolades from admirers. Writing for Golf Digest Lee Trevino (no slouch on the golf course himself) described a shot Snead once made, "Now, I've seen a lot of great golf in the last 32 years, but I've never seen anything like that shot. And only Sam could hit it." At the time of the shot Snead was, it must be noted, a still young 66. "When God decided what He wanted a golf swing to look like, he sent Sam Snead down to show us," the Wall Street Journal opined. What can you say about a golfer beyond that?

Farm Boy

"Slammin' Sam" was born Samuel Jackson Snead in Hot Springs, Virginia on May 27, 1912. He was raised on the family farm near the small town of Ashwood. Squirrel hunting was part of rural life for a Virginia farm boy. Snead was an all around athlete throughout his high school years playing football, basketball, baseball, and making the track team. He also is said to have practiced golf with a crooked stick and smooth stones he picked up in his wanderings. His real introduction to the game that was to so impact his life, however, was as a 15-year-old caddy (some say he was 11) for a Hot Springs golf course near his home. The course was The Homestead; the barefoot Snead and some of his friends would walk there in the hope of making some spending money. Snead remembers caddying for a golfer who filled his small hat with pennies and nickels after the game but to Snead's dismay, no dimes when he searched through the hat. Snead's mother was justifiably worried by her son's unannounced absence from the farm and was not mollified by his pleading, "But, Mom, I brought you all this money." Snead claims he got the tanning of his life but nonetheless he was forever hooked on the sport, especially after a back injury squelched any thought of playing pro football.

Budding Golfer

As a caddy Snead was allowed to golf at a nearby nine hole course. Between caddying and golfing with his makeshift collection of clubs Snead also ran errands, cleaned member's golf clubs, and performed various other tasks for the caddy master. Snead quickly mastered the nuances as well as the technical aspects of the game and developed his now famous "honey sweet" swing. Snead's country ways and mannerisms, however, were not always looked upon with favor. However, he continues to this day to carry his "hill upbringing" as a badge. "You see, the truth is, the days when I started swinging a club, golf was a rich man's sport," Snead writes in his autobiography, "kind of like polo almost. But you can bet at first they didn't like seeing a skinny hayseed like me, with funny clothes and my homemade clubs, coming out on the course and showing 'em how it's done." Snead's winning ways and mannerisms soon made him welcome most anywhere he went to play.

Turning Pro

By 1935 Snead was the assistant golf pro at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The following year he became the teaching professional at Cascades Inn in Hot Springs. He turned professional in 1937 and, touring the country in a second hand car, placed seventh at the Los Angeles Open and first in the Oakland Open. For a newcomer to the sport Snead had a meteoric rise and quickly became somewhat of a golfing sensation. Before the year ended he won the Bing Crosby Invitational, the Miami Open, and the St. Paul and Nassau Opens. Most surprisingly, he was runner-up in the United States Open. By the end of 1937 Snead was the third highest money-winning golfer, with $10,243. A year later he was golf's number one money winner, garnering $19,334. His down home manner and outgoing personality made him one of the most popular players on the circuit and he soon began drawing crowds of spectators. He was still regarded by the press as somewhat of an upstart and "the hillbilly from backwoods Virginia" but this characterization was soon replaced by the moniker "Slammin' Sam," a tribute to his "swing of beauty" which was later described by another writer as "like watching ice cream melt." In 1938 Snead, although placing second in the United States Open and the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Open, was awarded the Vardon Memorial Trophy as the best golfer of the year. World War II called Snead to service in the Navy from 1942 to 1944, but a postponed induction allowed him to enter and win the 1942 PGA.

Professional Accomplishments

Snead's professional career is an outstanding laundry list of wins and accomplishments: leading money winner in 1938, 1949 and 1950; 1946 victory in the British Open; Vardon Trophy for lowest strokes per round average in 1938, 1949, 1950, and 1955; in 1942, 1949, and 1951 he won the Professional Golfer's Association (PGA) tournament; he won the Masters tournament in 1949, 1952 and 1954; the British Open once; he was named the 1949 Player of the Year; he was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 1953; he had a total of 84 PGA victories and six PGA Senior's titles. In addition Snead has accumulated a number of other notable achievements: in 1979 he became the first pro to shoot a score at or below his age when at the Quad Cities Open he shot a 67 and 66 at the age of 67. He was also a member of the Ryder Cup squad ten times between 1937 and 1969 including being team captain in 1959. He was also the PGA Tour's oldest when he won the Greater Greensboro Open in 1965 at the age of 52 years 10 months. When Snead won 11 events in 1950 he became the last pro to win ten or more events in one season. In 1978 Snead, while paired with Gardner Dickinson, won the first Legends of Golf tournament held in Austin, Texas. Snead played 42 years on the PGA tour, winning $620,126 and accumulating 81 titles. This was eleven more than his closest rival, Jack Nicklaus. Independent record keepers give Snead a total of 135 victories, although he claims 165 (which includes regional events).

Great Swing but Poor Putting

Snead will always be remembered for his long rhythmic swing. "No one ever swung a golf club like Sam because no one could," according to ex-pro and long time Snead friend Johnny Bulla in a Wall Street Journal interview. "He has the longest tendons of anyone I ever saw, and they enable him to do things like bend his wrists so he could touch his arms with his fingers, front and back. That's how he kept that big swing of his under control." In spite of this great swing, Snead has long maintained a reputation for being a mediocre putter - a reputation that began early in his career. In the 1947 Open, for instance, Snead blew first place when he missed the last putt on the final hole. Other observers, counter by noting Snead's putting was superb when he won the 1946 British Open and that his putting is only mediocre when unfairly compared to the greatness of the rest of his game. In his book The Game I Love Snead claims he was a good putter, especially a good lag or fell putter. However, he admits that he was never a great putter, blaming his problems on becoming a wrist putter instead of an arm putter.

Elusive Victory

In spite of these victories, awards, and accomplishments Snead never managed to win golf's big one - the United States Open. Between 1937 and 1949 Snead was runner-up four times in the U.S. Open, leaving his outstanding golfing career slightly tarnished and leaving Snead slightly defensive. "Sure it bugs me that they make such a big deal of it because I never won the U.S. Open," Snead said, "but I must have been playing pretty good and sinking putts when I won those three Masters, three PGAs and the British Open." In Snead's autobiography he wrote about his travails with the U.S. Open although in a less defensive and more reflective manner. "I entered the Open year after year, and in the '50s I was usually picked as the sentimental favorite. But whether it was some kind of a jinx or whatever, it seemed that whenever the USGA flag went up at the Open, so did my score."

Strange Mishaps

During Sneads's long golfing career he has been involved in a number of strange and potentially deadly mishaps. In 1938 when golfing with a number of others a bolt of lighting struck and killed two players standing next to Snead but only slightly injuring him. During a tournament in Argentina he was bitten on the hand by an ostrich (the club's mascot) causing Snead to nearly lose two fingers. Snead has also been involved in a number of dangerous airplane mishaps. Once a plane he was flying in nearly crashed over the Sahara Desert. In 1946 while flying to the British Open in a Constellation airplane an engine caught fire over the Atlantic forcing a return to New York. He was in a small plane in Iowa that crashed and burned on take-off, leaving Snead and the pilot fazed but unhurt. While Snead prefers automobiles to airplanes, a 1992 auto accident left him with a dislocated shoulder. On a lighter note, while golfing in Florida Snead was using a ball-getter to retrieve some golf balls from a pond. Astonishingly he found himself being chased out of the pond by an irritated and open-mouthed alligator.

Retirement Years

Since retiring from the Tour in 1979, at the age of 67, Snead has devoted himself to hunting, fishing, counting his money, telling off-color jokes, and of course golf. He's the golf pro at the Greenbrier Resort in Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and still endorses golf clubs for the Wilson Sporting Goods Co. A Wall Street Journal article claims that, for a long time, more golfers used clubs bearing Snead's signature than any other brand. Snead managed to play golf every day until the trials of advancing age caused a curtailment of his golfing activities and the many side bets that have always been part of his non-professional game. Always known as a hustler on the course, Snead maintains that he has been hustled more times than he's managed to hustle. When he was 86, Snead was on his way to conduct a golf clinic which would earn him a quick $8,000 when a "pigeon" suggested a $100.00 match. Snead had to be quickly retrieved from the first tee by the Greenbrier's director of golf and hurried back to the clinic where the attendees were anxiously waiting. "He can't resist a game," the Greenbrier director told a reporter, "it's not the money. He was going to forget an $8,000 clinic to play for $100.00. He just loves a match." As Snead is fond of saying, "You don't have to hang from a tree to be a nut."

Books

Great Athletes: Twentieth Century, Salem Press, 1992.

Lincoln Library of Sports Champions, Frontier Press, 1989.

Snead, Sam, The Game I Love: Wisdom, Insight, and Instruction From Golf's Greatest Player, Ballantine Books, 1997.

Snead, Sam, Slammin' Sam: An Autobiography, Donald I. Fine Inc., 1986.

Periodicals

Golf Digest January 1999, p. 42; April 1999, p. 134; May 2000, p. 104.

Wall Street Journal April 7, 2000, p. W13.

Online

"Only old age could stop Snead," ESPN.com,http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00016478.html (December 24, 2000).

"Sam Snead (1912-)," Golfeurope,http://www.golfeurope.com/almanac/players/snead.htm (December 24, 2000).

Quotes:

"The mark of a great player is in his ability to come back. The great champions have all come back from defeat."

"Forget your opponents; always play against par."

"Of the mental hazards, being scared is the worst. When you get scared, you get tense."

"Never let up. The more you can win by, the more doubts you put in the other players' minds the next time out."

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Sam Snead
Personal information
Full name	Samuel Jackson Snead
Nickname	Slammin' Sammy
Born	May 27, 1912(1912-05-27) Ashwood, Virginia
Died	May 23, 2002 (aged 89) Hot Springs, Virginia
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Nationality	United States
Career
Turned professional	1934
Retired	1979
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	165
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	82 (1st all time)
Other	70 (regular) 14 (senior)
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 7)
The Masters	Won: 1949, 1952, 1954
U.S. Open	2nd/T2: 1937, 1947, 1949, 1953
Open Championship	Won: 1946
PGA Championship	Won: 1942, 1949, 1951
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1974 (member page)
PGA Tour leading money winner	1938, 1949, 1950
PGA Player of the Year	1949
Vardon Trophy	1938, 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. He and two of the other greatest golfers of all time, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, were born within six months of each other in 1912. Snead won a record 82 PGA Tour events.

Snead won seven majors: three Masters, three PGA Championships and one British Open. But his reputation has always been slightly tarnished by his failure to win a U.S. Open. Snead used to share the record for most second-place finishes in that championship (four) with four others; Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Phil Mickelson. After the 2009 U.S. Open, Mickelson became the all-time leader with five second place finishes.

Snead's nickname was "Slammin' Sammy." He was admired by many for having the so-called "perfect swing," and 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.

Contents 1 Personal 2 Career 3 Playing style 4 Records 5 Professional wins (165) 5.1 PGA Tour wins (82) 5.2 Other wins 5.3 Senior wins (14) 6 Major championships 6.1 Wins (7) 6.2 Results timeline 6.3 Summary 7 Trivia 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

Personal

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.

Career

In 1937, Snead's 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. He won that event a total of eight times, the Tour record, concluding in 1965 at the age of &0000000000000052.00000052 years, &0000000000000311.000000311 days, making him the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event.^[2]

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, he posted an 8 on the 72nd hole. At the U.S. Open in 1949, Snead missed a 2 1/2-foot putt on the final playoff hole to lose to Lew Worsham.

In 1950, he won 11 events. 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 Club Professional 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 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.

In 2000, he was ranked the third greatest golfer of all time, in Golf Digest magazine's rankings. Jack Nicklaus was first, and Ben Hogan was second.^[3]

Snead was inducted into the West Virginia Golf Hall of Fame in 2009 with William C. Campbell.^[4]

Playing style

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, his putting deteriorated. 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^[5], 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

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
• Oldest player to make the cut at a major: age 67 years, 2 months, 7 days at the 1979 PGA Championship
• 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.

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)

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 (Dec.)
• 1938 (8) Bing Crosby Pro-Am, Greater Greensboro Open, Chicago Open, Canadian Open, Westchester 108 Hole Open, White Sulphur Springs Open, Inverness Invitational Four-Ball (with Vic Ghezzi), Palm Beach Round Robin
• 1939 (3) St. Petersburg Open, Miami Open, Miami Biltmore International 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 Invitational Four-Ball (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 Invitational Four-Ball (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. ^[6]

Other wins

• 1936 West Virginia Open
• 1937 West Virginia Open
• 1938 West Virginia Open
• 1940 Ontario Open (Canada)
• 1941 Center Open (Argentina)
• 1948 West Virginia Open
• 1949 North and South Open, West Virginia Open
• 1952 West Virginia Open, Brazil Open, Greenbrier Pro-Am
• 1953 Greenbrier Pro-Am
• 1954 Panama Open
• 1957 West Virginia Open
• 1958 West Virginia Open, Greenbrier Invitational
• 1959 Sam Snead Festival
• 1960 West Virginia Open
• 1961 West Virginia Open, Sam Snead Festival
• 1964 Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome (with Shirley Englehorn)
• 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

Note: this list is incomplete.

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	Runner(s)-up
1942	PGA Championship	n/a	2 & 1	n/a	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 shot deficit	-6 (73-75-67-67=282)	3 strokes	Johnny Bulla, Lloyd Mangrum
1949	PGA Championship (2)	n/a	3 & 2	n/a	Johnny Palmer
1951	PGA Championship (3)	n/a	7 & 6	n/a	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
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

• Starts - 117
• Wins - 7
• 2nd place finishes - 8
• Top 3 finishes - 22
• Top 5 finishes - 29
• Top 10 finishes - 48
• 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 kind of admired him", and Schroeder bragged that he was "going to be the Sam Snead of music!"
• 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).
• In 1987, Snead appeared opposite Tim Conway in Dorf's Golf Bible. Despite Snead's efforts, Dorf cannot follow through on even the simplest of Snead's instructions, prompting Snead's repeated pleas of "why don't you quit?"
• 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 audience realized Sammy was not referring to Yom Kippur, but "could not pronounce 'tournament' like other white folk."
• Snead was so flexible and coordinated that for most of his adult life, he was able to stand on one foot and kick the other foot high enough to touch the top of a seven-foot high door frame without losing his balance.

See also

Golf portal

• 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

References

1. ^ The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations, ed. Jim Apfelbaum. 2007.
2. ^ "Oldest PGA Tour Winners". http://golf.about.com/od/progolftours/qt/pgaoldestw.htm. 
3. ^ Yocom, Guy (July 2000). "50 Greatest Golfers of All Time: And What They Taught Us". Golf Digest. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_7_51/ai_63015233. Retrieved 2007-12-05. 
4. ^ "Snead, Campbell inducted into W.Va. Golf Hall". USA Today. August 3, 2009. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2009-08-03-4255077837_x.htm. 
5. ^ "Historical Rules of Golf, 1968". http://www.ruleshistory.com/rules1968.html#3501. 
6. ^ Barkow, Al (1989), The History of the PGA TOUR, Doubleday, ISBN 0-385-26145-4 , pages 259-260

External links

• World Golf Hall of Fame profile
• about.com profile Profile, stats and quotes
• Sam Snead Profile at Golf Legends
• Photos of Sam Snead at Palm Beach Golf Classic

Sam Snead in the major championships v • d • e The Masters champions 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 Jack Nicklaus • 1966 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 Nick Faldo • 1990 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 Tiger Woods • 2002 Tiger Woods • 2003 Mike Weir • 2004 Phil Mickelson • 2005 Tiger Woods • 2006 Phil Mickelson • 2007 Zach Johnson • 2008 Trevor Immelman • 2009 Ángel Cabrera v • d • e The Open champions 1860 Willie Park, Snr. · 1861 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1862 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1863 Willie Park, Snr. · 1864 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1865 Andrew Strath · 1866 Willie Park, Snr. · 1867 Tom Morris, Sr. · 1868 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1869 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1870 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1871 No championship · 1872 Tom Morris, Jr. · 1873 Tom Kidd · 1874 Mungo Park · 1875 Willie Park, Snr. · 1876 Bob Martin · 1877 Jamie Anderson · 1878 Jamie Anderson · 1879 Jamie Anderson · 1880 Bob Ferguson · 1881 Bob Ferguson · 1882 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 John Henry Taylor · 1895 John Henry Taylor · 1896 Harry Vardon · 1897 Harold Hilton · 1898 Harry Vardon · 1899 Harry Vardon · 1900 John Henry Taylor · 1901 James Braid · 1902 Sandy Herd · 1903 Harry Vardon · 1904 Jack White · 1905 James Braid · 1906 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 Bobby Jones · 1927 Bobby Jones · 1928 Walter Hagen · 1929 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 · 1938 Reg Whitcombe · 1939 Richard Burton · 1940-45 No Championships due to World War II · 1946 Sam Snead · 1947 Fred Daly · 1948 Henry Cotton · 1949 Bobby Locke · 1950 Bobby Locke · 1951 Max Faulkner · 1952 Bobby Locke · 1953 Ben Hogan · 1954 Peter Thomson · 1955 Peter Thomson · 1956 Peter Thomson · 1957 Bobby Locke · 1958 Peter Thomson · 1959 Gary Player · 1960 Kel Nagle · 1961 Arnold Palmer · 1962 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 Lee Trevino · 1972 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 Tom Watson · 1983 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 Tiger Woods · 2006 Tiger Woods · 2007 Pádraig Harrington · 2008 Pádraig Harrington · 2009 Stewart Cink v • d • e PGA champions Match play era 1916 Jim Barnes · 1917–18 Cancelled due to World War I · 1919 Jim Barnes · 1920 Jock Hutchison · 1921 Walter Hagen · 1922 Gene Sarazen · 1923 Gene Sarazen · 1924 Walter Hagen · 1925 Walter Hagen · 1926 Walter Hagen · 1927 Walter Hagen · 1928 Leo Diegel · 1929 Leo Diegel · 1930 Tommy Armour · 1931 Tom Creavy · 1932 Olin Dutra · 1933 Gene Sarazen · 1934 Paul Runyan · 1935 Johnny Revolta · 1936 Denny Shute · 1937 Denny Shute · 1938 Paul Runyan · 1939 Henry Picard · 1940 Byron Nelson · 1941 Vic Ghezzi · 1942 Sam Snead · 1943 Cancelled due to World War II · 1944 Bob Hamilton · 1945 Byron Nelson · 1946 Ben Hogan · 1947 Jim Ferrier · 1948 Ben Hogan · 1949 Sam Snead · 1950 Chandler Harper · 1951 Sam Snead · 1952 Jim Turnesa · 1953 Walter Burkemo · 1954 Chick Harbert · 1955 Doug Ford · 1956 Jack Burke, Jr. · 1957 Lionel Hebert Stroke play era 1958 Dow Finsterwald · 1959 Bob Rosburg · 1960 Jay Hebert · 1961 Jerry Barber · 1962 Gary Player · 1963 Jack Nicklaus · 1964 Bobby Nichols · 1965 Dave Marr · 1966 Al Geiberger · 1967 Don January · 1968 Julius Boros · 1969 Raymond Floyd · 1970 Dave Stockton · 1971 Jack Nicklaus · 1972 Gary Player · 1973 Jack Nicklaus · 1974 Lee Trevino · 1975 Jack Nicklaus · 1976 Dave Stockton · 1977 Lanny Wadkins · 1978 John Mahaffey · 1979 David Graham · 1980 Jack Nicklaus · 1981 Larry Nelson · 1982 Raymond Floyd · 1983 Hal Sutton · 1984 Lee Trevino · 1985 Hubert Green · 1986 Bob Tway · 1987 Larry Nelson · 1988 Jeff Sluman · 1989 Payne Stewart · 1990 Wayne Grady · 1991 John Daly · 1992 Nick Price · 1993 Paul Azinger · 1994 Nick Price · 1995 Steve Elkington · 1996 Mark Brooks · 1997 Davis Love III · 1998 Vijay Singh · 1999 Tiger Woods · 2000 Tiger Woods · 2001 David Toms · 2002 Rich Beem · 2003 Shaun Micheel · 2004 Vijay Singh · 2005 Phil Mickelson · 2006 Tiger Woods · 2007 Tiger Woods · 2008 Pádraig Harrington · 2009 Y. E. Yang v • d • e Male golfers who have won 2 or more major championships in one year 1922 Gene Sarazen (2) · 1924 Walter Hagen (2) · 1926 Bobby Jones (2) · 1930 Bobby Jones (2) · 1932 Gene Sarazen (2) · 1949 Sam Snead (2) · 1951 Ben Hogan (2) · 1953 Ben Hogan (3) · 1960 Arnold Palmer (2) · 1962 Arnold Palmer (2) · 1963 Jack Nicklaus (2) · 1966 Jack Nicklaus (2) · 1971 Lee Trevino (2) · 1972 Jack Nicklaus (2) · 1974 Gary Player (2) · 1975 Jack Nicklaus (2) · 1977 Tom Watson (2) · 1980 Jack Nicklaus (2) · 1982 Tom Watson (2) · 1990 Nick Faldo (2) · 1994 Nick Price (2) · 1998 Mark O'Meara (2) · 2000 Tiger Woods (3) · 2002 Tiger Woods (2) · 2005 Tiger Woods (2) · 2006 Tiger Woods (2) · 2008 Pádraig Harrington (2)

v • d • e PGA and PGA Tour Players of the Year PGA Players of the Year 1948 Ben Hogan · 1949 Sam Snead · 1950 Ben Hogan · 1951 Ben Hogan · 1952 Julius Boros · 1953 Ben Hogan · 1954 Ed Furgol · 1955 Doug Ford · 1956 Jack Burke, Jr. · 1957 Dick Mayer · 1958 Dow Finsterwald · 1959 Art Wall, Jr. · 1960 Arnold Palmer · 1961 Jerry Barber · 1962 Arnold Palmer · 1963 Julius Boros · 1964 Ken Venturi · 1965 Dave Marr · 1966 Billy Casper · 1967 Jack Nicklaus · 1968 No award · 1969 Orville Moody · 1970 Billy Casper · 1971 Lee Trevino · 1972 Jack Nicklaus · 1973 Jack Nicklaus · 1974 Johnny Miller · 1975 Jack Nicklaus · 1976 Jack Nicklaus · 1977 Tom Watson · 1978 Tom Watson · 1979 Tom Watson · 1980 Tom Watson · 1981 Bill Rogers · 1982 Tom Watson · 1983 Hal Sutton · 1984 Tom Watson · 1985 Lanny Wadkins · 1986 Bob Tway · 1987 Paul Azinger · 1988 Curtis Strange · 1989 Tom Kite · 1990 Nick Faldo · 1991 Corey Pavin · 1992 Fred Couples · 1993 Nick Price · 1994 Nick Price · 1995 Greg Norman · 1996 Tom Lehman · 1997 Tiger Woods · 1998 Mark O'Meara · 1999 Tiger Woods · 2000 Tiger Woods · 2001 Tiger Woods · 2002 Tiger Woods · 2003 Tiger Woods · 2004 Vijay Singh · 2005 Tiger Woods · 2006 Tiger Woods · 2007 Tiger Woods · 2008 Pádraig Harrington PGA Tour Players of the Year 1990 Wayne Levi · 1991 Fred Couples · 1992 Fred Couples · 1993 Nick Price · 1994 Nick Price · 1995 Greg Norman · 1996 Tom Lehman · 1997 Tiger Woods · 1998 Mark O'Meara · 1999 Tiger Woods · 2000 Tiger Woods · 2001 Tiger Woods · 2002 Tiger Woods · 2003 Tiger Woods · 2004 Vijay Singh · 2005 Tiger Woods · 2006 Tiger Woods · 2007 Tiger Woods · 2008 Pádraig Harrington

v • d • e United States Ryder Cup captains 1927 Walter Hagen · 1929 Walter Hagen · 1931 Walter Hagen · 1933 Walter Hagen · 1935 Walter Hagen · 1937 Walter Hagen · 1947 Ben Hogan · 1949 Ben Hogan · 1951 Sam Snead · 1953 Lloyd Mangrum · 1955 Chick Harbert · 1957 Jack Burke, Jr. · 1959 Sam Snead · 1961 Jerry Barber · 1963 Arnold Palmer · 1965 Byron Nelson · 1967 Ben Hogan · 1969 Sam Snead · 1971 Jay Hebert · 1973 Jack Burke, Jr. · 1975 Arnold Palmer · 1977 Dow Finsterwald · 1979 Billy Casper · 1981 Dave Marr · 1983 Jack Nicklaus · 1985 Lee Trevino · 1987 Jack Nicklaus · 1989 Raymond Floyd · 1991 Dave Stockton · 1993 Tom Watson · 1995 Lanny Wadkins · 1997 Tom Kite · 1999 Ben Crenshaw · 2002 Curtis Strange · 2004 Hal Sutton · 2006 Tom Lehman · 2008 Paul Azinger · 2010 Corey Pavin

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)