Snead, Samuel Jackson

▪ 2003

“Sam”; “Slammin' Sam” 

      American professional golfer (b. May 27, 1912, near Hot Springs, Va.—d. May 23, 2002, Hot Springs), won a record 81 Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) Tour events as well as some 70 other tournaments. Snead was renowned for his elegant yet powerful swing; he was the first golfer regularly to drive a ball some 250 m (270 yd). He taught himself to play while caddying at a country club in Hot Springs and turned professional in 1936. Success came quickly; Snead earned victories in the Oakland (Calif.) Open and the West Virginia Closed Pro in 1937. Except for the U.S. Open—in which he placed second four times—he won every major golfing championship. His major victories included the Masters (1949, 1952, 1954), the PGA championship (1942, 1949, 1951), and the British Open (1946). He was a seven-time member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team and played on the winning World Cup teams in 1956, 1960, and 1961. At the age of 52, he became the oldest golfer to have won a PGA event when he triumphed at the 1965 Greater Greensboro (N.C.) Open. He went on to win the PGA Seniors tournament six times (1964–65, 1967, 1970, 1972–73). Snead was elected to the PGA Hall of Fame in 1953. An autobiography, The Education of a Golfer, written with Al Stump, appeared in 1962. After 1984 Snead, along with fellow golfing greats Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson, participated annually as an honorary starter at the Masters, making his final appearance at the tournament just weeks before his death following a series of strokes.

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