Samuel Snead: Golf
Samuel Jackson Snead (May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002) was an American professional golfer who won a record 82 PGA tournaments, including seven majors. After turning professional in 1934, he then joined the PGA Tour two years later where he accomplished instant success. For four decades, he was considered to be one of the top golf players in the world. Though he never won the U.S. Open during his entire golf career, he was runner-up four times. He was nicknamed “Slammin’ Sam” and “Slammer” because he can hit the ball so far.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
Sam Snead is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1974. He is also a recipient of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award (fourth person to be honored), an-82 PGA Tour victor with an estimated 160 professional tournaments wins in all. He was also inducted into the West Virginia Golf Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was ranked the third greatest golfer of all time just behind Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan in Golf Digest magazine’s ranking.
Why Was He So Good?
Sam Snead is one of the sport’s giants. During his career, he remained competitive at the highest levels. When he died, he still holds the all-time record for PGA Tour wins. He was an exceptionally long driver – he had accuracy, a superb player with the long irons. It was Snead who pioneered croquet-style (straddling the ball with one leg on each side but then the US Golf Association banned this technique in 1958) putting in the 60s.
What You May Not Know
- Snead never took golf lesson. He was just naturally gifted in golf.
- He was admired by a lot of people because of his “perfect swing”. Other golfers tried to imitate his style but failed.
- During competitions, he was often seen wearing straw hats, having a bit of folksy image. He even played barefoot.
- When he won two matches at the Meadow Brook Club in 1936, he earned a $10,000 fee and used that money to start playing professionally and full-time.
- Sam Snead wrote a couple of golf instructional books and wrote columns in various golf magazines. He even came up with “The Education of a Golfer”, his autobiography.
Was he a legend?
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Related Pages
- More legendary Golf players
- Athlete Database home
- About the sport of Golf
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