By John Egnot
Manager of Media Relations

Samuel Jackson Snead, better known in most golf circles as “Slammin’ Sammy,” will forever be known as one of the greatest athletes in the history of the game. In his 50-year competitive career, Snead set the standard for power and grace while accumulating 82 victories on the PGA TOUR, a record that still stands to this day.

Sam Snead

Snead was born on May 27, 1912 in the western Virginia town of Ashwood. Young Sam began to learn the nuances of the game early while watching his older brother hit shag balls at the family farm. Sam would eventually take a job caddying at The Homestead Hotel Golf Course in the rural town of Hot Springs, a facility which played host to AJGA events as recently as the summer of 2003. By age 19, Snead had graduated from the caddie ranks to become the assistant golf professional at The Homestead.

After accepting the position of playing professional at the Greenbrier in 1935, Sam Snead joined the PGA TOUR in 1936. The rest, it could be said, is history. The Slammer’s incredible success started early with 12 victories during his first two years on the tour. Gene Sarazen once said that, “Sam Snead is the only person who came into the game possessing every physical attribute – a sound swing, power, a sturdy physique, and no bad habits.”

In 1942, Snead laid claim to the first of his seven major titles at the PGA Championship. When his legendary run was said and done, Snead was victorious at the Masters and the PGA Championship three times and once at the British Open in 1946. The only major that eluded Snead was the U.S. Open, where he finished second four times. An eight-time Ryder Cup participant, Snead compiled a 10-2-1 overall record and went on to become a three-time captain.

To many young golfers, Sam Snead was known only as one of the three Hall of Famers who participated annually in the honorary first pairing at The Masters, knocking a tee shot down the middle of the No. 1 fairway for old times sake, along with the likes of Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen. To an earlier generation of golfers, however, Snead was one of the most dominant and successful athletes of his day, a man who will forever be revered as “The Slammer.”