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48-544: Sam Snead and Bob Rosburg are the only players to win a major championship and the PGA Professional Championship. Bruce Fleisher and Larry Gilbert each would go on to win a senior major . Several other winners have had PGA Tour careers, either before or after winning the championship. The first edition in 1968 was held in early December in Scottsdale, Arizona . The leading 20 players in

96-823: A back injury in September 1944. Snead appeared as himself in an episode of The Phil Silvers Show , "The Colonel Breaks Par", in 1957. His nephew, J. C. Snead , was also a successful professional golfer, winning tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour . In July 1936, Snead won his first tournament, the West Virginia Closed Pro, contested at The Greenbrier 's Championship Course and Old White Course. He shot rounds of 70–61 to rout Logan, West Virginia professional, Clem Wiechman by 16 strokes (74-73). The following month, he won

144-414: A brother, Pete, of Pittsburgh, as well as two grandchildren. His wife Audrey died in 1990. His nephew J. C. Snead was also a PGA Tour golfer . Snead was mentioned several times in the comic strip Peanuts at the height of his popularity during the 1950s and 1960s. As its creator and avid golfer Charles M. Schulz said in a 1971 interview: "I was a great admirer of Sam Snead. I once watched him play

192-514: A certain (relatively modest) standard of play to retain their playing privileges: when they can no longer do so, they are moved into the "Past champions" membership category, effectively becoming honorary members. Since 1975, only four players have won PGA Tour events after their 50th birthday, the age at which golfers become eligible to compete on PGA Tour Champions : Craig Stadler won in 2003 at age 50, Fred Funk won in 2007 at age 50, Davis Love III won in 2015 at age 51, and Phil Mickelson won

240-681: A controversial match against Mason Rudolph , at the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda . The match played under the NBC's " World Championship Golf " series, was a match-play event that was tied after 11 holes. On the 12th hole, Snead discovered that he had a 15th club in the bag, a violation of the Rules of Golf that limits a player to 14 clubs. The extra club in his bag, a fairway wood Snead had been experimenting with in practice, meant Rudolph had won on

288-571: A playoff victory over Hogan in the L.A. Open yet lost the "Golfer of the Year" to Hogan, who won one "tournament". His scoring average of 69.23 was a Vardon Trophy record that stood for 50 years. In 1952, Snead won ten events including the Masters . At the Jacksonville Open , Snead forfeited rather than play an 18-hole playoff against Doug Ford after the two golfers finished in a tie at

336-512: A preceding twelve-month period, not counting majors. Players earn entry by allocations from championships of their respective PGA sections, as the defending champions of the Assistant PGA Professional Championship , or as former champions of the event. The championship is a 72-hole stroke play tournament played over four days. Currently the field consists of 312 professionals representing the 41 sections of

384-489: A record 82 PGA Tour events tied with Tiger Woods , including seven majors . He never won the U.S. Open , though he was runner-up four times. Snead was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Snead's nicknames included "The Slammer", "Slammin' Sammy Snead", and "The Long Ball Hitter from West Virginia ", and he was admired by many for having a "perfect swing", which generated many imitators. Snead

432-572: A round in the St. Paul tournament when he hit every green in regulation figures – and all the par fives in two – for a truly flawless round." He played himself in the 1951 Ben Hogan semi-autobiographical movie starring Glenn Ford and Anne Baxter called Follow the Sun . There is a Sam Snead Street in San Antonio, Texas . During his peak years, Snead was an exceptionally long driver, particularly into

480-536: Is a list of the fifty-three golfers who have won 17 or more official (or later deemed historically significant) money events on the PGA Tour . It is led by Sam Snead and Tiger Woods with 82 each. Many players won important events early in the 20th century, prior to the formation of the tour, with records being kept by the PGA of America . At various times, the PGA Tour has reassessed the status of some tournaments. In

528-471: Is a tie for 20th place, a playoff occurs until exactly twenty advance to the PGA Championship. With the change in dates from 1997, there were two club professional championships between the 1996 and 1997 PGA Championships . As a result only the winner of the 1996 event received an entry to the 1997 PGA Championship, 25 players qualifying through the 1997 event. The other players making the cut in

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576-515: Is one of the requirements for "life membership" on the PGA Tour. This means that the golfer does not need to requalify for membership on the tour each year by finishing in the top 125 on the money list (starting in 2013, top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list), or through an exemption for tournament victories. Many golfers struggle to do this through their late-40s, but those with 20 wins avoid this problem. However, life members are required to maintain

624-584: The Greater Greensboro Open , the first of eight times, the Tour record for victories in a single tournament event. Snead's last win at Greensboro was in 1965, at the age of 52 years, 311 days, making him the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event. Snead introduced his first book, Sam Snead's quick way to better golf . In 1939, Snead won three times. 1939 was the first of four times (although Snead had already come close in 1937, losing to

672-667: The Open Championship at St Andrews . His expenses for playing there were more than three times his winning purse. Snead tied for sixth in the Open in 1962. Snead introduced the book, Sam Snead's How to play golf, and professional tips on improving your score. Also, rules of the game of golf, as approved by the United States Golf Association, and by the Royal and ancient golf club of St. Andrews . At

720-499: The PGA Championship in 2021 at age 50, becoming the oldest winner of a major. Sam Snead is the oldest to win a PGA event, at age 52, in 1965. Others who have won PGA Tour events past age 50 include Jim Barnes , John Barnum , and Art Wall Jr. The list is complete as of July 16, 2023 . (Players with the same number of wins are listed alphabetically. Players under 50 years of age are shown in bold . Members of

768-590: The Royal Poinciana Plaza Invitational , an LPGA Tour "Battle of the Sexes" tournament where he faced off against 14 LPGA pros. The low woman was Mickey Wright , herself Snead's equivalent in women's golf, with the most wins on that tour. His 1962 autobiography was titled The Education of a Golfer. Snead later wrote several golf instructional books, and frequently wrote instructional columns in golf magazines. In 1965, Snead became

816-423: The U.S. Open , the only major championship he never won. Needing two pars to finish in a tie for the lead, Snead took three shots to hole out his ball from the fringe of the green on the 17th hole. In 1950, Snead won 11 events, placing him third in that category behind Byron Nelson (18, in 1945) and Ben Hogan (13, in 1946). Snead claimed that 1950 was his "greatest year" winning "eleven tournaments" including

864-436: The 12th hole immediately, 11 and 7, after applying the penalty of a loss of hole for each hole the club was in the bag, even though he did not use it during the round. With the match legally concluded, Snead deliberately missed puts later in the program to create the legitimate result, a Rudolph win. Snead explained the match had ended up on the 11 loss of hole penalties, and said he did not disqualify himself in order not to spoil

912-449: The 18th tee by a spectator that he needed a birdie to win. Snead ended up in fifth place, two shots behind three players who went into a playoff. During World War II , Snead was prevented from participating in 14 major championships (1940–1945 Open Championship, 1942–1945 U.S. Open, 1943–1945 Masters, 1943 PGA Championship), due to their cancellations. Snead served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1944. In 1946, Snead won six times including

960-420: The 1980s, the significance of all historical tournaments was reassessed by golf historians, working together with PGA Tour staff, during the course of a major statistical research project. The Open Championship was first recognized as an official tour event in 1995, and in 2002, all victories in earlier Open Championships were classified as official PGA Tour wins. Accumulating 20 wins is significant, because it

1008-461: The 1996 club professional championship were eligible to play in the 1997 event. The 2020 edition of the PGA Professional Championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For that year only, the 20 PGA Professionals given entry into the PGA Championship were based on a points system. Source: Sam Snead Samuel Jackson Snead ( / s n iː d / ; May 27, 1912 – May 23, 2002)

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1056-546: The 36-hole cut include Suzy Whaley (2005) and Karen Paolozzi (2016). Paolozzi placed inside the top 20 in 2016, but was not given entry due to the "Whaley Rule," where women must play from the same tees as the men during both the sectional and national tournaments. To earn entry into the PGA Professional Championship, players must have PGA membership, be certified as Class A PGA Professionals, and cannot have more than ten combined starts on professional tours (including various developmental tours, senior tours, and mini-tours) during

1104-500: The PGA of America. At the end of two rounds, the top 90 and ties compete in round three. After round three, the field is reduced to the leading 70 and ties. Because of the large field, two courses are used for the first two rounds. The final two rounds are played on one of those courses. The format has varied over years: From 1968 to 1996 the tournament was played in the fall, anywhere from late September to early December. From 1997 to 2018,

1152-488: The U.S. Open in 1947 , Snead missed a 30-inch (76 cm) putt on the final playoff hole to finish runner-up to Lew Worsham . Snead won three times in 1948, including his first Texas Open and fourth West Virginia Open . In 1949, Snead won nine PGA events including two majors including the Masters and the PGA Championship and was awarded Golfer of the Year. For Snead, it was the third of four second-place finishes at

1200-698: The book, Pigeons, Marks, Hustlers and Other Golf Bettors You Can Beat . 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 Tournament . Until 1999, he

1248-519: The end of regulation play. The forfeit stemmed from a ruling Snead received during the tournament's second round of play. On the 10th hole, Snead's drive landed behind an out-of-bounds stake. While Chick Harbert , who was playing with Snead, thought the ball was out of bounds, a rules official ruled differently due to the starter not telling players the stakes had been moved after the previous day's play had ended. Afterward, Snead explained why he forfeited even though Ford suggested they play sudden death for

1296-533: The event receive an entry into that year's PGA Championship . The winner gets six exemptions into the PGA Tour for the next season, three of which must be opposite The Open Championship or World Golf Championship events. The top five finishers are also given entry into the second round of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament . Although the event gives invitations to the men's PGA event, women are eligible to compete. Those who have made

1344-463: The eventual champion who had 19 clubs in his bag) where Snead failed at crucial moments of the U.S. Open , the only major event he never won. Needing a par to win at the Philadelphia C.C., but not knowing that, since on-course scoreboards did not exist at that time, Snead posted a triple-bogey 8 on the par-5 72nd hole, taking a risky shot from a difficult lie in the fairway. Snead had been told on

1392-663: The final round. In 1982, he teamed with Don January to shoot 27-under-par to win the rain-shortened 54-hole Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf event at Onion Creek Club "The Birthplace of the Senior PGA Tour" in Austin, Texas . This victory would mark victories for Snead that spanned over six decades (1930s–1980s) winning tour and senior tour events. In 1983, at age 71, he shot a round of 60 (12-under-par) at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia . In 1986, Snead wrote

1440-649: The first of 17 West Virginia Open championships by beating Art Clark by five strokes at Guyan Country Club in Huntington, West Virginia . In 1937, Snead's first full year on the PGA Tour, he won six events, including the Oakland Open at Claremont Country Club in California and his second West Virginia Open. In Snead's debut in the U.S. Open hosted at Oakland Hills , he finishes runner-up to Ralph Guldahl (who won with 19 clubs in his bag). Snead shared

1488-499: The first round lead shooting 69 with fellow West Virginian Denny Shute ( 1936 and 1937 PGA Champion). In Snead's first of two attempts in The Open Championship , he finished tied for 11th. While working at The Greenbrier , Snead played in the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships . In the first round, he faced the eventual winner Karel Kozeluh , losing to Kozeluh by scores of 6–1, 6–1, and 6–1. In 1938, Snead first won

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1536-599: The game of golf from a set of clubs carved from tree limbs. Snead joined the PGA Tour in 1936 and achieved immediate success by winning the West Virginia Closed Pro tournament. In 1936 he won two matches at the Meadow Brook Club , earning a $ 10,000 prize. This gave him the money he needed to start playing professionally full-time. In 1944 he became resident playing professional at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia , and maintained ties to Hot Springs and The Homestead all of his life. During

1584-497: The grace of a leopard, and the strength of a lion." Gary Player once said, "I don't think there's any question in my mind that Sam Snead had the greatest golf swing of any human being that ever lived." Jack Nicklaus said that Snead's swing was "so perfect." Snead was the PGA leading money winner in 1938, 1949 and 1950. He won the Vardon Trophy , for lowest scoring average, four times: 1938, 1949, 1950, and 1955. In 1949, he

1632-446: The old Rule 35–1, 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. Snead holds the following records: Sources: *Note: Tournament shortened to 18/54 holes due to weather. List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins This

1680-618: The oldest player (52 years, 10 months, and 8 days) to win on the PGA Tour (the Greater Greensboro Open). Snead played on seven Ryder Cup teams: 1937, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1955, and 1959. Snead was selected to the 1939 Ryder Cup team however the event was never played due to World War II. He captained the team in 1951, 1959, and 1969. In 1971, he won the PGA Club Professional Championship at Pinehurst Resort . In 1973 , Snead became

1728-555: The oldest player to make a cut in a U.S. Open at age 61. In 1974, at age 61, he shot a third-round 66 at the Los Angeles Open at Riviera Country Club to move into contention. A birdie at #17 in the last round moved him to within one stroke of the lead. Dave Stockton hit a miraculous fairway wood on the final hole. Snead was joint runner-up. He shot a final-round 68 at the 1974 PGA Championship to finish tied for third, three strokes behind winner Lee Trevino . At age 62, it

1776-468: The penalty is capped at two holes ( match play ) or two strokes per hole capped at four strokes ( stroke play ). Beginning in 1960, Snead hosted television's Celebrity Golf program, emceed by Harry von Zell , competing for charity in nine-hole contests against Hollywood celebrities like Dean Martin , Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope . Snead had appeared with Martin and Lewis in their 1953 comedy film, The Caddy . On February 7, 1962, at age 49, Snead won

1824-459: The show. This occurred shortly after the investigations into the quiz show scandals where players were given answers to questions in fixed matches . The match was broadcast in April 1960, and the sponsor canceled further participation in the series after Snead's admission he recreated the result after the match officially ended as a Rudolph win. The rule was changed for the 1964 Rules of Golf, where

1872-469: The title. "I want to be fair about it. I don't want anyone to think I took advantage of the ruling." Snead set the record for most PGA wins after reaching age 40, with 17. In 1953, Snead won three events. He finished runner-up to Ben Hogan at the U.S. Open (the fourth time he would finish runner-up at the U.S. Open). In 1954, Snead won two events, one of which was the Masters in an 18-hole playoff over Ben Hogan. In December 1959, Snead took part in

1920-431: The tournament was played in the second half of June, six to seven weeks before the PGA Championship . which was held in mid-August. With the move of the PGA Championship to May in 2019, the PGA Professional Championship was moved to late April/early May. The 20 leading players receive an entry into the following PGA Championship . The number of qualifiers was reduced from 40 to 25 in 1994 and then to 20 in 2006 . If there

1968-456: 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 the use of the sand wedge for short shots from grass. As he aged, he began to experiment with different putting styles. 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

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2016-635: The winter, he was a resident playing pro at the Boca Raton Resort from 1956 to 1969. Each spring he returned to the Mid-Atlantic, stopping at The Masters Tournament on his way back to The Greenbrier. Snead served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1942 to 1944. He was an athletic specialist in Cmdr. Gene Tunney 's program in San Diego , and was given a medical discharge for

2064-728: Was PGA Golfer of the Year. Snead was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1973. In 1986, Snead was inducted into the Middle Atlantic PGA Hall of Fame. Snead was also inducted into the PGA of America Hall of Fame and the Helms Hall of Fame. Snead received the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. In 2009, Snead was inducted into the inaugural class of the West Virginia Golf Hall of Fame and in 2016, Snead

2112-429: Was Snead's third consecutive top-10 finish at the PGA Championship , but his last time in contention at a major. 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 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

2160-469: Was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for the better part of four decades (having won PGA of America and Senior PGA Tour events over six decades) and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Snead was awarded a record 94 gold medallions, for wins in PGA of America (referred to by most as the PGA) Tour events and later credited with winning

2208-416: Was famed for his folksy image, wearing a straw hat, and making such statements as "Keep close count of your nickels and dimes, stay away from whiskey, and never concede a putt." and "There are no short hitters on the tour anymore, just long and unbelievably long." Fellow West Virginia Golf Hall of Fame Inductee Bill Campbell has said of Snead, "He was the best natural player ever. He had the eye of an eagle,

2256-547: Was joined by Gene Sarazen , and until 2001, by Byron Nelson . In 2000, Snead was ranked the third greatest golfer of all time, in Golf Digest magazine's rankings, behind only Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan . Snead died in Hot Springs, Virginia in 2002 following complications from a stroke, four days before his 90th birthday. He was survived by two sons: Sam Jr. of Hot Springs, and Terry, of Mountain Grove, Virginia, and

2304-651: Was the unanimous top choice for inclusion in the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame's inaugural class. Born in Ashwood, Virginia , near Hot Springs , Snead began caddying at age seven at The Homestead 's Old Course in Hot Springs. He worked as an assistant pro at The Homestead at 17 in 1929, then moved to the Cascades Course and turned professional in 1934. During the depression, Snead taught himself

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