Sam Snead is without question one of the greatest golfers of all time. He is known for many things but most remember his smooth golf swing. Equally as impressive is his trophy case. He still shares the record for most wins on the PGA (82). In this episode of "Did I Tell You About My Albatross," host Albi introduces a new bonus series that delves deeper into the greatest golf stories and Slamming Sammy certainly owns one. On a beautiful day in 1962, Sam became the first and only Man to win an LPGA Tour Event. Albi dives deep to understand better who Sam Snead was, why he chose to compete in an LPGA, and why this was even a thing.
The crew will be back for another traditional episode of DITYAMA early next week.
Until then, enjoy the amazing tale of Sam Snead.
"Discover the untold stories of golf legend Sam Snead on this week's episode of Did I Tell You About My Albatross? 🏆🎙️ Tune in now!"
- Creators & Guests
- Brandon Redding, "ALBI" - Host
- Laken Fischer "Panda" - Host
- Billy Heiser "Shepherd", "Koala", "Mayor" - Host
Sources used to create this Podcast:
- "Sam Snead Blast Out Five-Under-Par to Win State Open Golf Title". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. August 8, 1936. p. 8.
- ^ "1937 U.S. Open Highlights". USGA. August 17, 2017. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
- ^ "Cotton's brilliant victory". Glasgow Herald. (Scotland). July 10, 1937. p. 6.
- ^ Kelley, Brent. "Oldest PGA Tour Winners". About.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
- ^ Snead, Sam (1938). Sam Snead's quick way to better golf. Garden City, New York: Sun Dial Press. ISBN 9781161629781. LCCN 39000237. OCLC 504827770.
- ^ Carter, Bob. "Only old age could stop Snead". ESPN. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- ^ "After 51 Years on Tour, Snead Takes It Easy". Los Angeles Times. July 2, 1989. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ Snead, Sam (1946). 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. Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing. ISBN 9781258142988. LCCN 46004312. OL 2693695W.
- ^ "1947 U.S. Open: Snead Recalls Tough Defeat". USGA. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "Masters Golf (1949)". youtube.com. Pathé News. April 13, 2014. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
- ^ "Sam Snead Wins PGA (1949)". youtube.com. Pathé News. April 13, 2014. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
- ^ "Middlecoff Sinks Decisive Putt to Capture Reading Golf With 266". NY Times. Reading, PA. Associated Press. July 11, 1949.
- ^ "1949 U.S. Open Highlights". USGA. September 14, 2017. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
- ^
Jump up to:a b "Victory Records". PGA Tour. June 3, 2006. Archived from the original on January 3, 2006. Retrieved June 5, 2012. - ^ Kelley, Brent. "Lowest PGA Tour Vardon Trophy Scoring Averages". About.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
- ^
00:00:01
Did I tell you about my albatross? A yo.
00:00:04
Here we go. Come on.
00:00:06
Welcome to another episode of did I tell you about my
00:00:09
Albatross? I'm your host, Albie. This is the golf
00:00:12
podcast for honest Degenerates. It's like teeing up with your
00:00:15
favorite foursome every week and diving into the best stories
00:00:18
in and around golf. You guys ready to tee off?
00:00:20
Let's go.
00:00:21
We added chillin on the right side of the green, sip a
00:00:24
little,
00:00:24
Something, and we working on
00:00:27
welcome back, folks.
00:00:28
We've got another episode of did I tell you about my Albatross? Landing later
00:00:31
this week. But in the meantime, I'm thrilled to roll out
00:00:34
a brand new bonus series for all of our listeners.
00:00:37
Now, the reason I started this podcast is to ultimately
00:00:40
celebrate the best golf stories in and
00:00:43
around the sport. It's my favorite part about the game.
00:00:45
As we cover more and more, we start to unravel layers
00:00:49
beyond what we have time to really dig deep into during our primary
00:00:51
show. For instance, let me set the scene here. In a
00:00:54
recent stump the panda segment, I threw out what I thought
00:00:57
would be a perfect question to stump our beloved panda. A man has won
00:01:00
an event on the LPGA tour. True or
00:01:03
false? True. Sam Snead.
00:01:05
What?
00:01:05
A man has won an event on the LPGA
00:01:08
tour. What's the answer?
00:01:10
Brandon?
00:01:10
That makes no sense to me. True copycat.
00:01:13
Dude, that is such a copycat move. And I have to drink.
00:01:16
I have to do a shot for that's bullshit. Well, I got
00:01:19
it right, too. Well done. Let's go. What's the
00:01:22
answer, Sam? Sam snead 1962.
00:01:25
Now, shockingly, his story is
00:01:27
1000% true. No, not shockingly.
00:01:30
Panda already knew the answer. We got to dive in, by the.
00:01:33
Way, at some point in the future on why he knows all this golf trivia.
00:01:36
It's insane. Now, admittedly, I'm not rain man like our boy
00:01:38
panda here when it comes to golf history, but I'm a huge
00:01:41
golfer. I mean, I started a podcast on the subject.
00:01:44
I spend all of my haul passes, which I cherish, by
00:01:47
the way, on guys golf trips. I also have a
00:01:50
walk off albatross to win a two day golf tournament on the
00:01:53
last shot. Happy to tell you more about that.
00:01:54
Anytime, but I still had never heard.
00:01:57
Of this story until I was researching.
00:01:58
The questions to stump our beloved panda. I had to know
00:02:01
more about it. So here we are.
00:02:03
Now, as I start to peel this onion back more and more, there are many
00:02:06
interesting layers to this story and many interesting layers
00:02:09
to our budy slammin'sammy Sneed. Even
00:02:12
if you know the story, hopefully you will get something additional out
00:02:15
of this. So to understand the setup of the story, I think it makes sense to
00:02:18
remind everyone just who we're talking about here.
00:02:20
So let's start with the history and.
00:02:21
Career of Sam Sneed.
00:02:28
Sam Sneed, famously known, as slam and Sammy. Now,
00:02:31
this moniker highlighted his powerful and effective golf swing,
00:02:34
which was admired throughout the golf community, really, for its grace and
00:02:37
fluidity. Snead swing was not only a significant
00:02:40
component of his playing style, but also one of the
00:02:43
most celebrated and analyzed in the history of
00:02:46
golf. More on that in a minute, because his swing
00:02:49
absolutely deserves it. Sam Snead,
00:02:52
born Samuel Jackson Snead. I love
00:02:54
that. On May 27, 1912, in
00:02:57
Ashwood, Virginia. Now, by the way, I would argue that
00:03:00
1912 could go down as one of the most important years for the
00:03:03
game of golf. You have three of the
00:03:06
greatest golfers to ever live born
00:03:09
within six months of each other sam Snead,
00:03:12
Ben Hogan, and Byron Nelson.
00:03:14
Snead's journey with golf began in the hills of Virginia. He
00:03:17
began caddying at age seven at the
00:03:20
homestead's old course in hot springs. This
00:03:23
is also crazy to me, age seven. I mean, I
00:03:26
have a three and a five year old, and the idea that in two years my five year
00:03:29
old be lugging around clubs, around any golf course
00:03:31
is hilarious. But think about the era that we're talking about. It would have
00:03:34
been 1919, when Sam was seven years old. This
00:03:37
is before world war II. So many golf courses back
00:03:40
then had caddy yards full of eager young caddies,
00:03:43
many struggling just to help feed their families. Back then,
00:03:46
caddying was how most pro golfers got their introduction to
00:03:49
golf. A few examples include birth of your buddies
00:03:51
hogan, Nelson, and Snead, and others include Arnold
00:03:54
Palmer, gene Sarazan, and Lee Trevino. Now, Sarazan,
00:03:57
he also began caddying at age seven. And then on this same
00:04:00
note, I promise I'll leave this tangent, but I just think
00:04:03
it's fascinating here that these young caddies you have
00:04:06
steve Williams. All right, so before he famously looped for
00:04:09
Greg Norman, tiger woods and Adam Scott, he got a start
00:04:12
when he was just six years old in New Zealand.
00:04:13
This is nuts to me.
00:04:15
Absolutely ludicrous, the idea of a seven year old carrying around a
00:04:17
bag for someone, but I guess it happened. Snead was one of these guys who
00:04:20
reportedly never had a golf lesson, but was an absolute
00:04:23
natural. In 1929, he worked as an assistant pro at
00:04:26
the homestead at age 17. Now, think about this
00:04:29
era here for a minute, because 1929 is the start of the great
00:04:32
depression. Ashwood, Virginia, is positioned close to the
00:04:35
northwest border of west Virginia, and as the economy
00:04:38
toppled, so did, too, local coal mine industry.
00:04:41
As a result, once bustling mines became ghost towns and
00:04:44
thousands of families were impacted in this area of the country. So
00:04:47
imagine any kid in that era and how difficult it
00:04:49
must have been.
00:04:50
To learn golf or afford a set of golf clubs.
00:04:53
Snead he was creative, though.
00:04:55
He learned to swing by watching and imitating his brother Homer.
00:04:58
Homer and Sam, they'd take an old maple tree, they would
00:05:01
take the maple limbs off of it and they would use that for the
00:05:04
shaft, and then they would carve out rudimentary club
00:05:07
heads out of the rest of the maple tree.
00:05:09
Pretty impressive.
00:05:10
Many golf historians say that the reason his
00:05:13
tempo and swing was so smooth was because he grew up
00:05:15
playing with these clubs made from tree limbs.
00:05:21
So after being the assistant pro at.
00:05:23
The Homestead in 1934, he had
00:05:25
moved over to the Cascade Course. Sneed,
00:05:28
after being denied a, dollar raise, decided
00:05:31
he's going to turn pro. And in 1936,
00:05:34
he was able to.
00:05:35
Join the PGA Tour. That same year, he
00:05:38
achieved immediate success by winning the West Virginia
00:05:41
Closed Pro Tournament in a purse of $10,
00:05:44
which really afforded him the opportunity to play.
00:05:46
Full time as a professional. Once Sammy went
00:05:49
pro, this dude never looked back.
00:05:51
His career, dazzling and extensive, spanned
00:05:54
over six decades.
00:05:56
I'm going to pause there for a minute.
00:05:58
Six decades, 60 years. The
00:06:00
longevity piece with Sneed is crazy. He
00:06:03
was a beast and a force into even his
00:06:06
60s, where he continued to be a threat.
00:06:07
He played second in
00:06:09
1974 at the.
00:06:11
Los Angeles Open at age 62, and in
00:06:14
1983 at age 71, he
00:06:17
shot.
00:06:17
Around of 6012 under par at
00:06:20
The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. In
00:06:23
1997, at age 85
00:06:26
this guy.
00:06:26
Shot around of 78 at the old.
00:06:29
White Course of Greenbriar
00:06:32
in White. Sulfur Springs, West Virginia. So
00:06:35
longevity wise, I mean, I don't think anyone
00:06:38
can even compete with this guy.
00:06:40
But let's just take a peek at.
00:06:43
His trophy cabinet for a second.
00:06:45
He won a record 82 PGA Tour.
00:06:47
Events, tie with Tiger and about 70 others
00:06:50
worldwide. Let's get into the
00:06:53
majors. Let's starting with the Masters masters
00:06:55
Tournament
00:06:56
4952-5449.
00:06:59
Snead was also it's interesting, he was also the first
00:07:01
Masters Tournament winner to receive the now iconic
00:07:04
Augusta green jacket, symbolizing the winner as an honorary
00:07:07
member of Augusta National Golf Club. He also won the
00:07:10
PGA Championship 42.
00:07:12
49, and 51 and the Open
00:07:15
Championship in 1946.
00:07:17
Oh, and, let's not forget the US.
00:07:18
Open. Well, I'm going to get back to that in a
00:07:21
minute.
00:07:21
So he was a member of the US. Ryder cup team
00:07:24
eight times, including 1969, when he captained the
00:07:27
squad but did not play, and was a member of the winning World
00:07:30
Cup teams in 56, 61, and
00:07:32
62, also winning the individual title in
00:07:35
61. And if you're like me, I didn't know this
00:07:38
part, but that was actually called the Canada Cup before
00:07:41
1967. So for me, this
00:07:44
next stat is.
00:07:45
Near and dear to my heart.
00:07:46
I grew up about 35 minutes or so away from Greensboro,
00:07:49
North Carolina, in Winston Salem. That's home of
00:07:52
CP Three, by the way. Shout out CP Three.
00:07:56
And so what Sam did to this Greater Greensboro
00:07:59
open, I just love. He holds two major
00:08:02
PGA Tour records that still hold to this
00:08:05
day. He won it in three eight.
00:08:07
4649-505-5566.
00:08:10
He won it eight times. The first to ever win a PGA
00:08:13
Tour event eight times. Now, when he won it
00:08:16
in 65, Snead was
00:08:19
52 years old, 311 days, making him the oldest
00:08:22
player to ever win a PGA Tour event. Now let's get back
00:08:25
to one major I skipped over in his trophy case the US. Open.
00:08:28
In spite of his great achievements, his reputation
00:08:31
has always been slightly tainted by his failure to win a US.
00:08:33
Open.
00:08:34
But there's more to the story. I mean, the guy finished second a
00:08:37
lot. And there's one story in particular I'll share.
00:08:40
In 1939. The US. Open was held at the Philadelphia
00:08:43
Country Club.
00:08:44
Snead found himself in a tight spot. All he needed was a
00:08:47
par on the 18th hole to win. Now, there's two
00:08:50
different sides of this story.
00:08:52
Snead says he made a mistake in counting his strokes,
00:08:55
but it's also been reported that someone was
00:08:58
a spectator on the 18th tee told him that he
00:09:01
needed a birdie.
00:09:02
Go for the green, Sammy. You need a birdie.
00:09:04
And he decided to go for the green, but landed in the
00:09:07
bunker, ultimately making a triple bogey eight.
00:09:10
He finished second four times between
00:09:13
37 and 49.
00:09:15
All right. And as we conclude our tour
00:09:18
of Sam Snead's trophy case, let me just share with
00:09:21
you the records he still holds. Most PGA Tour
00:09:23
victories 82.
00:09:25
Debated by some historians, by the way, for Tiger.
00:09:28
Most PGA Tour victories at an event.
00:09:30
Eight, as I mentioned before, at the Greater Greensboro Open.
00:09:33
Oldest player to win the PGA event. That's also at
00:09:36
the Greater Greensboro Open.
00:09:37
As I had mentioned, us.
00:09:39
PGA Tour player to shoot his age.
00:09:41
He's the first one to do it.
00:09:43
Shot 67 in the second round of the
00:09:45
1979 Quad Cities Open.
00:09:48
Oldest player to make a cut on the PGA Tour.
00:09:51
The player age at date of cut.
00:09:53
67 years, two months, and 21
00:09:56
days.
00:09:57
That's crazy to me.
00:09:59
But records and victories only tell half the tale for
00:10:02
Sam. His swing is what
00:10:05
most people remember about the guy. Gary Player once said, I
00:10:08
don't think there's any question in my mind that Sam Snead
00:10:11
had the greatest golf swing of any human being
00:10:14
that ever lived. That's a strong statement. Jack Nicholas
00:10:16
said, Snead's swing was so.
00:10:19
Perfect, it was renowned for
00:10:22
smooth, natural.
00:10:23
A poetic motion that seemed as effortless.
00:10:25
As it was effective.
00:10:27
He timed his swing to align with classical music
00:10:30
when he was starting to learn. Snead had arguably the greatest
00:10:33
golf swing in history.
00:10:34
It looked effortless to all that watched.
00:10:36
Now, if you visit to this day, if you visit Ashwood,
00:10:39
Virginia, there is a Sam Sneed
00:10:42
Tavern. And on one of the walls
00:10:45
in one of the corners is a picture
00:10:48
of Slam and Sammy at the 1953
00:10:51
Ryder Cup. And in small caption at the bottom of the
00:10:54
photo is a quote that sums his swing up.
00:10:57
Best to watch Sam practice golf was like
00:10:59
watching a fish practice swimming.
00:11:02
For those golf nerds out there who may have forgotten what his swing
00:11:05
looks like, I highly recommend checking it out. When researching
00:11:08
this podcast. My ADHD kicked in extremely high
00:11:11
gear, usually does, and I watched a slow motion video
00:11:14
loop of his swing probably 200 times.
00:11:16
It's absolutely mesmerizing.
00:11:17
Now, I love this part of his story because this is really where
00:11:20
the similarities between Sammy and Albie begin
00:11:23
and pretty much end.
00:11:24
He famously employed an unorthodox
00:11:27
method of.
00:11:27
Putting in order to counteract problems caused.
00:11:30
By a twitch known in our golfing world
00:11:33
as, the. Yips. Love that.
00:11:35
I've been there, Sammy. In fact, I'm there right now. Now, when I say
00:11:38
unorthodox, I mean.
00:11:39
This guy putted with a croquet style putting
00:11:42
stroke, and he got so good at it that the PGA made him
00:11:44
stop.
00:11:46
So that's the history of Sam Sneed. Now, I think in
00:11:48
order to really paint a full picture before we dive into
00:11:51
why Sam Sneed played a bunch.
00:11:53
Of women for money, I think it.
00:11:55
Makes complete sense to share with you a couple of stories that really kind.
00:11:58
Of tell you the sort of character this guy had.
00:12:01
So at the 1952 Jacksonville Open,
00:12:03
snead forfeited rather than play an 18 hole playoff
00:12:06
against Doug Ford after the two golfers finished in, a tie
00:12:09
at the end of regulation play, the forfeit stemmed from
00:12:12
a ruling Sneed received during the tournament's second round of play.
00:12:15
On the 10th hole, Snead's drive landed.
00:12:17
Behind an out of bound stake, while.
00:12:19
Chuck Harbert, who was playing with Snead, thought the ball was out of
00:12:22
bounds. A rules official ruled differently due to the
00:12:25
starter not telling the players that the stakes had all been moved
00:12:28
after.
00:12:28
The previous day's play had ended.
00:12:30
Afterwards, Snead explained why he forfeited.
00:12:33
Even though Ford suggested that they play.
00:12:35
Sudden death to the title.
00:12:37
He said, I want to be fair about it. I don't want anyone to think I
00:12:40
took advantage of the ruling.
00:12:42
Yeah, even like I'm anonymous degenerate. But this
00:12:45
is not something I see myself doing. If the rules official said
00:12:48
it's in.
00:12:49
Play, it's absolutely in play. This cost him a
00:12:52
golf tournament.
00:12:53
In December 1959, Sneed took part in.
00:12:55
A controversial match against Mason Rudolph
00:12:58
at the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda.
00:13:01
Snead decided to deliberately lose the televised
00:13:04
match played under the World Championship Golf
00:13:06
Series during its final holes after he.
00:13:09
Discovered on the 12th hole that he had too many clubs in
00:13:12
his bag.
00:13:12
Players limited to 14 clubs during competitive.
00:13:15
Rounds, the match was tied. At that stage, the
00:13:17
extra club in.
00:13:18
His bag of fairway wood sneed had.
00:13:20
Been experimenting with in practice would have.
00:13:22
Caused him to be immediately disqualified according to the rules of golf,
00:13:25
even though he did not use it during the round. After the match
00:13:28
was over, Snead explained the matter and said he did not
00:13:30
disqualify himself in order not to spoil the show. The
00:13:33
problem did not become known outside a small circle
00:13:36
until the show was.
00:13:38
Televised four months later. After the
00:13:40
incident came to light, the sponsor canceled further
00:13:43
participation in the series.
00:13:46
So now we know the myth, the
00:13:48
legend. Let's jump into the story.
00:14:00
So we know Slam and Sammy is one of the greatest goffers
00:14:03
of all time. That's without question.
00:14:06
So how in the world do we find out that out
00:14:09
of all the tournaments and accolades, he would deem it
00:14:12
necessary to add an LPGA Tour event to his
00:14:14
stacked trophy cabinet, too? Well, let's start with the
00:14:17
tournament itself. It was an official LPGA Tour
00:14:20
event, true, in 61 and in
00:14:23
62. And it was played at the Palm Beach Golf Club
00:14:26
in Palm Beach, Florida. Now, here is one of the most important pieces
00:14:29
of this puzzle. It was a par three
00:14:32
course. The tournament was one of the first
00:14:34
in its professional golf, featuring a battle of
00:14:37
the sexist concept with a parth recourse that
00:14:40
neutralized power and emphasized precision
00:14:43
golf. Now, this course, it was
00:14:45
2688 yards. The
00:14:48
longest hole measured 215 yards. The shortest
00:14:51
was 105. The parking lot could accommodate
00:14:54
150 vehicles. Telephones give you an idea
00:14:57
of the time. The telephones at this time were still
00:15:00
dialed by two letters followed by five numbers.
00:15:03
Now, another interesting point. Sam won the tournament in
00:15:06
62, but this was the second time he played
00:15:09
it. He lost the previous year in the.
00:15:12
Same tournament and in 61. The field consisted of 24
00:15:15
men and.
00:15:15
Women, both amateurs and professionals.
00:15:17
The tournament was 54 holes and won by
00:15:20
Louise Suggs by one stroke over.
00:15:22
Local pro dubbed Pagan.
00:15:24
Sam Snead was third, two shots behind. Now, here is where the
00:15:27
story takes.
00:15:28
An interesting twist, in my opinion.
00:15:29
So Sammy loses in 61, signs up again to
00:15:32
play the event in 62.
00:15:34
In 62, the battle of the sexist.
00:15:36
Concept was changed to 14 LPGA
00:15:39
professionals.
00:15:40
Versus one man, PGA of America
00:15:42
superstar Sam Snead.
00:15:45
The tournament was played over 72 holes.
00:15:47
Snead won by five strokes over future hall of
00:15:50
Famer Mickey Wright, making him the only man
00:15:53
to win an official LPGA Tour
00:15:55
event. Now, here's another, I think, eerie and
00:15:59
interesting fact.
00:16:00
Mary Catherine.
00:16:01
Mickey Wright, the golfer that he
00:16:03
beat.
00:16:04
She became a member of the Tour.
00:16:06
In 55 and won 82
00:16:09
LPGA Tour career events.
00:16:11
So, for those of you paying attention here, mickey Wright won the
00:16:14
same number of LPGA Tour events as
00:16:17
our budy.
00:16:18
Sammy won PGA Tour events. I just thought that was
00:16:20
extremely ironic.
00:16:22
Now, when I first heard the story, I figured Sam
00:16:25
Snead was doing this for publicity or
00:16:28
he was doing it for money. But the grand prize for this thing was
00:16:31
only $1. Now, I get it 1962, one
00:16:33
$500. A lot is a lot more than it is today.
00:16:36
But keep in mind at this point.
00:16:39
Sam Snead was already one of the.
00:16:41
Most famous, if not the most famous.
00:16:43
Golfers of his generation. At that point in time.
00:16:46
He was already the holder of three master champion green
00:16:49
jackets, three PGA championships.
00:16:51
And one open championship.
00:16:55
He was 48 years old going into the event, and from
00:16:58
everything we've learned so far, 48 for Sam Snead.
00:17:01
The guy was in his prime. He had already had a very
00:17:03
comfortable living, and he was also known as being one of the most frugal
00:17:06
people on the planet. So I don't really see
00:17:09
that being the case here. I don't think he was trying to do it for money
00:17:12
or publicity.
00:17:13
I actually think it's the opposite.
00:17:15
This guy respected the heck out of women's golf. In
00:17:17
fact, after he won the tournament, he was quoted
00:17:20
as saying, mickey should be on the PGA tour. Like,
00:17:23
she's just as good as any of us. So, I mean, as much as I'd love to
00:17:26
hate this guy, especially when.
00:17:27
I first heard the story, I just can't.
00:17:30
Like, this guy is the real deal. Now, one thing I've noticed about people like
00:17:33
Sammy snead top of their game, top of their industry, top of
00:17:35
the world, basically, and whatever they do, it's that they're
00:17:38
extremely competitive.
00:17:39
Snead was no different.
00:17:41
In fact, a lot of people said he had a feud with Hogan. And I think
00:17:44
this quote kind of sums it up best. A lot of things this is from Sam
00:17:46
Sneed a lot of things that.
00:17:47
Were written in those days just weren't true. Snead said
00:17:50
freddie Cochrane used to be a writer who quoted me and a lot of the other
00:17:53
guys in those days, and sometimes he would get the right quote
00:17:56
with the wrong guy. For instance, one thing he wrote was that
00:17:59
I only feared three things
00:18:01
lightning, a, downhill putt, and Ben
00:18:04
Hogan. That was a great quote, but it
00:18:07
wasn't me who said it. Freddie should have known better than to say
00:18:10
that about me. Anybody who knows me knows I'd never say
00:18:13
something like that. When my game was on, I feared no
00:18:15
man.
00:18:17
Snead acknowledges that his competitive juices flowed more freely
00:18:20
when he had a chance to go head to head against Hogan, which was only
00:18:22
three times.
00:18:24
I played him three times and beat him every time, Sneet
00:18:27
said. The first was in a match play tournament in San Francisco,
00:18:30
then in the La. Open, and then in
00:18:32
1954, masters. And he did
00:18:35
beat me on shell's wonderful world of golf. But I took
00:18:38
that on short notice and didn't have time to prepare.
00:18:40
But even when he gives a shout out to Hogan for beating him, he still
00:18:43
throws in the little jab. Oh, but I took it on short.
00:18:45
Notice and didn't have time to prepare. I love that.
00:18:47
This guy's super competitive.
00:18:49
As we wrap today's episode, let's take a
00:18:51
fleeting glance back through the fairways and greens traverse in this
00:18:54
iconic life of Sam Sneet, we've wandered through a
00:18:57
labyrinth of compelling tells. From his early days caddying at age
00:19:00
seven, honing his natural, fluid swing in the hills of
00:19:02
Virginia to amassing a treasure trove of
00:19:05
accolades, including seven major championships,
00:19:08
82 PGA Tour events, and records still etched in
00:19:11
gold in the anals of golf history. Through the highs and
00:19:14
lows, the magnificent victories and painful near misses like
00:19:17
the heart wrenching incident at the 18th hole
00:19:19
during the 1939 US. Open, we've
00:19:22
seen Snead's unyielding perseverance and
00:19:25
determination, which carved a legacy as grand and enduring as the
00:19:28
man himself. But of all the tales unfurled
00:19:30
today, perhaps the most intriguing is Snead's unprecedented
00:19:33
victory in an official LPGA Tour
00:19:36
event in 62. Why would one of the greatest golfers,
00:19:39
amidst a plethora of achievements, decide to
00:19:42
participate and ultimately win an
00:19:45
LPGA Tour event? I think it reflects just
00:19:48
how competitive slamming Sammy was. Part of me
00:19:51
thinks that he wanted to be known as the most precise.
00:19:53
Golfer that ever lived, man or woman.
00:19:56
In participating in the LPGA Tour event, he
00:19:59
not only showcased his versatility and mastery, but perhaps
00:20:02
also extended an unspoken acknowledgement and
00:20:05
respect towards the women who shared his passion and
00:20:08
dedication to the sport. It's a wink across the
00:20:10
greens, a subtle nod of camaraderie to every athlete,
00:20:13
male or female, who has ever picked up a
00:20:16
club. Whether that golfer picked up the club at the local
00:20:19
golf store or he or she carved it out of an
00:20:21
old maple tree. What I love about his
00:20:24
story is golf has at least shown
00:20:27
me that anything truly is possible,
00:20:30
including a walk off albatross to win a golf
00:20:33
tournament. And Sam Snead's story
00:20:35
fits that mold perfectly.
00:20:37
I mean, a man won an LPGA Tour
00:20:40
event. Like anything's possible. I love this
00:20:42
game.
00:20:44
So this is Brandon, better known as Albie. And
00:20:47
you've been listening to did I tell you about my albatross? Where the
00:20:50
game is beautiful, the story is unforgettable, and where legends like
00:20:53
Sam.
00:20:53
Snead, they live on forever.
00:20:55
Many sources to create this episode. I'll cite them all in the
00:20:58
show notes. Thanks, everyone, for joining. We'll see on the T
00:21:01
box.
00:21:04
Thanks for tuning in, everyone. Don't miss out on our upcoming
00:21:06
golf giveaways and experiences. They're exclusive to our
00:21:09
subscribers, and all you gotta do is
00:21:11
subscribe.
00:21:12
And until next time, golf's easy. Think fairways and
00:21:15
greens.
00:21:15
Here we go. Come on. Did I tell you about my
00:21:18
albatross? a yo. How you know?
Related Episodes
Against All Odds: Journey of Pro Golfer Alex Romo
Imagine this: your life’s a rollercoaster, and you’ve got 2 million people watching every twist and turn. That’s Alex’s world. Get ready for a wild ride with Pro-Golfer and Content Creation Star Alex Romo on this episode. His journey took a sharp turn when an injury benched him, leading him down a...
The Tall Golfer Gets An Albi
🏌️♂️ Tee off with us on a heartfelt and humor-filled episode of "Did I tell you about my Albatross" where host Brandon Redding and guest Conner Boyd, The Tall Golfer dive into the glorious world where anything is possible... including Albatrosses for each. Conner shares the exhilarating rollercoa...
ALL ABOUT CABOT CITRUS FARMS
Are you ready to discover the sun-kissed greens and perfect drives of Florida's most exciting new addition to the golfing world? Dive into the splendid fairways at Cabot Citrus Farms, a tropical golf paradise that's swiftly capturing the hearts of golf enthusiasts everywhere. Named the 'Best New Go...