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Sam Snead was born on May 27, 1912 in Ashwood, Va. The youngest of five brothers and one sister, his family was of modest means, prompting Sam to go to work at an early age. In 1919, Sam, along with some of his friends, walked two and a half miles to The Homestead in order to caddie. Sam was a mere seven years old, and as he later recalled in his book "The Game I Love," from that day forward he was "hooked."
As a child, Sam participated in a number of sports. At the age of 12 he was given some old discarded iron heads from three golf clubs. Sam went to the local horse stables and got three well-used buggy whips. He drove the whips into the iron heads and in a matter of time had the beginning of his first set of clubs.
Sam played with the homemade clubs for some time and realized he needed a driver. Together with his father, Sam climbed the mountain behind their home and dug up a Red Maple, known for having a knot located below the ground on the root. From the trunk of the tree, Sam carved his first driver to go with his set of three irons. He would later say that swinging the limber irons helped him develop his incredible timing and rhythm.
In high school Sam excelled at a variety of sports. An All-American in football, Sam was offered scholarships to various colleges. Looking for advice on what to do after school, Sam approached coach Harold Bell and was advised to work exclusively on his golf game. With his attention now focused solely on golf, Sam showed great improvement.
Through Harold, Sam learned a number of life lessons that would later help him on the golf course. Sam had to promise that he would stay away from alcohol and avoid developing bad habits such as smoking. Most importantly, Harold taught Sam the value of self control.
After graduating from high school, Sam turned pro in 1934 at The Homestead. The Cascades hosted a Tour tournament in 1935 and Sam entered against the likes of Gene Sarazen, one of the few golfers to win each of the major tournaments in his career. After the first three rounds, Sam was three off the lead. Nobody had ever heard of this young man from the hills of Virginia, but he was driving the ball out of sight. On the last round he drove the par four first hole and two putted for a birdie. On that day, the name "Slammin' Sammy Snead" was born.
While Sam didn't win that particular tournament - he lost by one shot - two years later he joined the PGA Tour and began a professional golfing career unmatched by anyone in the history of the game.
Initially recognized for his huge drives, Sam shot a 61 in 1936 at the Virginia Pro-Amateur Championship, good enough to earn a local victory and catch the attention of the golfing world. He finished fifth in his first tour event which gave him the courage to play the circuit full-time.
In a career that spanned more than 60 years, it is unlikely that any other man has performed better and longer than Sam Snead. In 1936, at the age of 24, he earned his first PGA Tour victory at the West Virginia Closed Pro. He married his high school sweetheart, Audrey Karnes, in 1940. Appropriately enough, while honeymooning Sam won the Canadian Open and afterwards celebrated at Niagara Falls. Sam and Audrey were married for almost 50 years.
Sam went on to win seven major championships - three Masters, three PGA Championships and one British Open. He also represented his country on 10 Ryder Cup and four Canada Cup (World Cup) teams, winning the individual title in 1961 at the age of 50. During his long golfing career, he finished in first place 185 times, second place 63 times and third place 54 times. Sam finished in the top-10 358 times and in the top-25 473 times. In 1954, he won his third and final Masters after defeating Ben Hogan in a memorable 18 hold playoff, and in 1959 he shot a world record 59 in a USGA sanctioned golf tournament.
Throughout the course of his career, Sam set 164 course records and made 42 holes-in-one. Famous for his side-saddle style of putting, a style which caused many people to raise their eyebrows, Sam simply replied in his down-to-earth manner, "When you finished a round of golf, they don't ask you how, but how many!"
While short putting would be Sam's eventual downfall, he became the oldest player to win a PGA Tour event when he won the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open at 52 years old.
Seventeen years later, Sam would earn his final Senior PGA Tour victory at the age of 70, when he won the renowned Legends of Golf tournament. All told, Sam racked up more than 185 victories, a number that includes a record 82 PGA Tour victories and 14 Senior PGA Tour victories.
For his accomplishments, Sam was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. In 1998, he was named the fourth recipient of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award. Four years later, at the age of 89, he passed away in his hometown of Hot Springs, Va.
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