J.C. Snead obit

Eight-time PGA Tour winner J.C. Snead, nephew of Hall of Famer Sam, dead at 84

 He was not on the list.

Although he never won a major championship, J.C. Snead had top-3 finishes in the Masters, U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. He was one of the most reliable players in the game, amassing a dozen wins between the PGA Tour and the Champions circuit and playing on three Ryder Cup teams. And he was an accomplished baseball player, toiling for a bit in the Washington Senators' farm system before starting his career in professional golf at the age of 27.

Snead, who was born in Hot Springs, Virginia, but spent much of his life in Florida, died at the age of 84, according to his longtime friend Tom Watson. The PGA Tour confirmed Snead's death.

While his career was an unmitigated success, Snead often lived in the shadow of his uncle, Sam, a World Golf Hall of Famer who won 81 times. J.C. Snead often battled with Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino during a stretch in the 1970s when pro golf became a fixture on network television.

"If my name had been Jones or Brown, maybe I would have been better off," Snead told the Roanoke Times in 1990. "I know I was not a great player, not a Nicklaus. When I was at my best, so were Nicklaus, Trevino and Watson. But I played as well as some of these guys who are your everyday heroes.

"Nowadays, they write stories when a guy sets a record for most money won without winning a tournament. I finished second four times in 1974 and nobody said a word. I set the record two years in a row for money won without winning a tournament."

In 1973, Snead finished second to Tommy Aaron at Augusta National, during a wild weather week that pushed the finish to Monday. He finished third later that year in the 1973 PGA Championship at Cleveland's Canterbury Golf Club, five shots behind Nicklaus, who claimed the title. And Snead finished in a tie for second at the 1978 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club as Andy North went on to victory.

At times, Snead was referred to as gruff and uncooperative, but he insisted he was simply quiet and allowed people space.

“I have gotten a reputation for being a hard-ass,” he told Golf Digest, “and I think it is undeserved.”

Professional wins (15)

PGA Tour wins (8)

No.      Date            Tournament            Winning score Margin of

victory            Runner(s)-up

1          Feb 21, 1971    Tucson Open Invitational            −15 (66-71-70-66=273)            1 stroke   United States Dale Douglass

2          Mar 7, 1971    Doral-Eastern Open Invitational            −13 (70-70-66-69=275)            1 stroke   United States Gardner Dickinson

3          Jun 11, 1972    IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic            −6 (70-71-69-72=282)            1 stroke   United States Chi-Chi Rodríguez

4          Feb 16, 1975    Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational            −9 (69-71-71-68=279)            Playoff            United States Raymond Floyd, United States Bobby Nichols

5          Feb 15, 1976    Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational (2)            −16 (65-68-67-72=272)            1 stroke   United States Don Bies

6          Sep 26, 1976    Kaiser International Open Invitational            −14 (66-70-70-68=274)            2 strokes United States Gibby Gilbert, United States Johnny Miller

7          Oct 11, 1981            Southern Open −9 (67-68-70-66=271)            Playoff            United States Mike Sullivan

8          Jun 14, 1987            Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic −8 (71-70-65-70=276)            Playoff            Spain Seve Ballesteros

PGA Tour playoff record (3–1)

 

No.      Year            Tournament            Opponent(s)    Result

1          1971            Greater Hartford Open            United States George Archer, United States Lou Graham            Archer won with birdie on first extra hole

2          1975            Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational            United States Raymond Floyd, United States Bobby Nichols Won with birdie on fourth extra hole

Nichols eliminated by par on first hole

3          1981            Southern Open United States Mike Sullivan Won with par on second extra hole

4          1987            Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic Spain Seve Ballesteros            Won with par on first extra hole

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)

No.      Date            Tournament            Winning score Margin of

victory            Runner-up

1          Oct 28, 1973    Qantas Australian Open    −8 (70-70-69-71=280)            2 strokes United States Jerry Breaux

Other wins (1)

No.      Date            Tournament            Winning score Margin of

victory            Runner-up

1          Jul 29, 1980    Jerry Ford Invitational            −5 (66-71=137)            Shared title with United States Hubert Green

Senior PGA Tour wins (4)

Legend

Senior PGA Tour major championships (1)

Other Senior PGA Tour (3)

No.      Date            Tournament            Winning score Margin of

victory            Runner(s)-up

1          Mar 14, 1993            Vantage at The Dominion            −2 (71-73-70=214)            1 stroke   United States Bobby Nichols, South Africa Gary Player

2          Feb 5, 1995    Royal Caribbean Classic −4 (69-75-65=209)            Playoff            United States Raymond Floyd

3          Jul 16, 1995    Ford Senior Players Championship            −5 (69-68-66-69=272)            Playoff            United States Jack Nicklaus

4          Jun 23, 2002    Greater Baltimore Classic −13 (69-64-70=203)            1 stroke   United States John Mahaffey, United States Doug Tewell,

United States Bobby Wadkins

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (2–3)

 

No.      Year            Tournament            Opponent(s)    Result

1          1991            Bank One Classic            United States DeWitt Weaver            Lost to birdie on second extra hole

2          1992            Kroger Senior Classic            United States Gibby Gilbert  Lost to par on second extra hole

3          1995            Royal Caribbean Classic United States Raymond Floyd   Won with par on first extra hole

4          1995            Ford Senior Players Championship            United States Jack Nicklaus            Won with birdie on first extra hole

5          2000            LiquidGolf.com Invitational            United States Gary McCord, United States Tom Wargo            Wargo won with birdie on third extra hole

Snead eliminated by par on first hole

Other senior wins (2)

2011 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Demaret Division (with Gibby Gilbert)

2012 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Demaret Division (with Gibby Gilbert)

Results in major championships

Tournament            1969            1970            1971            1972            1973            1974            1975            1976            1977            1978            1979

Masters Tournament                                          30            2            T26            T10            T43            T39                  22

U.S. Open            CUT            CUT            CUT            CUT            CUT            T21            T49            T14            T27            T2            CUT

PGA Championship                           CUT            T20            T3            T24            T28            T15            T19                  CUT

Tournament            1980            1981            1982            1983            1984            1985            1986            1987            1988

Masters Tournament            T14            CUT            DQ            T12            CUT                                        CUT

U.S. Open            T22            T33            T15            T43                                                     

PGA Championship            T50            15            CUT            CUT            CUT                72            CUT