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Show SPORT LIGHT ' Sammy Snead Is Gallery Favorite By GRANTLAND RICE SAMUEL JACKSON SNEAD was an ex-hillbilly around Hot Springs, Va., some 20 years ago. He was a caddie who could break is needed to win. There Isn't any question but that the golf of today is the hottest ever played. But that doesn't mean Jones and Hagen and others couldn't have matched this same clip, or surpassed it. Gene Sarazen, the only member of the old school to hang on, has certainly matched it on numerous occasions after passing pass-ing 45. Sammy Snead isn't one of the kids. He isn't a new arrival. He was peeling the hide off par 20 years ago. And he's still the best we have, especially with Ben Hogan unable to meet the killing P.G.A. f j v 1 70. The late Hal Sims, who knew how to win a bet, had Snead for his caddie in those days. Sam toted the golf bag barefooted. Hal would say to some opponent who could break QA 'TM1 W onji en Grantland Rice much my caddie 1 '" can beat you." Hal's1 opponent would take a look at barefoot Sam, then around 15 or 16 years old, and bet plenty. Whereupon' Where-upon' young Sam would turn in a 69 Dr a 70. This year of 1950 is many, many years later. Sammy Snead is now practically bald-' bald-' headed. But there is still a ' grin on his lips, a twinkle in his . eye and close companionship companion-ship with his galleries. He is a good actor and a real comedian. com-edian. He is a friendly guy you can't help but like. Above all, he has the finest swing In golf today. Many who know will tell you he has the finest swing of all time, Including Bobby Jones and Harry Vardon. Sammy carries big galleries because be-cause he stirs up their admiration by his brilliant play from tee to green and then calls on their sympathy sym-pathy by often blowing two and three-foot putts to prove he is strictly human. On the days when he is putting well he has no one close. He is the only golfer I know who can putt raggedly and still keep close to the top. Snead led the field in earnings and scoring through 1949. He is on his way to do the same in 1950. Counting his share In the big money tournaments in California, Arizona and the recent Texas Open, Samuel Sam-uel Jackson had a winning total of $7,558 so far for 1950. This is a lead of $3,000 over second-place Jimmy Demaret. Snead is slowly wending his way to Florida and more tournaments. tourn-aments. "1 generally don't get along until I reach Florida," he told me. "The put tin' miseries keep me back until then. This time I've started earlier. Maybe I'll flop quicker." Snead has ran 1-2 in most of his starts to date. Tins is terrific pace against golfers shooting 63's and 65's, not an uncommon experience over these western courses. It takes 10 under par to get in the money, and 15 or 16 nnder par tournament schedule. m Fifty-Year Ratings Most of the 50-year or half century cen-tury ratings of leading athletes have been quite sound. A few haven't. For example, as Ed Barrow Bar-row expressed it, "Cobb should have been much closer to Ruth. As great as the Babe was, he wasn't quite as good as Cobb." Barrow in his heart puts Hans Wagner over both men as the greatest ballplayer of all time. John McGraw backed him up. The main idea being that a great infielder has something on a great outfielder for all-around usefulness. Another error came in rating Walter Hagen so far down. Hager won eleven national titles. Neithei Hogan nor Nelson nor Snead has ever come close to this .ecord. One trouble is that so many oi those voting never saw the Hager from 1914 through 1930. Hagen without with-out any question had the finesl tournament disposition of them all, with Ben Hogan second. Hagen wor five P.G.A. titles, four of them in s row from 1924 through 1927. H won 29 out of 30 consecutive matches in P.G.A. championships. Let's see the name of anyone else who ever matched this. Hagen wor two U.S. and four British Opens against the finest golfers. The Case of Blackwell One of baseball's leading tragedies trag-edies is the case of Ewell Black well. There is some hope this season sea-son that the tragedy might be turned into melodrama, similar t the stories of Ben Hogan anc Citation. Three years ago, Blackwell was the best pitcher in baseball, bar ring nobody at all. He pitched no-hitter with the Reds and twe or three days later pitched eight innings of another no-hitter. |
