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Snead and Hogan square off
Posted: Tuesday April 03, 2001 7:26 PM
Updated: Wednesday April 04, 2001 12:16 AM
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Sam Snead hits from the woods along the second fairway in the final round of the 1954 Masters. Snead shot a 72 to force a playoff. File/AP |
By Chris Gay
The Augusta Chronicle
On the same day a six-man tag-team match highlighted a wrestling event in Augusta, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan were going toe-to-toe between the ropes at the Augusta National.
In a rare Monday matinee, the two greatest golfers of the 1950s locked up in an 18-hole playoff to decide the 1954 Masters Tournament.
For Snead, it became the greatest win of his three Masters titles. He shot a 2-under-par 70 in the playoff to defeat defending champion Hogan by one stroke.
After rounds of 74-73-70, Snead trailed Hogan by three shots entering the final round. He shot a 1-over-par 37 on the front Sunday and appeared to be out of the running.
The lead, though, changed hands between Snead, Hogan and hard-charging amateur Billy Joe Patton on the final nine. Snead, who teed off 30 minutes before Patton and an hour before Hogan, fired a 35 on the back and was in the clubhouse with a 1-over-par 289 for the tournament.
After a 33 on the front nine, Patton's chances faded with a double bogey on No. 13 and a bogey on No. 15. Hogan's play through 14 holes wasn't much better: he bogeyed Nos. 1 and 5 and double-bogeyed 11. He needed - and got - a birdie on the par-5 15th just to tie Snead.
Two holes later, Hogan had a chance to win the tournament. His approach on No. 17 was just three feet from the hole. He missed the putt.
Hogan converted a routine par on No. 18 to tie Snead at 289, forcing an 18-hole playoff. This was the first time the pair had faced each other in head-to-head medal play since Snead defeated Hogan in the 1950 Los Angeles Open, Hogan's first major tournament since a near-fatal car accident in 1949. The two were tied at 1-under after 12 holes. On the par-5 13th, the momentum swung toward Snead.
After hitting his second shot onto the green, Snead narrowly missed a 25-foot eagle putt, leaving him an easy birdie.
Meanwhile, Hogan laid up in front of the green and eventually settled for par.
On the par-3 16th, Hogan hit his tee shot 14 feet from the hole. However, he three-putted from that distance while Snead made par for a two-shot lead with two holes remaining.
Snead bogeyed No. 18 to cut his final margin of victory to one shot. He became just the third champion in Masters history to not break 70 in any of his four rounds.
The win gave Snead a check of $5,000, the largest payday to that time for a Masters champion.
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