During Masters week, we are counting down the greatest players to win at Pinehurst BEFORE they won The Masters. At No. 3 – Slammin’ Sammy

AGAIN, WE’RE SPLITTING HAIRS trying to rank the greatest of the greats, and it wouldn’t take much to move Arnold Palmer or Ben Hogan up this list.

That said, Sam Snead won 82 times on the PGA Tour, with three of those wins coming in the North & South Open. After finishing as the runner-up in Hogan’s big breakthrough in 1940, Snead returned to Pinehurst and won in 1941. He followed that with North & South wins in 1949 and 1950.

Snead won The Masters three times, the first in 1949 (and in 1952 and 1954). He is the only player in history to have won the North & South Open and The Masters in the same year. How cool is that?

To celebrate Masters week, we’re counting down the greatest players to win at Pinehurst BEFORE they won The Masters. For No. 4, go here, For No. 5, go here, and for Honorable Mentions, go here.