Thursday 2 April 2015 12:26, UK
With the Masters exactly a week away, we continue our build up to Augusta by counting down the top ten Masters legends. Today it's Sam Snead.
The Masters tournament has been synonymous with a number of select players over the years, but Sam Snead's relationship with Augusta was arguably the most endearing.
In 22 consecutive appearances interrupted by the war years, the smooth-swinging West Virginian finished no lower than 22nd and collected three wins and five further top-threes.
But Slammin' Sammy's record would have been so much better had it not been for his tendency to self-destruct with victory in his sights.
He was a firm favourite after 54 holes of the 1940 Masters, only to close with a 76 as the colourful Jimmy Demaret raced to a four-shot victory.
Snead held it together in 1949 as back-to-back 67s at the weekend earned him a three-shot win, and he led Ben Hogan by one heading into the final round in 1951 only to sign off with a humiliating 80.
He was the last man standing amid fierce winds a year later, and he got the better of Hogan in a play-off in 1954, but Snead blew up again in 1958 when tied for the lead with Arnold Palmer as he fired a final-day 79 to finish six adrift.
Snead, one of the finest fairway wood players in history, recorded two further top-10s before making his final competitive appearance in 1981, and he returned as honorary starter for 18 years until his death in 2002.
Watch all four days of The Masters live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf.
