Sam Snead dies at 89

Sam Snead, known as "Slammin' Sam" because of the length of his drives, died last night at his home in Hot Springs, Virginia, four days before his 90th birthday.

Winner of the US Masters three times, Snead had been an honourary starter since 1983. However, this year he was recovering from stroke-like symptoms and, for the first time, he needed someone else to tee up the ball.

Snead was famous for his straw hat, cocky grin and homespun humour. The late Gene Sarazen once said of a young Snead: "I've just watched a kid who doesn't know anything about playing golf, and I don't want to be around when he learns how."

Snead won the Masters and PGA Championship three times. He also won the Open at St Andrews in 1946, but the US Open eluded him and he finished runner-up four times between 1937 and 1949.

In 1965, aged 52, he became the oldest player to win a PGA event, the Greater Greensboro Open. Snead, with 81 victories, won more PGA Tour events than any other golfer in history.