Sam Snead Tries, and Fails, To Intimidate Dave Stockton

Uses wily old man tactics to try and get inside the head of the younger PGA pro

Feb 17, 2022

The PGA TOUR returns to Los Angeles for the Genesis Invitational, a tournament that was once known as the L.A. Open, first played in 1926. The course is the famous Riviera Country Club. We’re spotlighting the 1974 tournament when it was called the Glen Campbell L.A. Open.

If you are receiving this email, then you are on our premium subscriber list. You are on this list as a symbol of gratitude for your support. Watch for premium content coming your way.

We did not have a winner in the WHAT HOLE IS IT? contest from last week. The featured hole was #11 at the Arizona Country Club. Scroll down for your chance to win this week’s WHAT HOLE IS IT? We’re featuring the work of acclaimed golf photographer, John Johnson, this week. Our new policy is to post a link to this newsletter on our Facebook announcements instead of allowing entries from the Facebook page comment section.

The third Thursday of the month we highlight a “guest post” WHAT HOLE IS IT? WE NEED "GUEST POST" PICTURES. Send us that pic on your phone of a great golf hole, tell us a story on how you conquered it (or how it kicked your butt) and if we use it, you'll win a prize. Send the pic to larry@tourbackspin.com.

We’re playing some L.A. Open trivia this week. Scroll down to play.

This week’s vintage ad shows how Sam Snead is the sum of all parts. Or, is it the scotch? Scroll down to view.

Did you miss a previous newsletter? You can view it HERE. Forward this email to a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? You can sign up HERE.

Okay, we're on the tee, let's get going.

Dave Stockton Stands Up To Sam Snead, Hits “Shot of His Life”

Dave Stockton led the 1973 Glen Campbell L.A. Open after two rounds before his putter deserted him in the third round and he finished the tournament with a third round 78 and a final round 71 to finish well down the leader board. He didn’t like the taste that left in his mouth, and he was determined to change things at the 1974 tournament played at the Riviera Country Club.

He opened the tournament with a three-under-par 68 in the first round and matched that score in the second round to sit alone in the lead. He enjoyed a 1-stroke advantage over a hot Johnny Miller who was looking for his fourth victory of the young season, and Jim Wiechers, described by Jim Cour, the UPI reporter covering the tournament, as “a 30-year-old wine taster from Napa, Calif.”.

61-year-old Sam Snead sat six strokes back, tied with Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino at 141. Snead had won the L.A. Open in 1945 and 1950.

Stockton, who now provides putting instruction to some of the game’s best players, was mired in a year-long putting slump. After putting poorly in the pro-am preceding the tournament, he changed to a 5-year-old mallet putter and needed only 29 putts in the first round and 27 putts in the second round.

Stockton shot an even par 71 in the third round after a bogey on the final hole. He was in a four-way tie with John Mahaffey, Tom Weiskopf, and Sam Snead, who shot a five-under-par 66. Weiskopf’s 65 was the low round of the day. Stockton and Snead were paired in the final group for Sunday’s final round.

Sam Snead was not above employing some wily tactics, learned over his many years on the tour, to try to mess with the minds of younger players. Stockton was aware of this.

Stockton held a two-stroke lead over Snead as they teed off on the 17th hole. Somehow, Stockton, who was a short hitter, had outdriven Snead, who would play his second shot first. After hitting his approach up on the green, to about 15-feet, Snead started walking towards the green. As he approached Stockton’s ball, he just kept walking, right in front of Stockton forcing the younger player to wait.

Snead walked all the way up to the green, marked his ball, and then turned around and looked at Stockton.

“I told my caddie that I was going to hit this guy on national television,” Stockton related recently to the podcast FORE the Good of the Game. “I mean he’s just trying to needle me, right?”

Stockton hit his approach onto the green, outside of Snead’s ball and then two-putted for his par. Snead made his putt for birdie and Stockton’s lead was cut to just one shot. The two players then made their way to the 18th tee.

When they got to the tee, Snead sidled up to Stockton and said, “You know, in 1950 I birdied the last two holes to beat Hogan.” Stockton admitted to reporters after the round that the comment kind of startled him.

“I didn’t know what to say, ‘gee, that’s great, Sam? I’m proud of you.’” Stockton said.

After Snead hit his drive into the fairway, Stockton pulled his drive up onto the hill into the left rough. Stockton observed his lie where the ball was sitting up on the Kikuyu grass and was six inches below his feet on the side hill. He then noticed that Snead had come up the hill and was standing very close to him. Stockton told his caddie to move Snead back as he got ready to hit the 247-yard approach shot, against the wind, with his 3-wood. He then hit the “greatest shot of my life” as the ball landed about 20-yards short of the green and bounded up onto the green about 12 feet from the pin. It was such a great shot that there now sits a plaque at the spot to memorialize the accomplishment.

“Luckily, they didn’t show it (on the television broadcast) ‘cause I walked right up to him as soon as I saw it get over the trap,” Stockton recalled for the podcast, “I guess Hogan didn’t hit it that good, did he, Sam?” Stockton related how he put his fist right up under Snead’s nose as he said this.

Snead hit his approach onto the green, then two-putted. Stockton stepped up and sank his putt for the victory and then went into the press tent and related everything that Snead did on the last hole to try to needle him and get inside his head.

Snead was not happy. At the next tournament, Stockton went up to Snead and told him, “Look Sam, you know exactly what you did, and I knew what you were trying to do, but it didn’t work.”

“He and I never exchanged Christmas cards,” Stockton said as he finished the story on the podcast.

Listen to the full episode of FORE the Good of the Game podcast HERE.

Dave Stockton (l), Glen Campbell (c) and Catherine Stockton (r) with the winner’s check from the 1974 Glen Campbell L.A. Open

We are excited to bring you a new feature titled “The Welty Collection” with videos curated from the vault of Carl Welty. This first one is of Dave Stockton on the practice green at La Costa. Many thanks to Carl’s son, Craig Welty, of Skagit Golf and Country Club. Watch the video HERE.

Check out the bonus fact below about the threats pros, including Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller, faced the week of the L.A. Open

The playlist this week is a best of 1974. Listen HERE .

Please help us grow by forwarding this email to a friend who would enjoy it. Thanks.

Share Tour Backspin

Enjoy!
Larry Baush

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Thanks for reading! Please let your family, friends and colleagues know they
can sign up for email delivery of this free newsletter through this link.

WHAT HOLE IS IT?

Click to Answer

CLICK TO ANSWER

Are you on the leader board?

Tour Backspin Quiz | Phoenix Open Trivia

What year did Jack Nicklaus make his professional debut at the L.A. Open? How much prize money did he win?

Answer below

Bonus Story

Los Angeles authorities disclosed on Friday at the 1974 Glen Campbell L.A. Open, that telephoned threats had been received concerning possible kidnappings involving Jack Nicklaus and other star golfers.

One sergeant and 10 men from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Metropolitan Division were deployed around the course during the first two rounds. No trouble was reported and Cmdr. Pete Hagen, police press relations officer, treated the threat somewhat routinely.

“We do the same thing if Bob Hope or Bing Crosby is playing,” Cmdr. Hagen stated. “In this case we are aware of no special threats, but we don’t want anything to happen like this in Los Angeles.”

Tournament Chairman John C. Cummings reported to the UPI that the threat was made by phone on Wednesday morning, the day before the first round of the tournament.

“The caller said there may be some kidnapping,” Cummings stated. “It was a general threat. Jack Nicklaus’ name was mentioned in the threat. We’re not concerned, and Jack is not concerned.”

Johnny Miller said that he received threatening calls, as well. This threat seemed unrelated to the “general threat received by the club.”