Spring Premier Auction 2014
Wed, Apr 30, 2014 08:00PM EDT - Sun, May 18, 2014 12:30PM EDT
Timed Auction
Lot 985
SAM SNEAD'S 1937 U.S. OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER-UP MEDAL (SNEAD COLLECTION LOA)
Sold for
$13,682.40
Sold Price includes BP
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It is the cruelest of ironies in professional sport that a man who won more events than anyone else in history might be so prominently remembered for tournaments that he did not win rather than those where he triumphed. Such is the fate of golfing legend Sam Snead who with 82 PGA Tour victories tops the all-time list but often finds his failure to win the U.S. Open so frequently recounted every time his name comes up in discussion.
This extraordinary silver medal from Sneads first of four runner-up finishes at the U.S. Open bears the additional burden of that history. While later losses at the fabled major would overshadow the 1937 edition in terms of dramatic flair this marked the first time that the coveted prize would elude him the only one of the four majors that he never won. Held at Oakland Hills in Birmingham Michigan this was the Hall of Famers first Open and he entered the final day tied with eventual winner Ralph Guldahl one stroke behind Ed Dudley who faded to a 76 and fell out of contention. Playing ahead of Guldahl Snead birdied the final hole to finish with a 71 and 283 total but a 65-foot eagle putt helped seal the two-stroke victory for Guldahl who would go on to win the event the following year as well.
Snead would eventually misplace the medal that he was awarded in 1937 for his second-place finish and when a PGA official noticed the medals absence in a public display case of Sneads trophies and memorabilia the PGA promptly commissioned this replacement to fill the void. The 1 3/4-inch in diameter sterling silver medal features the iconic Great Seal of the United States with red and blue color elements added to the emblem shield in front of the eagle and a green highlight added to the circle above with 13 stars. The perimeter of the front has raised lettering announcing United States Golf Association Organized 1894; on the back is engraving of 1937 U.S. Open Championship Oakland Hills Country Club Birmingham MI Runner-Up Sam Snead. The medal is in pristine condition in its original Michael C. Fina New York blue felt jewelers box.
An accompanying COA from Jack Snead verifies its origin from Sams personal collection.
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