Snead’s team took first place in the 1948 Havana Best-Ball

On this day, Sixty-eight years ago Sam Snead and company won the Havana Best-Ball tournament in Cuba. The format was 54 hole event played over three rounds using best-ball rules. In the unique best-ball format each pro teamed up with two amateurs and could take either for a partner. Snead’s partner ended up being Bobby Maduro who then was just a son of a Havana businessman. Maduro was a major figure in professional baseball in Cuba in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Present day the Miami Marlins minor league stadium is named in Maduro’s honor. Snead and Maduro finished the event with a total score of 193, twenty-three strokes under par. Snead won a total of $1,900 for first place and had an actual score of 209, 7 under in regulation scoring. He led the entire tournament with rounds of 69, 68, & 72.

Other Pro’s in the field

Other notable players besides Snead in the event included: Jimmy DeMaret, the first golfer to win three Masters and Craig Wood the first Masters Champion. Three-time major winner Denny Shute and 1946 U.S. Open winner Lloyd Mangrum also had teams in the field. E.J. Harrison of Little Rock, AR came in just one stroke behind Snead with a 194. The Texan native DeMaret, who had no help from his partner shot a 210 for the three rounds. DeMaret was aided by his record tying second round in which he shot a 64. The next season (1949) of Snead’s career was full of success as he won the Masters, U.S. Open, and PGA Championship.

Final Leaderboard (Pro’s)