Sammy Snead and Jimmy Hines competed against each other many times in various golf tournaments. Sometimes Hines beat Snead, sometimes Snead beat Hines. But on one occasion, Jimmy Hines helped Snead defeat him.
It happened during the semi-finals of the PGA tournament at Shawnee-on-Delaware, in 1938. On the par-3 thirteenth hole, Snead was inches from the cup after his second shot. Hines was farther away after his first drive. Hines chipped up perfectly–in fact too perfectly. His ball hit Snead’s and both balls rolled into the cup! Snead hadn’t hit his ball, so he could not be charged with a stroke. Both golfers were credited with a birdie 2.
That turned out to be the deciding number. Snead beat Hines by exactly one stroke!
From Strange But True Sports Stories by Howard Liss. Illustrations by Joe Mathieu.
Paul Runyon beat Snead in the Final to take the title.