J.C Snead and Gibby Gilbert destroy the competition in the Demaret Division of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
If there was ever a tournament that kick started an entire Tour, it has to be the Legends of Golf. In 1978 a dozen two-man teams of senior golfers gathered in Austin, Texas for the first ever iteration of the tournament.
The event was played in a 54-hole better ball format, with Sam Snead and Gardner Dickinson beating Kel Nagle and Peter Thompson by a narrow margin of just one stroke. It went even tighter the following year when Julius Boros and Robert De Vicenzo dueling
Art Wall and Tommy Bolt over six holes in a playoff that Boros and DeVicenzo won.
The excitement and nostalgia generated by the event would birth the Champions Tour, and the event, would grow from a 24 man event to a tournament now played over an entire week including three divisions and consisting of 144 players. The first division,
the Demaret Division, is a 36-hole event for teams of players over 70. Though the winning purse this year was $533,000, the winnings are un-official and no Schwab Cup points are earned.
This time around the team of J.C Snead and Gibby Gilbert trounced the competition by winning the event by a margin of five strokes. They added a ten under par 62 to their match their first round score and finish at 20 under par, the lowest score so far in
the Demaret Division. A big factor in their win is something that is a key ingredient to any winning combination at this tournament: friendship.
"We've been good friends since 1968 and we really know each others games," said Snead. "We're not going to get upset with each other and Gibby's always been so solid and it's fun to get together and play."
Six time Legends of Golf Champion Andy North also said as much, "You try to play with a friend, somebody you've played practice rounds with your whole life. If you know your partner's in trouble, maybe you take less of a risk than some other time."
"The biggest thing is that one guy can't be two. Both guys have to put it in play, both put it on the green and have two putts. Two putts from 25 feet are better than one from 20. You want to both keep having chances. You never know when you'll make one,"
he added.
Gilbert was all praises for Snead, whose long drives and excellent putting secured them the victory. And since this is the first time that they’ve ever played this tournament, the win was even more special.
The tournament continues with the Pro-Am being played over the next two days. Kicking off on Friday is the 54-hole Legends Division for golfers over 50, which awards official money and Schwab Cup Points. Alongside the Legends Division, the 36-hole Raphael
Division for golfers over 60 will also be played.
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