Introduction
Samuel Dewey Byrd (October 5, 1906 – May 11, 1981) was an American professional baseball player and professional golfer.
Known as "Sammy" or "Sam", Byrd was born in Bremen, Georgia but grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. He played Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1936 for the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds. He was called "Babe Ruth's Legs", a reference to the fact that he often would appear as a pinch runner at the end of games toward the latter part of Ruth's career. In 1936, Byrd quit baseball to pursue a career in professional golf. He won six events on the PGA Tour between 1942 and 1946. He lost the final of the 1945 PGA Championship to Byron Nelson, 4 & 3, in match play. He is the only person to have played in a World Series and competed in golf's Masters Tournament. He made one appearance in the 1932 World Series (game 4) while playing for the New York Yankees - as a defensive replacement for Babe Ruth - in the bottom of the 9th inning. He finished twice in the top 10 at the Masters: third in 1941 and fourth in 1942. During his last appearance in 1948, he tallied the highest score ever at the second hole recording a 10. He finished the round with a 12-over-par 84.
In 745 major league games, Byrd posted a .274 batting average (465-for-1700) with 304 runs, 38 home runs, 220 RBI and a .412 slugging percentage. He recorded a .975 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions.
Byrd was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1974. He died in Mesa, Arizona in 1981 at the age of 74 from undisclosed causes.
Professional wins (11)
PGA Tour wins (6)
- 1942 (1) Greater Greensboro Open
- 1943 (1) Chicago Victory National Open
- 1944 (2) New Orleans Open, Philadelphia Inquirer Open Invitational
- 1945 (2) Texas Open, Azalea Open
Other wins (5)
this list is probably incomplete
- 1939 Philadelphia Open Championship
- 1942 Pennsylvania Open Championship
- 1944 Michigan Open, Michigan PGA Championship
- 1945 Michigan PGA Championship
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T14 | 3 | 4 | NT | NT | NT | 40 | 47 | ||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T16 | 41 | T26 | NT | NT | NT | NT | CUT | T23 | T37 | CUT | T49 | |
| PGA Championship | R32 | NT | R16 | 2 | R64 | R64 | R64 |
Note: Byrd never played in The Open Championship.
NT = no tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place