You gotta love a PGA Tour golfer who’s so self-effacing, he adorns his golf bag not with his name – as do 99 percent of professionals – but with his nickname: “Sneds.”
You gotta love a guy who, faced with the potential end of his career three years ago, opted for an experimental surgery that was so radical, even his surgeon didn’t want to perform it.
And you gotta love a guy – in this case, Brandt Snedeker – who, at age 45, shot a bogey-free 5-under par 67 in Friday’s second round of the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. He goes into the weekend at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club one shot behind leader Aaron Rai of England, the highest rated Tour player in the Myrtle Beach field … and 14 years Snedeker’s junior.
Mostly, you gotta love Snedeker: a nine-time PGA Tour winner, including the 2011 RBC Heritage; a two-time Ryder Cup player and assistant captain of the 2024 U.S. team; and the captain of the U.S. Presidents Cup team this fall. Short of winning a major, there’s not much he hasn’t done in professional golf, seemingly always with a wide smile on his face.
Add his success so far this week against “the kids,” some of whom could be playing for him vs. the International team at Medinah Country Club near Chicago in September, and that smile gets bigger.
“I’m really enjoying the Presidents Cup (preparation) and what that’s kind of made me do,” he said of his playing schedule this year. “It’s kind of made me get out of my shell a little bit and spend some time with some guys, get to know these young guys a lot better, and forced me to do things I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise.
“It forces me to get out there and play well.”
Rai, who shot 4-under Friday to get to 10-under for the week, is the only player in the Myrtle Beach Classic field ranked in the world’s top 50. He said that hasn’t put any added pressure on him this week, though.
“Not at all,” he said. “No matter what anyone’s world ranking is, whether you’re (No. 1) Scottie Scheffler or a little lower down, there’s no divine right in golf.
“Everyone starts at the same playing field on Thursday, and everyone who is in the field is good enough to win. I just try to approach it as I would any tournament.”
At 9-under after 36 holes, Snedeker shared second place with Mark Hubbard, who shot 4-under Friday. Two players, Christian Bezuidenhout and Kevin Roy, are at 8-under, while two are 7-under and seven others were 6-under on a crowded leader board.
Snedeker in the tournament’s first two days recorded 10 birdies and a lone bogey, on the 18th hole on Thursday. Friday at the same hole, he struck a downhill first putt too firmly, leaving a testy five-footer for par. No sweat: he unhesitatingly drained it, as he did on seemingly every putt for the day.
“I feel like I’ve been putting really well for about the last two months,” he said. “When you have putts inside 5 feet and you feel like you’re never going to miss one, it makes things a lot easier.”
Friday continued a playing renaissance of sorts for Snedeker, who earlier this year shared the lead at the Valspar Championship through 63 holes, before stumbling home with a double bogey and three bogeys on his back nine. Still, his tie for 18th was his best finish of the year … so far.
Snedeker went on a late tear Friday, starting with a 5-iron shot to five feet for birdie at the par-3 ninth hole to earn a share of the lead at the time. He added birdies at Nos. 12, 13 and 15, and saved pars at 10, 16 and 17 with crisp chipping and clutch putting.
“It feels good,” he said of his age-defying performance. “That’s why I do all the work at home and why I still like being out here and getting in these kind of positions. It’s nice to be here, especially on a golf course I really like.”
Snedeker played the first two Myrtle Beach Classics, missing the cut each time, but said he enjoys The Dunes Club, which rewards accuracy over distance.
“This golf course sets up for me (and I’m) so excited to be here with a chance on the weekend,” he said. “This is what you work for, so (I’ll) kind of turn the brain off (Saturday) and go have some fun.”
Three years ago, “fun” wasn’t a word Snedeker associated with golf. He had near-constant pain in his sternum that was diagnosed as “manubrium joint instability,” a rare condition that he said is normally associated with someone who’s been in a car crash, but which Snedeker believed was the result of years of golf swings.
He underwent an experimental surgery in December 2022, with Nashville doctor Burton Elrod grafting a piece of hip bone into his chest to stabilize the joint. He was sidelined for months after the surgery – the only previous such procedure had been performed on Steve McNair, the late Tennessee Titans quarterback – before returning to the PGA Tour in April 2023.
Now, Snedeker says any discomfort can be chalked up to the normal wear-and-tear on a 45-year-old professional golfer’s body.
“It’s doing great (and I) can’t thank Dr. Elrod enough,” he said. “I kind of had to talk him into it, and it’s been really successful. My chest feels great. I hardly have any arthritic pain (or) any pain in there at all.
“I dealt with it probably five or six years, just kind of living in pain every day. To have that gone has been a huge relief. It’s been fun to be able to go out and practice and do what I want to do without any pain.
“I’ve battled through a lot of injuries in my life. To feel this good at 45 is a blessing.”
Being 45, a decade past your prime, and still contending in a PGA Tour tournament? That’s a blessing, too.
Click Here to See Round 2 Photo Gallery
Photos From MyrtleBeachGolfTrips Instagram Account
