Gene Littler

Early life and amateur career

Littler was born in San Diego, California. He played on the 1953 United States Walker Cup team, and won the U.S. Amateur and the California State Amateur that same year.

In 1954, he won a PGA Tour event as an amateur, a rare achievement which was not to be repeated until Doug Sanders won the Canadian Open in 1956. Littler is one of only very few players who won both a U.S. national junior tournament (he won the 1948 U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce Tournament in Lincoln, Nebraska) and the U.S. Amateur.

Littler graduated from San Diego State University, and after that served in the United States Navy from 1951 to 1954.

Professional career

An early highlight of Littler's professional playing career was a second-place finish at the 1954 U.S. Open. He finished one shot behind Ed Furgol.

In 1955, he won four times on the tour, but fell into a slump in the late 1950s after tinkering with his swing. In 1959 after taking advice he received from Paul Runyan and adjusting his grip, he recovered to have his best year with five PGA Tour victories. He finished second on the money list that year, which was to remain his career best. Only once from 1954 to 1979 did Littler finish out of the top 60 on the final money list. He was stricken with melanoma cancer found in a lymph node under his left arm in 1972, but came back to win five more times on the PGA Tour. He won many championships including 29 PGA Tour wins. He played on the Men's Senior PGA Tour and also won two major tournaments in Japan and one in Australia. In his book, Gene Littler The Real Score with Jack Tobin an Appendix B states that "through the 1975 season only eight players in the history of golf had earned over $1 Million in sanctioned professional golf play" (listed in order the eight were Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Lee Trevino, Bruce Crampton, Tom Weiskopf, Gene Littler, Gary Player).

One of Littler's 29 PGA Tour wins was unique. When he won the 1975 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, it marked the first and (so far) only time that a player won that event as a professional after having previously won the pro-amateur portion, which Littler did as a 23-year-old amateur in 1954.

Littler won one major championship – the 1961 U.S. Open. He shot a 68 in the final round to overtake Doug Sanders. He accumulated 17 top-10 finishes in the three U.S.-based majors: seven at the Masters Tournament, five at the PGA Championship, and five at the U.S. Open. In addition to his U.S. Open victory, he had one second-place finish in each of the three U.S. majors, losing playoffs to Billy Casper at the 1970 Masters and to Lanny Wadkins at the 1977 PGA Championship. The latter was the first-ever sudden-death playoff in a major. He was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup teams of 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971 and 1975, and had a 14-5-8 win/loss/tie record including five wins and three ties in 10 singles matches.

After he turned 50, Littler also played on the Senior PGA Tour, winning eight times.

Personal life

On January 5, 1951, ten days before joining the Navy, Littler married Shirley Warren, his university classmate. They had a son, Curt, born in March 1954 and a daughter, Suzanne, born in October 1957.

Littler died at the age of 88 on February 15, 2019.

Awards and honors

• In 1973, Littler was bestowed the Ben Hogan Award, given to a golfer for a courageous comeback from injury or illness. Littler earned this after returning to the tour following treatment for melanoma.
• In 1973, he was honored with the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
• In 1990, Littler was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

In popular culture

Littler inspired Sandy Mac Divot, the main character of the long running comic strip Mac Divot by Jordan Lanski (a former schoolmate of Littler) and Mel Keefer.

Professional wins (54)

PGA Tour wins (29)

PGA Tour playoff record (3–8)

Source:

PGA of Japan Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour of Australia wins (1)

PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (1–0)

Other wins (3)

• 1954 California State Open
• 1966 World Series of Golf
• 1974 Taiheiyo Club Masters

Senior PGA Tour wins (8)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–2)

Source:

Japan Senior Tour wins (2)

• 1983 Coca-Cola Grandslam Championship
• 1987 Coca-Cola Grandslam Championship

Other senior wins (10)

• 1980 World Senior Invitational
• 1981 Vintage Invitational
• 1981 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Bob Rosburg)
• 1983 Vintage Invitational
• 1985 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Don January)
• 1986 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Don January)
• 1994 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Don January)
• 1997 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Don January)
• 2001 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Don January)
• 2004 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Don January)

Major championships

Wins (1)

Amateur wins (1)

Results timeline

CUT = missed the halfway cut

DQ = disqualified

WD = withdrew

R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 14 (1962 PGA – 1967 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1961 U.S. Open – 1962 U.S. Open)

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

• Walker Cup: 1953 (winners)

Professional

• Ryder Cup: 1961 (winners), 1963 (winners), 1965 (winners), 1967 (winners), 1969 (tie), 1971 (winners), 1975 (winners)
• Hopkins Trophy: 1956 (winners)

References

References

1. (March 21, 2019). "Gene Littler, golfer who won the US Open and was admired for the beauty of his swing – obituary". Daily Telegraph.
2. "World Golf Hall of Fame profile".
3. (February 19, 2019). "Gene Littler, Hall of Fame golfer who overcame cancer, dies at 88". The Washington Post.
4. Leonard, Tod. (2019-02-16). "Gene Littler, San Diego golf great, dies at 88". San Diego Union-Tribune.
5. Wallis, Wally. (September 20, 1953). "Littler Wraps Up Amateur Golf Crown". The Daily Oklahoman.
6. (October 5, 1953). "Gene Littler Tops California Meet". Deseret News and Telegram.
7. (January 25, 1952). "Gene Littler Weighs Future as Pro Golfer". Citizen-News.
8. Fraley, Oscar. (January 28, 1954). "Newcomers Will Give Pro Golf Shot In The Arm". Ogden Standard-Examiner.
9. Kelley, Brent. "Gene Littler profile". About.com.
10. Shain, Jeff. (February 1, 2013). "AT&T Pebble Beach – First Look". PGA Tour.
11. White, Gordon S.. (August 4, 1975). "Comeback Star of Pro Golf Tour". The New York Times.
12. Wright, Alfred. (May 14, 1962). "Loud Noise From the Quiet Man".
13. Strege, John. (February 15, 2019). "Gene Littler, a U.S. Open champion and member of World Golf Hall of Fame, has died".
14. Goldstein, Richard. (February 16, 2019). "Gene Littler, Golfer With a Gorgeous Swing, Dies at 88". The New York Times.
15. Trinkle, Jim. (January 26, 1978). "On tour with Sandy". [[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]].
16. Barkow, Al. (November 1989). "The History of the PGA TOUR". [[Doubleday (publisher).
17. "Gene Littler". PGA Tour.