Gene Littler, San Diego golf great, dies at 88

[Zorro]

His well-earned nickname was “The Machine,” because few players had a more efficient and consistent golf swing than Gene Littler.

The moniker could have applied to Littler as a person, too: Quiet, unassuming, unflappable. He was not one to call attention to himself in any manner despite Hall of Fame accomplishments in the game.

“His swing was metronome-like. No question,” said Chuck Courtney, the pro emeritus at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club who caddied for and then played alongside Littler on the PGA Tour.

“He had this beautiful rhythm … tick, tock, tick, tock. God, it was beautiful. And that could pretty much describe his personality, too.”

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/golf/sd-sp-gene-littler-death-obit-golf-san-diego-20190216-story.html

[Awsi Dooger]

1. I rooted for him in that Masters against Billy Casper

Many chances on Sunday. Unfortunately he wasn't at his best in that Monday playoff round and lost by wide margin. By the time the network coverage began on Monday the result was mostly a formality.

That's when the Masters still had an 18 hole Monday playoff. But they got rid of it not much later.

Littler was indeed a classy guy and precision player. One striped shot after another, then plenty of time to lean against his club and scan the gallery with a content facial expression. That's my lasting image of him, after following Littler and so many others of that era when I was a young kid taken to Doral every year by my dad.

[riverine]

2. As good as he was Littler only won

one major (1961 US Open).

I had to look that up.