Voting Station

Gene Littler

Please vote to return to collections.

Golfer

The Resume

    (July 21, 1930-February 15, 2019)
    Born in San Diego, California
    Nicknamed 'Gene the Machine'
    Attended San Diego State University
    U.S. Amateur champion (1953)
    29 PGA Tour wins, 2 Japan Golf Tour wins, one PGA Tour of Australasia win and 8 PGA Tour Champions wins
    U.S. Open champion (1961)
    Member of seven Ryder Cup teams (1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971 and 1975)
    Bob Jones Award winner (1973)
    Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame (1990)

Why he might be annoying:

    He messed around with his swing which got him into a slump in the late 1950s.
    He lost in his first U.S. Open appearance to Ed Furgol by one stroke (1954).
    He blew the chance to beat Billy Casper in the 1970 Masters Tournament as he recorded a score of 74 (+2).
    He lost to Lanny Wadkins in the playoff of the 1977 PGA Championship after held on to the lead for four rounds.
    He contributed a disastrous 3-8 PGA Tour playoff record.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was in the U.S. Navy after he graduated college.
    He once said as he made his smooth stable swing in a solid nature, 'Golf is not a game of great shots. It's a game of the best misses. The people who win make the smallest mistakes.'
    He was the first professional golfer to win the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am following a victory in a Pro-Am portion.
    He won the 1961 U.S. Open as he broke a par twice in the final round.
    He was able to resume his golf career in 1973 after being treated for malignant melanoma.
    He had the ability to perform his smooth swing that made him famous into his senior years.
    He and Billy Casper were both friends and rivals from their teen years to their senior years.
    He was married to his wife Shirley Warren for over 65 years until his death.

Credit: Neo NX2004


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 126 Votes: 53.17% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying