Lawson Little

William Lawson Little Jr. (June 23, 1910 – February 1, 1968) was an American professional golfer who also had a distinguished amateur career.

Lawson Little
Personal information
Full name	William Lawson Little Jr.
Nickname	Cannonball
Born	(1910-06-23)June 23, 1910 Fort Adams, Newport, Rhode Island
Died	February 1, 1968(1968-02-01) (aged 57) Monterey, California
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st)
Nationality	United States
Spouse	Dorothy Hurd (m. 1936-1968)
Children	Linda, Sandra, Sonya, William Lawson III
Career
College	Stanford University
Turned professional	1936
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	9
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	8
Best results in major championships (wins: 5)
Masters Tournament	T3: 1939
PGA Championship	T17: 1946, 1951
U.S. Open	Won: 1940
The Open Championship	T4: 1935
U.S. Amateur	Won: 1934, 1935
British Amateur	Won: 1934, 1935
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 1980 (member page) James E. Sullivan Award 1935

Little was born in Newport, Rhode Island, and lived much of his early life in the San Francisco area, where his father was a senior military officer. Little was one of the most dominant amateur players in the history of the sport, capturing both the British Amateur and the U.S. Amateur, then regarded as major championships, consecutively in 1934 and 1935. He remains the only player to have won both titles in the same year more than once. Little's winning margin of 14 and 13 in the 1934 British final remains the record for dominance. Bob Dickson, Harold Hilton and Bobby Jones are the only other golfers to have won the two titles in the same year.

Little graduated from Stanford University in 1934 and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame. He won the James E. Sullivan Award for outstanding amateur athlete in 1935. Little was a student of golf instructor Ernest Jones.

Little turned professional in April 1936, and he won eight times on the PGA Tour including one professional major, the 1940 U.S. Open. This tally was considered somewhat disappointing; he was said to have lost interest in golf during World War II, when the major championships were cancelled, and to have focused his attention more on the stock market. He carried up to 26 clubs in his bag, and this prompted the United States Golf Association to introduce the 14-club limit in 1938.

Little died in Monterey, California in 1968. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1980.