Gene Littler Battles Back From Cancer⛳

Gene Littler was diagnosed with cancer in 1972. He was back competing within nine months and won five times on the PGA TOUR, the last in 1977.

Nov 12, 2021

The PGA TOUR is in Houston for the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Houston Open. The Houston Open has been played on the PGA TOUR since 1946 (it actually was played in the earliest days of the PGA TOUR from 1922 to 1938, as well). We're going back to 1977 and Gene Littler's victory just five years after being treated for cancer. With the tour taking Thanksgiving week off, we'll dedicate that week's newsletter to updating you on some of what is in store for Tour Backspin for 2022--we have a lot of exciting news, so stay tuned. Of course, we'll have a WHAT HOLE IS IT? that week.

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This week's quiz is a Veteran's Day celebration of PGA pros (plus one amateur) who served in the armed forces. How many do you recognize? Scroll down to find out.

This week's vintage ad features Gene Littler and Jim Dent for the Ram ball. Did you ever play this ball?

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Gene Littler Conquers Cancer With Fifth Win Since Operation

Gene Littler had an off week between tournaments in March of 1972 and his wife, Shirley, took advantage of the time off to schedule him a routine physical examination. The doctor found a small lump under his left arm and sent him to a specialist who performed a biopsy and confirmed that Littler had cancer.

He had an operation in April to remove the lump and incurred nerve damage that resulted in paralysis in his left side. Although many thought he would never golf again, he began his rehabilitation to build his body back up. He began with a 1-pound dumbbell and progressed to swimming, then moved on to tennis before attempting to hit golf shots. The first golf shots did not go well.

“Shanked every one,” he later recalled.

Amazingly, just six months after the operation, Littler packed his golf bag and travelled to Japan for the Japanese Masters where he finished in the top ten. Ten months after that, he won the St. Louis Children’s Golf Classic. Six months later he won the 1975 Bing Crosby Pro-Am (the only known player to win the Crosby as a pro and as an amateur when he was paired with 1959 Masters champion Art Wall, Jr. in the 1954 Crosby).

He added the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic and the rich Westchester Classic titles in 1975. Then he went cold until 1977 when he broke out of his mini slump. He finished second, losing in a playoff, at the Tucson Open in January. In May, he opened the Houston Open with a first round 70, one stroke behind the leader, George Burns.

In the second round, Littler recorded nine threes including an eagle on the 16th hole on his way to a 65 that put him in a tie for the lead with Burns. Lanny Watkins was four strokes back on the leader board. In Saturday’s third round, Burns, who had fallen two strokes behind Littler, was over a five-foot birdie putt on the par-five 16th hole that would have pulled him to within one shot of Litter.

Just before he pulled the trigger on the putt a ball landed and rolled up onto the green. The ball was launched by Littler, from the rough, nearly 250-yards away. Burns saw the ball rolling on the green but did not back off his putt. He missed the makable putt and then stood and glared back down the fairway. The episode unnerved Burns who immediately bogeyed the 17th hole to fall four shots behind.

After the round Burns said to reporters, “I heard the ball come onto the green and I should have stopped. I was unhappy with myself as I went to the next hole because I thought I was above all that impatience now. I’m sure Gene didn’t mean anything.”

Littler came in to talk with the press as Burns was exiting the pressroom.

“George, listen,” he said to Burns. “I am very sorry about that. I didn’t have any idea I would get there.”

Burns muttered a few words that the reporters could not pick up, but it was clear that he was unhappy about the incident.

Littler cruised to victory in Sunday’s final round winning by three strokes. The result was never in doubt as he led by seven strokes at the turn. Lanny Wadkins finished in second place. George Burns finished with a 77 in the third round and a final round 79 to fall well down the leader board.

“It’s a great feeling,” Littler said after the round. “When you haven’t won in two years and things are going bad, it’s almost like winning that first one again.”

Looking back on what he went through in 1972 fighting cancer, it must have been a great feeling indeed, to land another PGA TOUR title.

The 1977 Houston Open was the last title on the regular PGA TOUR that Littler won. He went on to the Champions Tour where he won eight times. Littler died at the age of 88 in 2019.

Gene Littler receives the winner's check at the Tournament of Champions. Littler won the tournament three years in a row from 1955 to 1957. From left to right: Shirley Littler, Gene Littler, Allard Roen (tournament director) and Wilbur Clark (Las Vegas News Bureau)

Check out the bonus fact below for more about Gene Littler's 1977 season.

The playlist this week is what all the caddies were listening to as they arrived for the 1977 Houston Open. Listen HERE .

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Larry Baush

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Bonus Story

Gene Littler and Lanny Wadkins would finish 1-2 again in 1977, this time in a major championship and it was Wadkins who came out on top. The 1977 PGA Championship was played at Pebble Beach and Littler squandered a five-stroke lead with nine holes to play. He then lost in a sudden-death playoff to Wadkins, the first major championship decided by sudden-death since the PGA Championship moved away from match play in 1958.

On the first playoff hole, Wadkins slam-dunked a long putt into the hole that probably would have rolled off the green if it hadn’t gone in. That miracle tied the hole and the two halved the second and third playoff holes. On the second playoff hole, Littler drove safely and then watched as Wadkins' drive ended up in a crack in the ground, a result of the drought dry conditions in the rough.

He got relief and took a free drop. His second shot was a wild hook that was headed out-of-bounds. Instead of going OB, his ball ricocheted off a rock, then over a bunker and onto the green.

“Nobody ever said how lucky he was on that hole,” Littler said years later.

The lucky bounce helped Wadkins halve the hole. He was finally able to put away Littler on the fourth playoff hole where both players missed the green. Littler hit a poor chip to 20-feet and missed the putt. Wadkins chipped to within four feet of the pin and was able to make the putt to win.