Little, W. Lawson
Golf
b. June 23, 1910, Newport, RI
d. Feb. 1, 1968
Generally considered the greatest amateur golfer between Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods, Little accomplished something Jones and Woods didn't: He won both the U. S. and British Amateur championships two years in a row, 1934 and 1935.
During that two-year period, he won thirty-four consecutive matches against the best amateur players in the world. Little was presented with the 1935 Sullivan Award as the outstanding U. S. amateur athlete of the year.
He became a professional in 1936 but never reached the heights some had expected him to. His one major championship was the 1940 U. S. Open, when he beat Gene Sarazen 70-73 in a playoff after the two had tied at 287.