Paul Scott Runyan (
July
12,
1908 –
March 17,
2002).
Fellow
golfers nicknamed
him "Little Poison,", primarily
because he didn't drive the ball
very far but also had a terrific
short game. Additionally, Runyan
was small in stature (5'7") furthering
the "Little Poison" moniker.
Runyan is a member of the
World Golf
Hall of Fame (inducted 1990),
World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame,
Arkansas Hall of Fame and the
recipient of the Harvey
Penick Lifetime Teaching Award.
In addition, Runyan captured
the
PGA Tour money title in
1934 and was a 2-time member of the U.S.
Ryder Cup team. Runyan also received
the PGA
of America Distinguished Service
Award.
Runyan was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He started out
as a caddie and
then an apprentice at a golf
course in his hometown before
turning pro at age 17. He served
as an assistant pro to Craig Wood at Forest Hills
Golf Course in White Plains, New York, in 1921. Thirteen years later, Runyan defeated
Wood in a playoff to win the first
of his two PGA Championships. Of Runyan's 29 career PGA
Tour wins, 16 of them came in 1933 and 1934. His 9 wins in 1933 make him one of only
7 golfers to win 9 or more times
in one year on the PGA Tour. But
Runyan was competitive for many
years, winning the PGA again in 1938 and leading the U.S. Open after three rounds as late as 1951. In the finals of his 1938 PGA, Runyan
defeated Sam
Snead 8 and 7, the most lopsided
title match of the era when the
PGA was contested at match play.
Runyan's teaching prowess led many
top pros to him over his 75 years
of teaching, including Gene
Littler, Phil
Rodgers, Frank
Beard, Jim Ferree and Mickey
Wright. Golf Magazine wrote: "...
since the late 1930s,
he has probably been the most influential
short game instructor. Untold thousands
have been taught his methods for
putting and chipping." He died
in Palm
Springs, California.
PGA Tour wins
- 1930 (2) North
and South Open, New
Jersey Open
- 1931 (2) Metropolitan
PGA, Westchester Open
- 1932 (1) Gasparilla Open
Match Play
- 1933 (9) Agua Caliente
Open, Miami Biltmore Open
(March), Virginia Beach
Cavalier Open, Eastern
Open Championship, National
Capital Open, Mid-South
Pro-Pro (with Willie
Macfarlane), Mid-South
Open (tie with Willie Macfarlane and Joe Turnesa), International Four-Ball (with Horton Smith), Pasadena Open
- 1934 (6) St. Petersburg
Open, Florida West Coast
Open, Tournament of the
Gardens Open, The Cavalier
Open, Metropolitan Open, PGA Championship
- 1935 (3) North and South Open, Grand Slam Open,
Westchester Open
- 1936 (2) Westchester
Open, Metropolitan PGA
- 1938 (1) PGA
Championship
- 1939 (1) Westchester
Open
- 1941 (1) Goodall Round
Robin
(missing one win?)
|
Results in major championships
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
DQ = Disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Information
provided from Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia.
