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Lawson Little

USA · born , Newport, Rhode Island, USA · died

1major championship

Summary

  • First major 1940 U.S. Open
  • Other titles 1934 U.S. Amateur, 1934 The Amateur, 1935 U.S. Amateur and 1935 The Amateur

Wins

  1. 1934 U.S. Amateur The Country Club · 8 & 7
  2. 1934 The Amateur Championship Prestwick Golf Club · 14 & 13
  3. 1935 U.S. Amateur The Country Club · 4 & 2
  4. 1935 The Amateur Championship Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · 1 up
  5. 1940 U.S. Open Canterbury G.C. · 287 (-1) · won a playoff against Gene Sarazen

Near misses

  1. 1935 The Open Muirfield · finished T4 · 289
  2. 1946 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 10 · 299

Rivals

Beaten in finals and playoffs

Next in the chain: Gene Sarazen's rivals →

Results by championship

    Best day

    1940 U.S. Open

    Canterbury G.C., Cleveland, OH · 287 (-1) · won a playoff against Gene Sarazen (18 holes, 70–73)

    Chosen by rule: his most recent major win. Year page: 1940.

    Career line, 1934–1946

    U.S. Open
    1940 U.S. Open: won
    The Open
    1935 The Open: finished T41946 The Open: finished 10
    U.S. Amateur
    1934 U.S. Amateur: won1935 U.S. Amateur: won
    The Amateur
    1934 The Amateur: won1935 The Amateur: won
    193519401945

    7 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Other win
    • Top 10

    Lawson Little was born on June 23, 1910, in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. Little won one major championship: the 1940 U.S. Open.

    See Lawson Little in our rooms: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (1)

    1. 1934 U.S. Amateur The Country Club · 8 & 7
    2. 1934 The Amateur Championship Prestwick Golf Club · 14 & 13
    3. 1935 U.S. Amateur The Country Club · 4 & 2
    4. 1935 The Amateur Championship Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · 1 up
    5. 1940 U.S. Open Canterbury G.C., Cleveland, OH · 287 (-1) · won a playoff against Gene Sarazen (18 holes, 70–73)

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1935 The Open Muirfield · finished T4 · 289
    2. 1946 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 10 · 299

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 2 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 2 won, 5 lost.

    1. 1946 Round of 64 beat John Hoetmer 1 up
    2. 1946 Round of 32 lost to Jim Ferrier 3 & 2
    3. 1948 Round of 64 lost to Al Smith 2 & 1
    4. 1949 Round of 64 lost to Jack Issacs 1 up
    5. 1951 Round of 64 beat Johnny Weitzel 3 & 2
    6. 1951 Round of 32 lost to Dick Shoemaker 2 & 1
    7. 1952 Round of 64 lost to Ted Kroll 1 up

    Other wins in championships we cover

    1. 1934 U.S. Amateur The Country Club · 8 & 7
    2. 1934 The Amateur Championship Prestwick Golf Club · 14 & 13
    3. 1935 U.S. Amateur The Country Club · 4 & 2
    4. 1935 The Amateur Championship Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · 1 up

    Sources

    Elsewhere: Wikipedia.

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. Wikipedia: Lawson Little
    2. GNN U.S. Open room (champions data)
    3. R&A 1935
    4. golfcompendium.com: 1935 british open
    5. R&A 1946
    6. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 86
    7. Wikipedia: U.S. Amateur
    8. championships-plt.usga.org: u s amateur champions
    9. Wikipedia: The Amateur Championship
    10. golfbible.co.uk: amateur championship
    11. golfcompendium.com: british amateur championship winners