Review of "Little Poison"

 Having never heard of Paul Runyan before this book became available for review, I was curious to read about the PGA tourney mentioned in the subtitle.  However, the book is much more of a biography of Runyan and an excellent read.  Here is my review of "Little Poison". 

Title/Author:

“Little Poison: Paul Runyan, Sam Snead and a Long-Shot Upset at the 1938 PGA Championship” by John Duchant

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: Professional golfers who have been known as long hitters during their time, from Harvey Penick to Tiger Woods, are also popular in both galleries and the press.  However, those who are great at other parts of the game that overcomes their lack of distance off the tee are not as well known.  That is the case for Paul Runyan, who is the subject of this excellent biography by John Duchant.

The title is a bit misleading, as this book is not just about the 1938 PGA Championship.  In that tourney, that was when Runyan rose from relative obscurity (even though he had already won one major tourney in 1934, also the PGA Championship) to defeat Snead 8 and 7 in match play.  That was the largest victory for any PGA Championship winner when that tourney was decided by match play until 1957. It was such a surprise that Runyan even kept the sign with the score to show that he did indeed win with that big a margin.

While there is some material on Snead in the book, including his gracious handling of the defeat, this book is primarily about the life of Paul Runyan, and it is a fascinating life and read. Every aspect of his life, from his upbringing to his many jobs in golf (caddy, fitting clubs, club pro) to his time on the PGA tour to his business life after his career came to an end.  There were a couple of events he played as a senior member who was invited (the Senior/Champions PGA tour was not yet established) and while he showed flashes of his excellent game, he was content with working in the game.

His personal life is well documented in the book as well, including his two marriages in which he loved both of his wives and was widowed twice.  Other highlights include how he gained his nickname of “Little Poison”, the excellence of his short game that gave him his wins and his overall positive aspect of his life.  For readers who wish to learn more about this little-known Hall of Fame golfer, this is an excellent source of information on him

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Link: Amazon.com: Little Poison: Paul Runyan, Sam Snead, and a Long-Shot Upset at the 1938 PGA Championship: 9781496231420: Dechant, John: Books