Editorial Content for Little Poison: Paul Runyan, Sam Snead, and a Long-Shot Upset at the 1938 PGA Championship

The adage of not judging a book by its cover can also apply to the title. LITTLE POISON: Paul Runyan, Sam Snead, and a Long-Shot Upset at the 1938 PGA Championship, by John Dechant, is far more than an account of an iconic golf match. It is the compelling story of a Hall of Fame career often overlooked by golf historians and fans of the game.

Paul Runyan wasn’t a flamboyant dresser or heavy drinker. He didn’t party before major championships or make quote-worthy observations about his game or his fellow players. His victories may not rank with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead or Ben Hogan. But Runyan had a significant impact on the history of professional golf and deserves a book like LITTLE POISON. You will want to make room on your bookshelf for this outstanding and well-written story.

"Paul Runyan believed that hard work and practice could overcome talent and brute power. LITTLE POISON is a wonderful tribute to a golfer whose life and accomplishments deserve such recognition."

By 1938, Runyan was a fixture on a tour that would be unrecognizable in contemporary sports. The best-known golfer pre-World War II was Bobby Jones, an amateur who won all four major titles in 1930 before retiring from the game. He went on to construct Augusta National Golf Course and started a spring tournament that became known as the Masters. But professional golf in that era was a brief collection of winter tournaments and a few scattered throughout the summer that did not pay the large sums of prize money that are presently being offered.

In 1934, the first year that records of tour earnings were kept, Runyan won six tournaments and amassed a mere $6,767. Golfers earned most of their income by working at country clubs and occasionally betting rounds with fellow golfers and gamblers. Dechant vividly portrays Runyan’s first professional job in Hot Springs, Arkansas. As a young apprentice, he made golf clubs, provided lessons and played in tournaments whenever he could find the time.

By any standard, Runyan was an undersized golfer. He was 5’7” and weighed approximately 125 pounds. At 230 yards, his drives were far below the average, but he made up for his lack of distance with a masterful game. He won the PGA Championship in 1934 and again in 1938, defeating Sam Snead in the most lopsided major victory in golf history. In that era, the PGA was conducted as match play --- golfer against golfer --- until only one victor was left.

Snead was one of golf’s longest hitters, and on many holes his drives would fly 50 yards past those hit by Runyan. But Runyan was a magician on his approach shots to the green and in his putting, and he trounced Snead in the 36-hole championship. LITTLE POISON describes the match hole by hole in great detail. It is a classic sports story as the little underdog thumps the heavy favorite.

But winning championships is only a small part of what Runyan achieved. He led a quiet family life at various golf clubs across America where he was the resident professional, and his wife and sons would assist him in much of the work. He served in World War II playing exhibition matches to help raise funds for the war effort. And he mentored younger golfers, two of whom would become stars: Gene Littler and Phil Rodgers.

Paul Runyan believed that hard work and practice could overcome talent and brute power. LITTLE POISON is a wonderful tribute to a golfer whose life and accomplishments deserve such recognition.