Gene Littler, one of only 11 golfers to win both the US Amateur and US Open titles, has died at the age of 88.
Littler was a prolific winner on the PGA Tour and collected 29 victories, his first coming while still an amateur in the San Diego Open in 1954 and his last five being after he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, while he also won eight titles on the Champions Tour.
The California native launched his golf career having initially joined the US Navy after graduating from university, and he soon earned a reputation for having one of the best swings in the game which earned him the nickname "Gene the Machine".
After winning the US Amateur in 1953, his biggest win proved to be his only major title in the US Open in 1961 at Oakland Hills, where he held off Bob Goalby and Doug Sanders to clinch a one-shot win while young, up-and-coming amateur Jack Nicklaus was two shots back.
Littler also recorded a unique win in the 1975 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, having also won the amateur event 19 years previously, while his three-shot win over Lanny Wadkins at the Houston Open in 1977 would be his last silverware on the PGA Tour.
He also represented the United States in the Ryder Cup seven times, winning 14 of his 27 matches and never playing on the losing team, although he was on Sam Snead's team for the famous tied match at Royal Birkdale in 1969.
Littler's tie for 10th at the Masters in 1970 was his 20th and final top-10 finish in a major championship, eight of them at Augusta National, and he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1990
PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan, said: "Gene was the consummate gentleman but also a fierce competitor. His rhythmic swing that earned him his distinctive nickname remains in our minds a thing of beauty. It was a pleasure to watch Gene Littler hit a golf ball.
"San Diego has produced great champions like Billy Casper, Phil Mickelson and Mickey Wright. Gene Littler stood right there beside those giants of the game, and we mourn the passing of a tremendous golfer, husband and father."