R.I.P. Bruce Lietzke

One of his era's best ballstrikers and a true joy to watch shape shots, longtime PGA Tour member Bruce Lietzke fell victim to an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67.

Jim McCabe at PGATour.com details the life of a great natural talent whose glorious rhythm and distinctive left-to-right ball flight would have made him a fan favorite in the shot tracer era. 

When word circulated a little more than a year ago about Lietzke’s cancer, it was a jolt to his friends, and one could make the case that few players of his era were as beloved as this big man who never took himself too seriously. He was once asked to compare his golf game to one of the many cars he kept at his farm. “An old El Camino,” he laughed. “Half ugly, half decent. It fits me more than anything.”

“He was a classic, and that’s the right word,” said Rogers, who along with Jerry Pate – Lietzke’s brother-in-law – and two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw accompanied Lietzke for some early hospital appointments more than a year ago. Curtis Strange visited and kept in touch with Rogers, and the Wadkins boys – Lanny and Bobby – were part of the close circle, too.

“In the end,” said Rogers, “the Good Lord felt 67 years was enough, that he was satisfied Bruce deserved eternal peace. It’s a good place to be.”

Here's an analysis from Gary Koch of Lietzke's fade-bias swing from his later career.