Claude Harmon
Claude Harmon | |
---|---|
— Golfer — | |
Personal information | |
Full name | Eugene Claude Harmon, Sr. |
Born |
Savannah, Georgia | July 14, 1916
Died |
July 23, 1989 73) Houston, Texas | (aged
Nationality | United States |
Spouse |
Alice Cullen McKee Harmon (1918–1970) |
Children | 4 sons |
Career | |
Status | Professional |
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
Professional wins | 10 |
Number of wins by tour | |
PGA Tour | 2 |
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 1) | |
Masters Tournament | Won: 1948 |
U.S. Open | T3: 1959 |
The Open Championship | 27th: 1948 |
PGA Championship | T3: 1945, 1948, 1953 |
Eugene Claude Harmon, Sr. (July 14, 1916 – July 23, 1989) was an American professional golfer and golf instructor.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, Harmon spent much of his boyhood in the Orlando area. A youthful prodigy, Harmon qualified for the U.S. Amateur at age 15 in 1931. He was the last-ever club professional to win a major championship, winning the 1948 Masters by five shots, and earning $2,500 for his efforts.[1]
From 1945 to 1978, Harmon was the head professional at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, and also served as the winter professional for many years at the Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida.[2] In 1959, he was hired as the head professional at Thunderbird Country Club in Palm Springs, California, where he served for over a decade,[3][4] and finally took a club job in Texas in the Houston area. In 1959, Harmon played in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot and placed third. Harmon was a close friend of legendary star Ben Hogan, and the two played together frequently and worked together on their games.[5][6] Harmon was a semi-finalist three times in the PGA Championship, competing as a club pro against many players who competed full-time.
He died of heart failure following surgery in Houston at the age 73[7] and is interred at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California. Harmon's sons Butch, Craig, and Bill all occupy spots in Golf Digest's "top 50 teachers" list. His other son Dick Harmon, also a top golf instructor, died on February 10, 2006 at age 58. Harmon is a member of the World Golf Teachers' Hall of Fame.
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins
- 1948 Masters Tournament
- 1950 Miami International Four-Ball (with Pete Cooper)
Major championship is shown in bold.
Other wins
this list may be incomplete
- 1946 Westchester Open, Metropolitan PGA Championship
- 1947 Westchester Open
- 1950 Westchester Open
- 1951 Westchester Open, Metropolitan PGA Championship
- 1953 Westchester Open
- 1960 Westchester Open
Major championships
Wins (1)
Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1948 | Masters Tournament | 2 shot lead | −9 (70-70-69-70=279) | 5 strokes | Cary Middlecoff |
Results timeline
Tournament | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | NT | NT | NT | 18 | T26 | 1 | T11 |
U.S. Open | DQ | DNP | NT | NT | NT | NT | T15 | T19 | CUT | T8 |
The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | DNP | DNP | 27 | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | NT | DNP | SF | R64 | R16 | SF | R32 |
Tournament | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T32 | T35 | T14 | T34 | T53 | T28 | T46 | T38 | T9 | CUT |
U.S. Open | T38 | T54 | DNP | CUT | T15 | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT | T3 |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | R16 | R64 | DNP | SF | R32 | R16 | R32 | 6 | T56 | T38 |
Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T16 | CUT | CUT | WD | CUT | CUT | WD | WD | WD | WD |
U.S. Open | T27 | DNP | CUT | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | CUT | T44 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
Tournament | 1970 | 1971 |
---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | DNP | WD |
U.S. Open | DNP | DNP |
The Open Championship | DNP | DNP |
PGA Championship | DNP | DNP |
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
DQ = Disqualified
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 14 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 9 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 15 |
Totals | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 57 | 39 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 12 (1948 Open Championship – 1953 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (twice)
References
- ↑ "Harmon wins Masters; ties record with 279". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. April 12, 1948. p. 3-part 2.
- ↑ Snider, Steve (December 22, 1949). "Claude Harmon carries banner for home pros". The News and Courier (Charleston, SC). Associated Press. p. 12A.
- ↑ "Harmon accepts job at Thunderbird Club". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. April 6, 1959. p. 3C.
- ↑ Murray, Jim (February 7, 1966). "Harmon shows 'class' as golf professor". Milwaukee Sentinel. (Los Angeles Times). p. 3-part 2.
- ↑ Grimsley, Will (April 9, 1978). "Golf announcers talk too much". The Press-Courier (Oxnard, CA). Associated Press. p. 8.
- ↑ The Pro, by Butch Harmon, 2006.
- ↑ "Former golf champ Claude Harmon dies". The Telegraph (Nashua, NH). Associated Press. July 25, 1989. p. 8.
- "Claude Harmon", Almanac of Famous People, 8th ed. Gale Group, 2003.
External links
- Dustin Raymond (January 14, 2004). "Claude Harmon, Sr". Professional golfer. Find a Grave.
- NY Times - "Claude Harmon's Teaching Legacy"
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