Claude Harmon
American professional golfer (1916–1989)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eugene Claude Harmon Sr. (July 14, 1916 – July 23, 1989) was an American professional golfer and golf instructor.[1]
United States| Claude Harmon | |
|---|---|
| |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Eugene Claude Harmon Sr. |
| Born | July 14, 1916 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | July 23, 1989 (aged 73) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Sporting nationality | United States |
| Spouse | Alice Cullen McKee Harmon Anne Keane Harmon |
| Children | 6, including Butch |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Former tour | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 15 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Other | 14 |
| Best results in major championships (wins: 1) | |
| Masters Tournament | Won: 1948 |
| PGA Championship | T3: 1945, 1948, 1953 |
| U.S. Open | T3: 1959 |
| The Open Championship | 27th: 1948 |
Early life and amateur career
Harmon was born in Savannah, Georgia. He spent much of his boyhood in Florida, in the Orlando area. A youthful prodigy, he qualified for the U.S. Amateur at age 15 in 1931.
Professional career
Harmon was a club professional when he won the 1948 Masters Tournament by five shots to earn $2,500.[2] He was a semi-finalist three times in the PGA Championship competing as a club pro against full-time tour players. Claude Harmon also finished in third place at the 1959 U.S. Open, which was held at his home course at Winged Foot.
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.[3] In 1959, Harmon played in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot and placed third. In 1959, he was hired as the head professional at Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, where he served for over a decade.[4][5] Lastly, he took a club job in Texas in the Houston area.
Personal life
Harmon had four sons and two daughters. All of his sons became golf professionals and instructors. His son, Butch Harmon, has served as the golf coach for Greg Norman and Tiger Woods, among others. In addition, his sons Craig and Bill have been noted in Golf Digest's "top 50 teachers" list.[citation needed] His third eldest son, Dick (1947–2006), was also a golf instructor, as is grandson Claude Harmon III.[1]
Harmon was one of the few close friends of legendary star Ben Hogan, and the two played together frequently and worked together on their games.[6][7]
Harmon died of heart failure following surgery in Houston, aged 73.[8]
Awards and honors
- Harmon is a member of the World Golf Teachers' Hall of Fame
- Harmon is a member of the PGA of America Hall of Fame.
Professional wins (15)
PGA Tour wins (1)
- 1948 Masters Tournament
Source:[9]
Major championship is shown in bold.
Other wins (14)
this list may be incomplete
- 1946 Westchester Open, Metropolitan PGA Championship
- 1947 Westchester Open
- 1948 Westchester PGA Championship
- 1949 Westchester PGA Championship, Havana Invitational
- 1950 Miami International Four-Ball (with Pete Cooper), Westchester Open
- 1951 Westchester Open, Metropolitan PGA Championship, Metropolitan Open
- 1953 Westchester Open
- 1958 Westchester PGA Championship
- 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 | NT | NT | NT | 18 | T26 | 1 | T11 | |||
| U.S. Open | DQ | NT | NT | NT | NT | T15 | T19 | CUT | T8 | |
| The Open Championship | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT | 27 | |||
| PGA Championship | NT | 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 | CUT | T15 | CUT | CUT | T3 | |||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | R16 | R64 | 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 | CUT | CUT | |||||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T44 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | WD | |
| U.S. Open | ||
| The Open Championship | ||
| PGA Championship |
NT = no tournament
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
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)