Billy_Joe_Patton

Billy Joe Patton

Billy Joe Patton

American amateur golfer

William Joseph Patton (April 19, 1922[1] – January 1, 2011[2]) was an American amateur golfer best known for almost winning the 1954 Masters Tournament.

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Patton was born in Morganton, North Carolina. He graduated from Wake Forest University in 1943.

In the 1954 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Patton came within one stroke of being in a three-man playoff with Ben Hogan and Sam Snead. His final round 71 included a hole-in-one on the par-3 6th hole and a double bogey on the par-5 13th hole, when he tried to reach the green in two and put his ball into Rae's Creek.

Patton won several amateur tournaments including the North and South Amateur three times and the Southern Amateur twice. He also won the Carolinas Open twice.

Patton played on five Walker Cup teams; 1955, 1957, 1959, 1963, and 1965 and was captain of the 1969 team. He played on the Eisenhower Trophy team in 1958 and 1962.

Patton was awarded the Bob Jones Award by the United States Golf Association in 1982.

Patton was inducted into several Halls of Fame:

  • North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1967[3]
  • Wake Forest University's Sports Hall of Fame in 1974[4]
  • Southern Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1975[5]
  • Carolinas Golf Reporters Association Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame in 1981[6]
  • Burke County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007[7]

Tournament wins

Results in major championships

More information Tournament ...
More information Tournament ...
  Top 10
  Did not play

LA = low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

Sources: Masters,[8] U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur,[9] British Amateur: 1955,[10] 1959[11]

U.S. national team appearances

References

  1. [1]
    William Joseph "Billy Joe" Patton obituary - Winston-Salem Journal
  2. [2]
    Patton, nearly the 1954 Masters champion, dies[permanent dead link]
  3. [3]
    North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame profile Archived November 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. [4]
    "Wake Forest University's Sports Hall of Fame members". Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2008.
  5. [5]
    Southern Golf Association's Hall of Fame profile Archived November 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. [6]
    Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame members Archived August 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. [7]
    Waters, Roy (March 7, 2011). "COLUMN: More about Billy Joe". Hickory Daily Record. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  8. [8]
    www.masters.com
  9. [9]
    USGA Championship Database Archived December 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  10. [10]
    "Second Englishman In Final Since War". Glasgow Herald. June 4, 1955. p. 9.
  11. [11]
    "Two More Walker Cup Players Beaten". Glasgow Herald. May 27, 1959. p. 9.
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