American professional golfer (born 1948)
John Drayton Mahaffey Jr. (born May 9, 1948) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments including 10 PGA Tour events.
Early life
Mahaffey was born in Kerrville, Texas . He attended the University of Houston in Houston, Texas . Mahaffey graduated in 1970 with a degree in psychology .
Professional career
He turned pro in 1971. Mahaffey came close to winning back to back U.S. Opens . In 1975, he lost in a playoff to Lou Graham at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois . The following year Mahaffey had a two-shot lead after 54 holes at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia before shooting a final round 73 and finishing T-4.
In 1978, he won the PGA Championship . It was held at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania . Mahaffey became the best comeback winner in PGA history after trailing Tom Watson by seven strokes with 14 holes to play. Ultimately, the tournament came down to a three-player playoff – Mahaffey, Watson and Jerry Pate . All three players made par on the first playoff hole. The drama ended on the second playoff hole when Pate missed the green, Watson missed a 30-foot birdie attempt and Mahaffey made his 12-foot birdie putt for the Championship.[ 1] Later in the year he also won the World Cup individual and team event where he was paired with Andy North in 1978.
Mahaffey played on the 1979 Ryder Cup team the following year.
Later in his career, he began work as an announcer on Golf Channel telecasts of the PGA Tour Champions .
Personal life
Mahaffey lives near Houston at The Woodlands in his home state of Texas. His family includes wife Elizabeth, and two children.[citation needed ]
Amateur wins
Professional wins (16)
PGA Tour wins (10)
Legend
Major championships (1)
Players Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (8)
No.
Date
Tournament
Winning score
Margin of victory
Runner(s)-up
1
Oct 28, 1973
Sahara Invitational
−13 (68-66-69-68=271)
3 strokes
Dave Eichelberger
2
Aug 6, 1978
PGA Championship
−8 (75-67-68-66=276)
Playoff
Jerry Pate , Tom Watson
3
Aug 13, 1978
American Optical Classic
−14 (71-65-67-67=270)
2 strokes
Raymond Floyd , Gil Morgan
4
Jan 14, 1979
Bob Hope Desert Classic
−17 (66-66-71-71-69=343)
1 stroke
Lee Trevino
5
Jun 1, 1980
Kemper Open
−5 (68-72-67-68=275)
3 strokes
Craig Stadler
6
July 26, 1981
Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic
−8 (72-67-70-67=276)
2 strokes
Andy North
7
Jan 15, 1984
Bob Hope Classic (2)
−20 (66-70-70-68-66=340)
Playoff
Jim Simons
8
Sep 29, 1985
Texas Open
−12 (68-68-65-67=268)
Playoff
Jodie Mudd
9
Mar 30, 1986
Tournament Players Championship
−13 (69-70-65-71=275)
1 stroke
Larry Mize
10
Aug 6, 1989
Federal Express St. Jude Classic
−12 (70-71-66-65=272)
3 strokes
Bob Gilder , Hubert Green , Bernhard Langer , Bob Tway
PGA Tour playoff record (3–2)
Other wins (5)
Senior PGA Tour wins (1)
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)
Major championships
Wins (1)
1 Defeated Pate and Watson with a birdie on the second extra hole.
Results timeline
Win
Top 10
Did not play
LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1978 PGA – 1981 Masters)
Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (1975 U.S. Open – 1975 Open Championship)
The Players Championship
Wins (1)
Results timeline
Tournament
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
The Players Championship
T19
T11
T34
T12
T5
T19
T35
T3
T10
CUT
1
T32
T27
T45
CUT
CUT
T9
CUT
T27
T55
CUT
Win
Top 10
Did not play
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
See also
References
External links