John Mahaffey

John Drayton Mahaffey Jr. (born May 9, 1948) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments including 10 PGA Tour events.

John Mahaffey
Personal information
Full nameJohn Drayton Mahaffey Jr.
Born (1948-05-09) May 9, 1948
Kerrville, Texas
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight160 lb (73 kg; 11 st)
Nationality United States
ResidenceThe Woodlands, Texas
Career
CollegeUniversity of Houston
Turned professional1971
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins15
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour10
PGA Tour Champions1
Other4
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentT8: 1981
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1978
U.S. Open2nd: 1975
The Open ChampionshipT10: 1975

Mahaffey was born in Kerrville, Texas. He attended the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. He turned pro in 1971 after graduating in 1970 with a degree in psychology.

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 T4th.

In 1978 he won twice on the tour including one major, the PGA Championship. He also won the World Cup individual and team event where he was paired with Andy North in 1978.

The 1978 PGA championship 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]

Mahaffey played on the 1979 Ryder Cup team.

Mahaffey lives near Houston at The Woodlands in his home state of Texas. His family includes wife Elizabeth, and two children. He works as a announcer on Golf Channel telecasts of the PGA Tour Champions.

Amateur wins (1)
  • 1970 NCAA Championship

Professional wins (15)

PGA Tour wins (10)
Legend
Major championships (1)
Players Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (8)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin 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 −13 (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)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1975 U.S. Open Lou Graham Lost 18-hole playoff;
Graham: E (71),
Mahaffey: +2 (73)
2 1978 PGA Championship Jerry Pate, Tom Watson Won with birdie on second extra hole
3 1984 Bob Hope Desert Classic Jim Simons Won with par on second extra hole
4 1985 Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic Mark Wiebe Lost to birdie on first extra hole
5 1985 Texas Open Jodie Mudd Won with par on second extra hole

Other wins (4)
  • 1978 World Cup (team with Andy North and individual event)
  • 1979 World Cup (with Hale Irwin)
  • 1981 Spalding Invitational
  • 1982 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic (with JoAnne Carner)

Champions Tour wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 Jun 20, 1999 Southwestern Bell Dominion −12 (67-67-70=204) Playoff José María Cañizares, Bruce Fleisher

Champions Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1999 Southwestern Bell Dominion José María Cañizares, Bruce Fleisher Won with birdie on second extra hole
Fleisher eliminated with birdie on first hole
2 2002 FleetBoston Classic Bob Gilder Lost to birdie on third extra hole

Major championships

Wins (1)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunners-up
1978PGA Championship7 shot deficit−8 (75-67-68-66=276)Playoff1 Jerry Pate, Tom Watson

1Defeated Pate and Watson with a birdie on the second extra hole.

Results timeline
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Masters Tournament CUT CUT T39
U.S. Open T36 LA CUT T29 T12 2 T4 T36
The Open Championship T44 T10
PGA Championship T30 T9 T28 WD 1 T51
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Masters Tournament T44 T8 CUT T40 CUT T14 T42 T35
U.S. Open T28 CUT T22 T34 T30 T39 CUT T24 T46
The Open Championship T32 T30
PGA Championship T15 CUT T42 CUT T20 T23 CUT T65 T15 CUT
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
Masters Tournament T42
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT CUT
The Open Championship
PGA Championship T40 CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT WD
  Win
  Top 10
  Did not play

LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary
TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament000012128
U.S. Open0102252013
The Open Championship00001144
PGA Championship1001262312
Totals11036145937
  • 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)
YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
1986Tournament Players Championship4 shot deficit−13 (69-70-65-71=275)1 stroke Larry Mize

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

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See also

References
  1. "PGA Championship History – 1978: Never count a golfer out". PGA of America. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
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