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)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceThe Woodlands, Texas
Career
CollegeUniversity of Houston
Turned professional1971
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins16
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour10
PGA Tour Champions1
Other5
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters TournamentT8: 1981
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1978
U.S. Open2nd: 1975
The Open ChampionshipT10: 1975

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.

Amateur wins

Professional wins (16)

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 United States Dave Eichelberger
2 Aug 6, 1978 PGA Championship −8 (75-67-68-66=276) Playoff United States Jerry Pate, United States Tom Watson
3 Aug 13, 1978 American Optical Classic −14 (71-65-67-67=270) 2 strokes United States Raymond Floyd, United States Gil Morgan
4 Jan 14, 1979 Bob Hope Desert Classic −17 (66-66-71-71-69=343) 1 stroke United States Lee Trevino
5 Jun 1, 1980 Kemper Open −5 (68-72-67-68=275) 3 strokes United States Craig Stadler
6 July 26, 1981 Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic −8 (72-67-70-67=276) 2 strokes United States Andy North
7 Jan 15, 1984 Bob Hope Classic (2) −20 (66-70-70-68-66=340) Playoff United States Jim Simons
8 Sep 29, 1985 Texas Open −12 (68-68-65-67=268) Playoff United States Jodie Mudd
9 Mar 30, 1986 Tournament Players Championship −13 (69-70-65-71=275) 1 stroke United States Larry Mize
10 Aug 6, 1989 Federal Express St. Jude Classic −12 (70-71-66-65=272) 3 strokes United States Bob Gilder, United States Hubert Green,
West Germany Bernhard Langer, United States Bob Tway

PGA Tour playoff record (3–2)

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

Other wins (5)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 Dec 3, 1978 World Cup
(with United States Andy North)		 −12 (141-144-138-141=564) 10 strokes  Australia − Wayne Grady and Greg Norman
2 Dec 3, 1978 World Cup Individual Trophy −7 (69-72-69-71=281) 2 strokes United States Andy North
3 Nov 11, 1979 World Cup (2)
(with United States Hale Irwin)		 −1 (141-141-152-141=575) 5 strokes  Scotland − Ken Brown and Sandy Lyle
4 Jan 4, 1981 Spalding Invitational −9 (69-69-69-72=279) 1 stroke United States Buddy Allin
5 Dec 12, 1982 JCPenney Mixed Team Classic
(with United States JoAnne Carner)		 −20 (68-67-63-70=268) 1 stroke United States Jay Haas and United States Hollis Stacy

Senior PGA 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 Spain José María Cañizares, United States Bruce Fleisher

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 1999 Southwestern Bell Dominion Spain José María Cañizares, United States Bruce Fleisher Won with birdie on second extra hole
Fleisher eliminated by birdie on first hole
2 2002 FleetBoston Classic United States 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)Playoff1United States Jerry Pate, United States 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 strokeUnited States 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

See also

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