Claude Harmon
1 Major Championship • 90th All-Time
1
Wins
0
2nd Place
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First Win Age
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Last Win Age
Major Championship Wins
About Claude Harmon
Claude Harmon won 1 major championship during their career.
Learn more: Wikipedia
Career Highlights
- 1948 Masters — Won as a club professional by five shots with score of 279, tying the Masters record for lowest score and biggest margin of victory at the time
- Course Records — Holds scoring records at Winged Foot East (61) and West (61), plus a 60 at Seminole Golf Club — all still standing decades later
- 1959 U.S. Open — Finished third as a club professional competing against full-time tour players
- PGA Championship — Three-time semi-finalist despite being a club pro competing against tour professionals
- Head Professional — Legendary career at Winged Foot (summer), Seminole (winter), and later Thunderbird in Palm Springs
- Teaching Legacy — Mentored future major champions Jackie Burke and Dave Marr as assistant pros; four sons became world-renowned instructors
Did You Know?
- Teaching Dynasty: All four of Claude's sons became elite golf instructors — Butch (coached Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman), Craig, Dick, and Billy Harmon all earned spots on Golf Digest's "Top 50 Teachers" list, creating one of golf's most influential teaching families
- Ben Hogan's Friend: Harmon was one of the very few close friends of the notoriously private Ben Hogan — they played together frequently, and Hogan even watched young Butch Harmon's swing, providing invaluable insights to the future coach
- Club Pro Champion: Despite being a club professional (not a tour pro), Harmon won the Masters and posted numerous top finishes in majors, proving that club pros could compete at the highest level — he later became renowned for his bunker shot demonstrations, hitting out of sand one-handed