Billy Joe Patton
William Joseph Patton (April 19, 1922 – January 1, 2011) was an American amateur golfer best known for almost winning the 1954 Masters Tournament.
| Billy Joe Patton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | William Joseph Patton | ||
| Born | April 19, 1922 Morganton, North Carolina | ||
| Died | January 1, 2011 (aged 88) Morganton, North Carolina | ||
| Sporting nationality | United States | ||
| Career | |||
| Status | Amateur | ||
| Professional wins | 2 | ||
| Best results in major championships | |||
| Masters Tournament | 3rd: 1954 | ||
| PGA Championship | DNP | ||
| U.S. Open | T6: 1954 | ||
| The Open Championship | DNP | ||
| U.S. Amateur | T3: 1962 | ||
| British Amateur | T5: 1955 | ||
| Achievements and awards | |||
| |||
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
- Wake Forest University's Sports Hall of Fame in 1974
- Southern Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1975
- Carolinas Golf Reporters Association Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame in 1981
- Burke County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007