Billy Joe Patton

William Joseph Patton (born 1922) is an American amateur golfer best known for almost winning the 1954 Masters Tournament.

Patton was born in Morganton, North Carolina. He graduated from Wake Forest University in 1943.

In 1954, Patton came within one stroke of being in a three-man playoff with Ben Hogan and Sam Snead for the championship. 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 has been inducted into several Halls of Fame:
*North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1967 [ [http://www.ncshof.org/inductees_detail.php?i_recid=125 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame profile] ]
*Wake Forest University's Sports Hall of Fame in 1974 [ [http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/trads/wake-trads-halloffame.html Wake Forest University's Sports Hall of Fame members] ]
*Southern Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1975 [ [http://www.sgagolf.com/hallfame/billyjoepatton.html Southern Golf Association's Hall of Fame profile] ]
*Carolinas Golf Reporters Association Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame in 1981 [ [http://www.thecgra.com/halloffame.html Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame members] ]

Tournament wins

*1947 Carolinas Amateur
*1951 Carolinas Open
*1952 Carolinas Open (tied with Bobby Locke)
*1954 North and South Amateur
*1958 Carolinas Amateur
*1961 Southern Amateur, Azalea Invitational, Carolinas Amateur
*1962 North and South Amateur
*1963 North and South Amateur
*1964 North Carolina Amateur
*1965 Southern Amateur
*1979 Carolinas Senior Amateur
*1981 Carolinas Senior Amateur

References

External links

* [http://www.triadgolf.com/august2000/majorplayers_billy.htm Seventy Years of Great Golf with Billy Joe]
* [http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129124/1/index.htm Let's Smile Again] - "Sports Illustrated", August 23, 1954