Introduction
John Drayton Mahaffey Jr. (born May 9, 1948) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments including 10 PGA Tour events.
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 that year including one major, the PGA Championship. He also won the World Cup individual and team event where he was paired with Andy North that year.
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.
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, son John D. III (born 1988) and daughter Meagan (born 1992). In his spare time, he enjoys fishing. Early in his career, Mahaffey was often sought out by other players to do comedic imitations for which he has a special talent. He last played on the Champions Tour in 2007. 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. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin 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 | −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. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(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 Maria Cañizares, Bruce Fleisher |
Champions Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | Southwestern Bell Dominion | José Maria 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)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | PGA Championship | 7 shot deficit | −8 (75-67-68-66=276) | Playoff | Jerry Pate, Tom Watson |
Defeated 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 |
LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 8 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 13 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| PGA Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 23 | 12 |
| Totals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 59 | 37 |
- 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)
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Tournament Players Championship | 4 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 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
U.S. national team appearances
Professional
- Ryder Cup: 1979 (winners)
- World Cup: 1978 (winners, individual winner), 1979 (winners)
- Nissan Cup: 1986