Claude Harmon

United States · born July 14, 1916, Savannah, Georgia, USA · died July 23, 1989

1major championship

Masters1 win

Summary

First major 1948 The Masters

Wins

1948 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · by 5 strokes from Cary Middlecoff

Moments

1948 Masters Harmon's 279 tied Ralph Guldahl's 1939 scoring record, and his five-stroke margin was a tournament record until 1953.
1948 Masters It was the last Masters appearance as a player for co-founder Bobby Jones, then 46.

Records and firsts

— PGA Championship longest match on record · 41 or 42 holes (Golf Compendium: Bobby Cruickshank d. Al Watrous on the 41st hole, 1932 (from 9 down with 12 to play); but Golf Compendium 1948 and New England Golf have Claude Harmon d. Sam Snead on the 42nd hole of the 1948 quarterfinal)

Results by championship

Best day

1948 Masters

Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · by 5 strokes from Cary Middlecoff

Harmon's 279 tied Ralph Guldahl's 1939 scoring record, and his five-stroke margin was a tournament record until 1953.

It was the last Masters appearance as a player for co-founder Bobby Jones, then 46.

Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1948.

Career line, 1948–1948

Masters

1948 Masters: won

19481949

1 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

Major win

Claude Harmon was born on July 14, 1916, in Savannah, Georgia, USA. Harmon won one major championship: the 1948 Masters.

See Claude Harmon in our rooms: The Masters, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

The record

Wins in the majors (1)

1948 The Masters Augusta National Golf Club · 279 (-9) · by 5 strokes from Cary Middlecoff

PGA Championship match play

Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 21 won, 12 lost.

1945 Round of 32 beat Verl Stinchcomb 2 & 1
1945 Round of 16 beat Jim Turnesa 8 & 7
1945 Quarterfinal beat Ralph Hutchison 4 & 3
1945 Semifinal lost to Byron Nelson 5 & 4
1946 Round of 64 lost to Harold McSpaden 4 & 3
1947 Round of 64 beat Sam Byrd 1 up
1947 Round of 32 beat Jim Milward 5 & 3
1947 Round of 16 lost to Jim Ferrier won on 37th hole
1948 Round of 64 beat Elroy Marti 1 up
1948 Round of 32 beat Jim Ferrier 1 up
1948 Round of 16 beat Henry Ransom 2 & 1
1948 Quarterfinal beat Sam Snead won on 42nd hole
1948 Semifinal lost to Mike Turnesa won on 37th hole
1949 Round of 64 beat Clarence Doser 1 up
1949 Round of 32 lost to Clayton Heafner 2 & 1
1950 Round of 64 beat Paul Runyan 2 & 1
1950 Round of 32 beat Al Brosch 2 & 1
1950 Round of 16 lost to Henry Williams Jr. won on 38th hole
1951 Round of 64 lost to Dick Shoemaker 3 & 1
1952 Round of 64 lost to Vic Ghezzi won on 19th hole
1953 Round of 64 beat Ted Kroll 4 & 2
1953 Round of 32 beat Jack Grout 4 & 2
1953 Round of 16 beat Ed Furgol 5 & 3
1953 Quarterfinal beat Bill Nary 6 & 5
1953 Semifinal lost to Walter Burkemo 1 up
1954 Round of 64 beat Eric Monti 6 & 5
1954 Round of 32 lost to Walter Burkemo 2 & 1
1955 Round of 64 beat Mike Turnesa 5 & 4
1955 Round of 32 beat Eldon Briggs 2 & 1
1955 Round of 16 lost to Shelley Mayfield 2 & 1
1957 Round of 32 beat Charles Bassler 4 & 3
1957 Round of 16 beat Tommy Bolt 1 up
1957 Quarterfinal lost to Lionel Hebert 2 & 1

Records and firsts

Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

— PGA Championship longest match on record · 41 or 42 holes (Golf Compendium: Bobby Cruickshank d. Al Watrous on the 41st hole, 1932 (from 9 down with 12 to play); but Golf Compendium 1948 and New England Golf have Claude Harmon d. Sam Snead on the 42nd hole of the 1948 quarterfinal)

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.