Michael Andrew Clayton (born 30 May 1957) is an Australian professional golfer, golf course architect and commentator on the game. He won the 1984 Timex Open on the European Tour and won six times on the PGA Tour of Australasia between 1982 and 1994.
| Mike Clayton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Michael Andrew Clayton |
| Born | 30 May 1957 Melbourne, Australia |
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Sporting nationality |  Australia |
| Residence | Melbourne, Australia |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1981 |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour Asia Golf Circuit PGA Tour of Australasia European Senior Tour |
| Professional wins | 8 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| European Tour | 1 |
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 6 |
| Other | 1 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T46: 1986 |
Amateur career
editClayton was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He had a very successful amateur career which included the 1978 Australian Amateur, and the Victorian Amateur in 1977 and 1981.
Professional career
editClayton turned professional in 1981, the same year he joined the Australian Tour. He won his first tour event one year later and would win six more times between then and 1994.
Clayton played on the European Tour from 1982 to 2000, winning the 1984 Timex Open in Biarritz.[1] He also won the 1984 Maekyung Open. His best finish on the Australian Order of Merit was 4th in 1994. He would never lose his playing status until he became eligible for the Australian Senior's Tour.
Clayton was famously brought to attention for his "Infamous Putt", of which resulted in a one stroke penalty. As his putt was traveling towards the hole, Clayton twirled his putter in the air, but it slipped from his hands - he then dived towards the putter to catch it and in doing so, moved the ball with the putter, after which the ball hit him as he lay on the green.[2]
Clayton played on the European Seniors Tour. He was runner-up in the 2009 Jersey Seniors Classic, losing at the third playoff hole to Delroy Cambridge.
Clayton is now a golf course architect, having partnered with Geoff Ogilvy until 2019. In 2020 Clayton formed the firm Clayton, DeVries & Pont with architects Mike DeVries and Frank Pont.
Clayton designed Barnbougle Dunes in Bridport, Tasmania with Tom Doak and the Ranfurlie course at Amstel Golf Club, along with consultancy work at a number of Australian golf courses.
Clayton also regularly appears on golfing podcasts to discuss the state of the game and golf course architecture.
Amateur wins
edit- 1977 Victorian Amateur Championship
- 1978 Australian Amateur, Korean Amateur
- 1981 Victorian Amateur Championship, Riversdale Cup, Dutch Amateur
Professional wins (8)
editEuropean Tour wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 Jun 1984 | Timex Open | −16 (67-65-61-67=260) | 3 strokes |  Peter Teravainen,  Sam Torrance
|
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1990 | Wang Four Stars | Rodger Davis, Bill Malley, Mark McNulty
|
Davis won with birdie on seventh extra hole Malley and McNulty eliminated by par on first hole |
Asia Golf Circuit wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Apr 1984 | Maekyung Open | −5 (75-66-71-71=283) | 1 stroke | John Jacobs,  Lu Hsi-chuen
|
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (6)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Feb 1982 | Victorian Open | −7 (67-72-74-68=281) | 3 strokes | Bob Shearer
|
| 2 | 5 Feb 1984 | Tasmanian Open | −13 (67-71-67-70=275) | 2 strokes | John Clifford, Wayne Grady
|
| 3 | 5 Feb 1989 | Victorian Open (2) | −3 (69-67-75-74=285) | 2 strokes | Ossie Moore
|
| 4 | 9 Feb 1992 | Mercedes-Benz Australian Match Play Championship | 4 and 3 | Peter McWhinney
| |
| 5 | 30 Jan 1994 | Heineken Classic | −9 (67-71-71-70=279) | 3 strokes | Wayne Smith
|
| 6 | 18 Dec 1994 | Schweppes Coolum Classic | −11 (69-73-66-69=277) | 4 strokes | Andre Stolz
|
Playoff record
editEuropean Senior Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | Jersey Seniors Classic |  Delroy Cambridge
|
Lost to par on third extra hole |
Results in major championships
edit| Tournament | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | T46 | CUT | T57 | T59 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
Note: Clayton only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Team appearances
editAmateur
- Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing Victoria): 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
Professional
- World Cup (representing Australia): 1982, 1994
- Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 1984
- Alfred Dunhill Challenge (representing Australasia): 1995
References
edit- ^ "Meanwhile a first for Clayton". Sydney Morning Herald. 19 June 1984. p. 30.
- ^ Video of the putt on YouTube
External links
edit- Mike Clayton at the PGA Tour of Australasia official site
- Mike Clayton at the European Tour official site
- Mike Clayton at the Official World Golf Ranking official site