Clarence William Johnston (January 2, 1925 – April 23, 2021) was an American

golf course architect A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

and

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

. Johnston was born in

Donora, Pennsylvania Donora is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately south of Pittsburgh on the Monongahela River. Donora was incorporated in 1901. It got its name from a combination of William Donner and Nora Mellon, banker ...

on January 2, 1925, but moved to

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

when he was four years old. Johnston served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He played college golf at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

and turned professional in 1950. The biggest win of his playing career was at the 1958

Texas Open Invitational The Texas Open, known as the Valero Texas Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played near San Antonio, Texas. It dates back years to 1922, when it was first called the Texas Open; San Antonio-based Val ...

. Johnston played on the

Senior PGA Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

(now PGA Tour Champions) from 1980 to 1990 (full-time) and then a few tournaments a year through the 1990s. After his days as a touring professional were over, Johnston became a golf course architect. He has designed several well-known courses in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Johnston was inducted into the Utah Golf Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame in 2018. In November 2020, at the age of 95, Johnston was still playing golf three times a week at the Biltmore Links course with his friends. These regular golf partners included amateurs, professionals, and other close acquaintances. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 on December 4, 2020, at the Phoenix Mayo Clinic. He died at his son's house in Idaho, on April 23, 2021, at the age of 96.

Professional wins (15)

PGA Tour wins (2)

Other wins (13)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1954

Utah Open The Utah Open is the Utah state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Utah section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1926 and has been played at a variety of courses around the state ...

*1958

Sahara Pro-Am The Sahara Invitational was a PGA Tour event in Nevada from 1958 through 1976, played Las Vegas and sponsored by the Sahara Hotel. In the first four years, it was the Sahara Pro-Am and an unofficial tour event. Paradise Valley Country Club hosted i ...

*1961

Arizona Open The Arizona Open Championship is the annual open state championship of golf in Arizona. The competition is 54-holes of stroke play (3 rounds on an 18-hole course), with the winner being the player with the lowest total number of strokes. Following ...

*1967

*1972

Colorado PGA Championship The Colorado PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Colorado section of the PGA of America. Fred Wampler, PGA Tour winner of the Los Angeles Open in 1954, and Jack Sommers, club pro and member of the Colorado Golf Hal ...

*1973 Colorado Open *Montana Open - 2 times *Nevada Open - 4 times

Courses designed

*The Hideout Golf Club,

Lake Brownwood, Texas Lake Brownwood is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Brown County, Texas, Brown County in central Texas, United States. The population was 1,532 at the 2010 census. Geography The Lake Brownwood CDP is located in western Brown County at ( ...

*The Dominion Country Club,

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

*The Links at Arizona Biltmore Country Club,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

*Point Hilton Golf Club on Lookout Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona *Rancho Mañana Golf Club,

Cave Creek, Arizona Cave Creek is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 4,892. History Cave Creek was settled in 1870 by soldiers on horseback from Fo ...

*Tapatio Springs Resort,

Boerne, Texas Boerne ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Kendall County, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country. Boerne is known for its German-Texan history, named in honor of German author and satirist Ludwig Börne by the German Founders of the town. The popu ...

*Legacy Ridge Country Club,

Bonham, Texas Bonham is a city and the county seat of Fannin County, Texas. The population was 10,408 at the 2020 census. James Bonham (the city's namesake) sought the aid of James Fannin (the county's namesake) at the Battle of the Alamo. Bonham is part of the ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Bill American male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golf course architects Golfers from Pennsylvania Golfers from Utah United States Navy personnel of World War II Military personnel from Utah People from Donora, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Ogden, Utah 1925 births 2021 deaths