Bill Johnston (golfer)
| Bill Johnston | |
|---|---|
Johnston, circa 1948 | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Clarence William Thompson |
| Born | January 2, 1925 Donora, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | April 23, 2021 (aged 96) Idaho, U.S. |
| Sporting nationality | United States |
| Career | |
| College | University of Utah |
| Turned professional | 1950 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 15 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 2 |
| Other | 13 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T28: 1957 |
| PGA Championship | T3: 1956 |
| U.S. Open | T32: 1963 |
| The Open Championship | T26: 1960 |
Clarence William Johnston (January 2, 1925 – April 23, 2021) was an American golf course architect and professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour.
Johnston was born in Donora, Pennsylvania on January 2, 1925, but moved to Ogden, Utah when he was four years old. Johnston served in the United States Navy. He played college golf at the University of Utah and turned professional in 1950. The biggest win of his playing career was at the 1958 Texas Open Invitational.
Johnston played on the Senior PGA Tour (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 and Texas.
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.