Luke Clayton Almost Took us Back to 1945.

But two amateur wins in one season haven’t happened on the PGA Tour since 1945, when three players—Fred Haas, Memphis Open, Cary Middlecoff at the North & South Open Championship, and Frank Stranahan at the Durham War Bond Tournament—each claimed victory.

Middlecoff and Stranahan's wins came in consecutive weeks, but the most interesting is Haas’s win in August in Memphis.

A 30-year-old insurance salesman from New Orleans won by five ---shots over George Low Jr., but in winning, broke a streak of 11 consecutive wins by Byron Nelson.

According to newspaper accounts, Ken Black’s win was the last professional tournament as an amateur coming in Vancouver, British Columbia 1936.

“Shucks, I was lucky,” Haas said after the win. “No amateur has the right to win one of these things; Nelson and Snead got off to a bad start, that’s all.”

Haas was well known to the professional field and the amateur game, having won the Southern Championship and played on the Walker Cup Team in 1938.

In winning, Haas also set the course record in the third round with a 64 at the Chickasaw Golf Course.

The praise for his feat came from some lofty quarters after the finish.

“Haas is playing remarkably fine golf,” Nelson said, who finished six strokes back. “The way he’s going he should hold his own anywhere.”

Snead rarely was positive about another player's game and showed a rare moment of praise for Haas.

“Freddie has (as) good (a) shot as any of us, and he’s been playing tournament golf about as long,” Snead said. “He’s hit his stride.”

The PGA Tournament Manager Fred Corcoran said that Haas was the greatest amateur since Johnny Goodman, who won the 1933 U.S. Open.

Then provided more high praise for Haas.

“Bobby Jones gave golf a tremendous shot in the arm and Francis Quimet, Jerome Travers and Chick Evans did before him. Haas can do the same.”

Haas turned professional in 1946 and won four more times as a professional, playing in a total of 402 events and having 116 top 10s, or over 28% of the time.

The last win came in 1954 at the Thunderbird Invitational in Palm Springs, winning $2,000.

Just a little more on 1945.

The season started with Snead winning the Los Angeles Open, then Nelson winning the Phoenix Open. Ray Mangrum won the Tucson Open, and Sam Byrd won the Texas Open.

Starting in February, the only players to win an event until the St. Paul Open at the beginning of July were Snead (3) and Nelson (13).

For good measure after the loss in Tennessee to Haas, Nelson would win the following week at the Knoxville Invitational and three more times in 1945.