"Patton was the swashbuckler of the bunch for whom no recovery shot was impossible."**

RIP Billy Joe Patton, who passed away Saturday and is best known for a heroic 1954 Masters run as an amateur.  Bill Fields files this remembrance.

Update on 2011-01-03 16:26 by Geoff

**Ron Green Sr. calls Patton "the most endearing and colorful golf star to ever come smiling and slashing out of North Carolina."

John Dell speaks to Patton's son Chuck, who explains why his dad never turned pro.

Chuck said that his father was often asked about the Masters but that he remained philosophical about it.

"He'd always say 'If I would have won that thing, I would have had to turn pro, and my life would have been a lot different,' " Chuck said. "He liked to point out that in those days, there were only two guys making a lot of money, and they were named Snead and Hogan."