Profiles

Robert Tyre JONES
1902 - 1971
Between 1926 and 1930, no one had a finer major championship record than Bobby Jones. Despite being an amateur, Jones was the supreme champion. He played in four British Opens winning three of them, he also won four US Opens. And in a total of 12 US and British Opens in which he played from 1922 to 1930, he only once finished lower than second. Jones, however, is best remembered for achieving, what used to be referred to, as the old Grand Slam. In 1930, he won, the British Amateur Championship, British Open, US Open and US Amateur Championship, in that order. Nowadays, being an amateur champion is considered as merely the final step before turning professional. Yet back in the 1920s and 30s, many of the world's best players held amateur status throughout their golfing life. After completing the Grand Slam, Jones retired from tournament golf. He was only 28. A successful career in law followed, not that Jones turned his back on golf completely. Together with Clifford Roberts, he founded Augusta National and in the early years of the US Masters he made rare appearances in the tournament. He also made a number of instructional films on golf.

Jones, born in Atlanta, Georgia in March 1902, was a clean cut, modest, American hero, unlike the more flamboyant figures of his contemporaries Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen.
Looking back on Jones' career, both on and off the golf course, it seemed as if everything came easy to him. In addition to his golfing prowess, Jones held degrees in engineering, science and law. Extremely gifted, he was, but there were still one or two traumatic moments. In his first appearance at the British Open, in 1921, at St Andrews, Jones tore up his card in anger in round three. He'd taken 46 strokes to reach the turn, then made sixes at both the 10th and short par-3, 11th holes, before petulantly walking off the course. Jones apologized for his behaviour. He was still only 19. Jones also found the tension of tournament golf quite a strain and he would often be physically sick before an important round. Sadly, Jones' health deteriorated in his 50s and he spent his last years confined to a wheel chair, as a cripple. He died in December 1971.

Although an American through and through, Jones had a special affinity for St. Andrews. This picture shows him on his way to winning the 1927 British Open.

Jones was the most glamorous sporting idol in America in the 1920s, gracing numerous magazine covers.

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