Jack Newton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jack Newton
Personal information
Born	(1950-01-30)30 January 1950 Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia
Died	15 April 2022(2022-04-15) (aged 72)
Nationality	Australia
Spouse	Jackie
Children	2
Career
Turned professional	1969
Retired	1983
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour of Australasia European Tour PGA Tour
Professional wins	13
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	1
European Tour	3
PGA Tour of Australasia	3
Other	6
Best results in Major Championships
The Masters Tournament	T2: 1980
U.S. Open	T32: 1980
The Open Championship	2nd: 1975
PGA Championship	T20: 1980
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour of Australia Order of Merit winner	1979

Jack Newton OAM (30 January 1950 – 15 April 2022) was an Australian professional golfer. He won the Buick-Goodwrench Open on the PGA Tour and won three times on the European Tour, including the British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1974. He won the Australia Open in 1979 and a number of other tournaments in Australia, New Zealand and Africa. Twice, he was a runner-up in major championships, losing the 1975 Open Championship, in a playoff against Tom Watson, and the 1980 Masters Tournament, where he finished four strokes behind the winner, Seve Ballesteros.

In 1983 Newton had a near-fatal accident when he walked into the spinning propeller of an airplane, losing his right arm and eye.

Golf career

Newton was born in Cessnock, New South Wales. He turned professional in 1969. He was one of Australia's most successful golfers in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1972, he won the Dutch Open and the Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf in successive weeks. In 1974, he won the Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship, beating Cesar Sanudo in the final. Later in 1974, he lost in a playoff for the New Zealand Open. In 1978, Newton won the Buick-Goodwrench Open on the PGA Tour. In Australia, he won the New South Wales Open in 1976 and 1979 and the Australian Open Championship in 1979.

At the 1975 Open Championship at Carnoustie in Scotland, Newton lost in a playoff to Tom Watson. In the third round, Newton set a course record of 65, despite having injured an ankle so severely on the practice tee prior to the start of the championship, that he had it professionally wrapped each day, and was subjected to pain-killing injections. In the final round, Newton was the leader during the back-nine but dropped shots in three of the last four holes. Watson holed a 20-foot putt for a birdie on the 72nd hole to tie Newton. In the 18-hole playoff on the following day, Watson defeated Newton by one stroke (71−72). Newton later said that the turning point in the playoff was when Watson chipped in for an eagle at the 14th hole.

Newton won the PGA Tour of Australia's Order of Merit in 1979. He finished tied for second at the 1980 Masters Tournament, four strokes behind the winner Seve Ballesteros. In May 1983, Newton lost to Terry Gale in a playoff for the Western Australian Open.

Propeller accident

On 24 July 1983, during the height of his professional career, Newton had a near-fatal accident when he walked into the spinning propeller of a Cessna airplane from which he was getting off at Sydney Airport. He lost his right arm and eye, and sustained severe abdominal injuries. A severe rainstorm was in progress at the time, and in addition, safety aspects near the plane were deficient.

Immediately after the accident, doctors gave Newton a 50–50 chance of surviving. He spent several days in a coma and eight weeks in intensive care. After a prolonged rehabilitation from his injuries, Newton returned to public life as a television and radio golf commentator, newspaper reporter, golf course designer, public speaker and chairman of the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation. He taught himself to play golf one-handed, swinging the club with his left hand in a right-handed stance. He typically scored in the mid-80s.

In 2003, Newton was diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis, and was rushed to hospital.

Personal life

Newton married his wife Jackie in 1974; they had two children, Kristie and Clint. Clint Newton played rugby league, while Kristie is also a professional golfer.

In 2007, Newton was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to golf, particularly through a range of executive, youth development and fundraising roles. Newton became a force in the development of junior golfers, for which he was recognised on 13 October 2016 when he was inducted as a general member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

He died on 15 April 2022 at the age of 72 due to health complications, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2020.

Amateur wins

this list may be incomplete

• 1968 New South Wales Amateur
• 1969 Lake Macquarie Amateur

Professional wins (13)

PGA Tour wins (1)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner-up
1	18 Jun 1978	Buick-Goodwrench Open	−8 (72-67-70-71=280)	Playoff	Mike Sullivan

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1975	The Open Championship	Tom Watson	Lost 18-hole playoff; Watson: −1 (71), Newton: E (72)
2	1978	Buick-Goodwrench Open	Mike Sullivan	Won with birdie on first extra hole

Sources:

European Tour wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
1	13 Aug 1972	Dutch Open	−11 (64-75-69-69=277)	1 stroke	Malcolm Gregson, Peter Oosterhuis
2	19 Aug 1972	Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf	−3 (73-70-67-71=281)	1 stroke	Harry Bannerman
3	15 Sep 1974	Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship	2 and 1		Cesar Sanudo

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Result
1	1975	The Open Championship	Tom Watson	Lost 18-hole playoff; Watson: −1 (71), Newton: E (72)

Sources:

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (3)

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning score	Margin of victory	Runners-up
1	17 Oct 1976	New South Wales Open	−19 (67-68-68-66=269)	10 strokes	Ted Ball, David Good
2	4 Nov 1979	New South Wales Open (2)	−11 (69-70-70-72=281)	9 strokes	Wayne Grady, Jeff Hall, Gary Vanier
3	18 Nov 1979	Dunhill Australian Open	E (74-72-70-72=288)	1 stroke	Graham Marsh, Greg Norman

PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–2)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1974	New Zealand Open	Bob Charles, Bob Gilder	Gilder won with birdie on third extra hole Newton eliminated by par on second hole
2	1983	Town and Country Western Australian Open	Terry Gale	Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Sources:

Other wins (6)

This list may be incomplete

• 1972 Amoco Forbes Classic, City of Auckland Classic
• 1974 Nigerian Open
• 1975 Sumrie-Bournemouth Better-Ball (with John O'Leary)
• 1976 Cock of the North, Mufulira Open

Results in major championships

     Top 10      Did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1973 and 1974 Open Championships)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Source:

Summary

Team appearances

Amateur

• Sloan Morpeth Trophy (representing Australia): 1969 (winners)
• Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing New South Wales): 1968, 1969 (winners)