Jim Thorpe (golfer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jim Thorpe |
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Jimmy Lee Thorpe |
| Born | February 1, 1949 Roxboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Heathrow, Florida, U.S. |
| Career | |
| College | Morgan State University |
| Turned professional | 1972 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 21 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| Champions Tour | 13 |
| Other | 5 |
| Best results in Major Championships |
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| The Masters Tournament | T18: 1985 |
| U.S. Open | T4: 1984 |
| The Open Championship | CUT: 1986, 1987 |
| PGA Championship | T7: 1986 |
Jimmy Lee Thorpe (born February 1, 1949) is an American retired professional golfer. He played on the Champions Tour for many years.
Contents
Early Life and Golf Beginnings
Jimmy Lee Thorpe was born on February 1, 1949. He grew up in Roxboro, North Carolina. He was one of twelve children in his family. His dad was a superintendent for golf courses. This means he helped take care of the golf course grounds. Jimmy went to Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Becoming a Professional Golfer
Jimmy Thorpe became a professional golfer in 1972. This means he started playing golf for money. He won three tournaments on the PGA Tour in the mid-1980s. These were big wins for him!
Later in his career, he joined the Champions Tour. This tour is for golfers aged 50 and older. He became even more successful there. He won over ten tournaments on the Champions Tour. One of his biggest wins was a major championship called The Tradition in 2002. By 2004, he was one of the top earners on the Champions Tour.
Jimmy Thorpe continued his golf career after a break. He returned to the Champions Tour in 2011.
Jimmy Thorpe's Golf Wins
Jimmy Thorpe has won many golf tournaments. He has a total of 21 professional wins.
PGA Tour Wins
Jimmy Thorpe won 3 tournaments on the PGA Tour:
- Greater Milwaukee Open in 1985
- Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship in 1985
- Seiko-Tucson Match Play Championship again in 1986
He also played in one playoff on the PGA Tour. A playoff happens when players have the same score at the end of a tournament. They play extra holes to decide the winner. Jimmy lost his only PGA Tour playoff in 1985.
Canadian Tour Wins
Jimmy Thorpe won one tournament on the Canadian Tour. This was the Labatt's International in 1982. He won this event in a playoff.
Other Wins
He also won two other tournaments:
- 1991 Amoco Centel Championship, Jamaica Open
- 1993 Jerry Ford Invitational (he tied for first place with two other golfers)
Champions Tour Wins
Jimmy Thorpe has had great success on the Champions Tour. He has won 13 tournaments on this tour. This includes one major championship.
Here are some of his wins:
- The Transamerica in 2000
- Gold Rush Classic in 2000
- Kroger Senior Classic in 2001 (won in a playoff)
- Allianz Championship in 2001
- The Countrywide Tradition in 2002 (a major championship, won in a playoff)
- Long Island Classic in 2003
- Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2003 (a big tournament)
- Farmers Charity Classic in 2004
- Commerce Bank Long Island Classic in 2004
- FedEx Kinko's Classic in 2005
- Blue Angels Classic in 2005 (won in a playoff)
- Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2006
- Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2007
Jimmy Thorpe has a good record in Champions Tour playoffs. He has won 3 out of 4 playoffs he has been in.
Other Senior Wins
In 2014, Jimmy Thorpe won the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf. He won this event with another golfer named Jim Colbert.
Playing in Major Championships
Major championships are the most important golf tournaments. There are four main ones in professional golf:
- Masters Tournament
- U.S. Open
- The Open Championship (also called the British Open)
- PGA Championship
Jimmy Thorpe played in 27 major championships during his career. He made the "cut" in 15 of them. Making the cut means he played well enough to continue playing in the final rounds.
He never won a major championship. However, he had some great finishes:
- In the U.S. Open, he finished in the top 5 once (4th place in 1984). He also finished in the top 10 twice.
- In the PGA Championship, he finished in the top 10 once (7th place in 1986).
- In the Masters Tournament, his best finish was 18th place in 1985.
Senior Major Championships
When golfers turn 50, they can play in senior major championships. Jimmy Thorpe won one of these big tournaments:
- In 2002, he won The Countrywide Tradition. He won this major in a playoff.
He also had other strong finishes in senior majors:
- He finished 2nd twice in the Senior PGA Championship.
- He finished 2nd twice in the Senior Players Championship.
- He had several other top 10 finishes in these major events.
See also
- List of golfers with most Champions Tour wins
