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John Jacobs (English golfer) facts for kids

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John Jacobs
OBE
Jacobs at the 1957 Dutch Open
Personal information
Full name John Robert Maurice Jacobs OBE
Born (1925-03-14)14 March 1925
Woodsetts, Yorkshire, England
Died 13 January 2017(2017-01-13) (aged 91)
Nationality  England
Spouse Rita (died 2006)
Children Joanna, Jonathan
Career
Status Professional
Former tour(s) European Tour
Professional wins 2
Best results in Major Championships
The Masters Tournament DNP
U.S. Open DNP
The Open Championship T12: 1955
PGA Championship DNP
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame 2000
Officer of the Most
Excellent Order of
the British Empire
1997

John Robert Maurice Jacobs was an amazing English professional golfer, coach, writer, and leader. He was born on March 14, 1925, and passed away on January 13, 2017. John Jacobs was so important to golf that he was added to the World Golf Hall of Fame in the year 2000. He even received an OBE award, which is a special honor in the UK.

About John Jacobs

John Jacobs helped shape modern golf, especially in Europe. He was a talented player, but his biggest impact came from his work as a coach and his role in creating the European Tour.

His Early Life

John Jacobs was born in a place called Woodsetts, in Yorkshire, England. His father, Robert Jacobs, was also a golf professional at the Lindrick Golf Club. John's mother, Vivian, worked there too.

During World War II, John joined the Royal Air Force. While he was serving, he met his future wife, Rita. They got married in 1949.

Becoming a Golf Pro

After the war ended, John Jacobs became a professional golfer. In 1947, he started his first paid job as an assistant at Hallamshire Golf Club. He even came in second place in a championship in Yorkshire in 1948.

In 1949, John moved to Cairo, Egypt, to work as a golf professional at the Gezira Sporting Club. He stayed there until 1952. After that, he returned to England and became the professional at Sandy Lodge Golf Club near Watford.

Winning Tournaments

John Jacobs had a good career as a tournament player. He won two big international tournaments in 1957.

  • In March 1957, he won the Dunlop South African Professional Match Play Masters. He beat the famous golfer Gary Player in the final match!
  • In August 1957, he won the Dutch Open. He played incredibly well, even getting a hole-in-one during one of his rounds.

While he didn't win a major tournament in Britain, he often came very close, finishing second in several events.

Playing in the Ryder Cup

One of the most exciting parts of John Jacobs's playing career was when he played in the 1955 Ryder Cup. This is a famous golf competition where a team of golfers from Great Britain and Ireland plays against a team from the United States.

John earned his spot on the team because of his strong performance in other tournaments. The Ryder Cup was played in California, USA. John did great, winning both of his matches! He teamed up with John Fallon to win their doubles match, and then he beat American golfer Cary Middlecoff in his singles match.

Leading the European Tour

John Jacobs played a huge role in creating the European Tour. This is a series of professional golf tournaments played across Europe. He was the Tournament Director-General from 1971 to 1975, which included the very first season of the modern tour in 1972. His hard work helped make the European Tour what it is today.

Ryder Cup Captain

John Jacobs was also chosen to be the non-playing captain for the European Ryder Cup team in 1979 and 1981. This means he led the team but didn't play in the matches himself.

Golf Coach and Writer

John Jacobs was also a very respected golf coach. He worked with many top players and even started his own golf academies. He also wrote several books about golf, including Practical Golf and Golf Doctor. Other famous golf coaches, like Butch Harmon, have said that John Jacobs "wrote the book on coaching" and that they learned a lot from him.

He also helped design golf courses, like Chartridge Park Golf Club and the Buckinghamshire in England.

His Legacy

John Jacobs was an Honorary member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews, which is a very old and important golf club. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 91, leaving behind a huge impact on the world of golf.

Tournament Wins

John Jacobs won two professional tournaments:

Date Tournament Venue Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner-up
9 Mar 1957 Dunlop South African
Professional Match Play Masters
Houghton Golf Club 2&1 in final South Africa Gary Player
11 Aug 1957 Dutch Open Hilversumsche Golf Club 73-73-71-67=284 3 strokes Belgium Flory Van Donck

Team Appearances

John Jacobs was part of these golf teams:

  • Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland/Europe): 1955 (as a player), 1979 and 1981 (as non-playing captain)
  • Joy Cup (representing the British Isles): 1954, 1955, 1958 (all wins!)
  • Amateurs–Professionals Match (representing the Professionals): 1958
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