Tommy Jacobs
Keith Thomas Jacobs Jr. (February 13, 1935 – July 9, 2022) was an American professional golfer and golf course owner/operator who played on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. He was the older brother of John Jacobs who has also played on the PGA Tour and is a current player on the Champions Tour.[1]
| Tommy Jacobs | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Keith Thomas Jacobs Jr. |
| Born | February 13, 1935 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | July 9, 2022 (aged 87) |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg; 11 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Residence | Leland, North Carolina |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1956 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 7 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 4 |
| Other | 3 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | 2nd: 1966 |
| PGA Championship | T8: 1963 |
| U.S. Open | 2nd: 1964 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| British Amateur | R64: 1955 |
Jacobs was born in Denver, Colorado, and raised in southern California, where he started in junior golf. In 1951, Jacobs won the U.S. Junior Amateur. At sixteen, he advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur, which earned him an invitation to the Masters Tournament at age 17. For 58 years, Jacobs had the distinction of being the youngest golfer to ever play in the Masters (in 1952).[1] The record was broken by Matteo Manassero in 2010. He turned professional in 1956.
Jacobs won four PGA Tour events. His first win came in 1958 at the newly revamped Denver Open, and his last was at the 1964 Palm Springs Golf Classic. During his career, Jacobs had sole 2nd-place finishes in two major championships. He lost the 1964 U.S. Open to Ken Venturi by four strokes, and was runner-up in a playoff at the Masters Tournament in 1966 that he (72) and Gay Brewer (78) lost to Jack Nicklaus (70).[2] Jacobs was a member of the 1965 Ryder Cup team, and finished with a record of 3-1-1.
Jacobs joined the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour) in 1985 and continued to play in selected events into the 2000s; his last appearance was at the 2003 Senior PGA Championship.[1]
Jacobs and his brother John teamed up with Roger Fredericks, to form Champions Corporate Golf Outings, which provides custom tailored golf events for small to medium size groups and corporations.[1]
Jacobs died on July 9, 2022, at the age of 87.[3]
Professional wins (7)
PGA Tour wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 14, 1958 | Denver Open | −14 (65-67-67-67=266) | 1 stroke | Ernie Vossler |
| 2 | Jan 14, 1962 | San Diego Open Invitational | −7 (72-70-70-65=277) | Playoff | Johnny Pott |
| 3 | Sep 8, 1963 | Utah Open | −12 (68-72-62-70=272) | 1 stroke | Don January |
| 4 | Feb 2, 1964 | Palm Springs Golf Classic | −7 (66-74-74-69-70=353) | Playoff | Jimmy Demaret |
PGA Tour playoff record (2–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1962 | San Diego Open Invitational | Johnny Pott |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1964 | Palm Springs Golf Classic | Jimmy Demaret |
Won with par on second extra hole |
| 3 | 1966 | Masters Tournament | Gay Brewer, Jack Nicklaus |
Nicklaus won 18-hole playoff; Nicklaus: −2 (70), Jacobs: E (72), Brewer: +6 (78) |
| 4 | 1969 | IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic | Gay Brewer, Dave Hill, R. H. Sikes |
Hill won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (3)
Results in major championships
Amateur
| Tournament | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 60 | |||
| U.S. Open | ||||
| The Open Championship | ||||
| British Amateur | R64 |
Professional
| Tournament | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T10 | T59 | |
| The Open Championship | ||||
| PGA Championship | T14 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T28 | CUT | T15 | 2 | CUT | CUT | ||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T6 | T32 | 2 | T28 | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T23 | T8 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T67 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||||||
| U.S. Open | |||||||
| The Open Championship | |||||||
| PGA Championship | T61 | CUT | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1960 and 1964 PGA Championships)
R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Source for Masters,[4] U.S. Open,[5] Open Championship,[6] British Amateur,[7] PGA Championship[8]
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 6 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 5 |
| Totals | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 31 | 15 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 5 (1962 U.S. Open – 1963 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)
Team appearances
- Ryder Cup: 1965 (winners)
- Diamondhead Cup: 1974 (winners)
References
- "Tommy Jacobs bio". Champions Corporate Golf Outings. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
- "Tommy Jacobs". Golf Major Championships.
- Livsey, Laury (July 11, 2022). "Tommy Jacobs passes away at age 87". PGA Tour.
- www.masters.com Archived 2010-03-26 at the Wayback Machine
- USGA Championship Database Archived 2010-12-21 at the Wayback Machine
- www.opengolf.com
- The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1955, pg. 4.
- PGA Championship Media Guide
External links
- Tommy Jacobs at the PGA Tour official site
| | |
Won: 19.5 – 12.5 Johnny Pott: Made the team, but did not participate in the event due to a back injury. | ||