Jim Simons (golfer)
Encyclopedia
James Bradley Simons was an American
professional golfer
who played on the PGA Tour
in the 1970s and 1980s.
Simons was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and raised in suburban Butler, Pennsylvania
. He attended Knoch High School and later was a two-time All-American on the Wake Forest University
golf
team. He finished T-2 at the 1970 Canadian Amateur and finished runner-up at the 1971 British Amateur
to Steve Melnyk
.
Simons is probably best remembered for nearly winning the 1971 U.S. Open as an amateur. At the age of 21, he shot a third-round 65 to take a two-shot lead after 54 holes at Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia
. That set up the possibility of Simons, then a junior at Wake Forest, becoming the first amateur to win the event since Johnny Goodman
in 1933. However, he double-bogeyed the final hole and finished the final round with a score of 76 to finish tied for fifth, three shots behind winner Lee Trevino
.
Simons won three PGA Tour events during his career and had over three dozen top-10 finishes. His best finish in a major championship
in the professional ranks was T5 in the 1982 PGA Championship
. He was the first player to win a televised PGA Tour event using a metal driver.
Simons played a handful of events on the Champions Tour
after turning 50.
Simons was inducted into the Wake Forest University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. He was found dead in the hot tub in his Jacksonville, Florida
home at the age of 55. The Jacksonville/Duval County medical examiner's office ruled the cause of death as accidental "multiple drug toxicity".
PGA Tour playoff record (0-3)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional golfer
Professional golfer
In golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
who played on the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
in the 1970s and 1980s.
Simons was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and raised in suburban Butler, Pennsylvania
Butler, Pennsylvania
The city of Butler is the county seat of Butler County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated north of Pittsburgh. The population was 15,121 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. He attended Knoch High School and later was a two-time All-American on the Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
team. He finished T-2 at the 1970 Canadian Amateur and finished runner-up at the 1971 British Amateur
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
to Steve Melnyk
Steve Melnyk (golfer)
Steven N. Melnyk is a former American professional golfer and golf sportscaster best known for his success as an amateur golfer. Melnyk won both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur.- Early years :...
.
Simons is probably best remembered for nearly winning the 1971 U.S. Open as an amateur. At the age of 21, he shot a third-round 65 to take a two-shot lead after 54 holes at Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. That set up the possibility of Simons, then a junior at Wake Forest, becoming the first amateur to win the event since Johnny Goodman
Johnny Goodman
Johnny G. Goodman was the last amateur golfer to win the U.S. Open, doing so in 1933; he also won the U.S. Amateur in 1937....
in 1933. However, he double-bogeyed the final hole and finished the final round with a score of 76 to finish tied for fifth, three shots behind winner Lee Trevino
Lee Trevino
Lee Buck Trevino is an American professional golfer. He is an icon for Mexican Americans, and is often referred to as "The Merry Mex" and "Supermex". He won six major championships over the course of his career.-Early life:...
.
Simons won three PGA Tour events during his career and had over three dozen top-10 finishes. His best finish in a major championship
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
in the professional ranks was T5 in the 1982 PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
. He was the first player to win a televised PGA Tour event using a metal driver.
Simons played a handful of events on the Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
after turning 50.
Simons was inducted into the Wake Forest University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. He was found dead in the hot tub in his Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
home at the age of 55. The Jacksonville/Duval County medical examiner's office ruled the cause of death as accidental "multiple drug toxicity".
Amateur wins
- 1966 West Penn Junior Championship
- 1969 West Penn Amateur, Pennsylvania Amateur, Western JuniorWestern JuniorThe Western Junior is the oldest national junior golf tournament in the United States. It was founded in 1914 and is organized by the Western Golf Association. It is played at a different course each year, primarily in the midwest. From 1914 to 1998, it was played with stroke play qualifying...
- 1970 Pennsylvania Amateur
PGA Tour wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 24, 1977 1977 PGA Tour The 1977 PGA Tour season was played from January 6 to November 6. The season consisted of 45 official money events. Tom Watson won the most tournaments, five, and there were 10 first-time winners. The tournament results and award winners are listed below.... |
First NBC New Orleans Open | 3 strokes |  Stan Lee |
|
| 2 | May 21, 1978 1978 PGA Tour The 1978 PGA Tour season was played from January 5 to November 5. The season consisted of 44 official money events. Tom Watson won the most tournaments, five, and there were seven first-time winners. The tournament results and award winners are listed below.... |
Memorial Tournament Memorial Tournament The Memorial Tournament is a PGA Tour golf tournament founded by Jack Nicklaus. It is played on a Nicklaus-designed course at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Nicklaus' home town of Columbus. The golf course passes through a large neighborhood called Muirfield Village... |
1 stroke | Bill Kratzert |
|
| 3 | Feb 7, 1982 1982 PGA Tour The 1982 PGA Tour season was played from January 7 to October 31. The season consisted of 44 official money events. Calvin Peete, Craig Stadler, and Tom Watson won the most tournaments, four, and there were five first-time winners... |
Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | 2 strokes | Craig Stadler Craig Stadler Craig Robert Stadler is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level.... |
PGA Tour playoff record (0-3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979 | Buick-Goodwrench Open | John Fought John Fought John Fought III is an American golf course architect and professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and Champions Tour.... |
Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1980 | Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | Howard Twitty Howard Twitty Howard Allen Twitty is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s; and who currently plays on the Champions Tour.... |
Lost to birdie on sixth extra hole |
| 3 | 1984 | Bob Hope Desert Classic | John Mahaffey John Mahaffey John Drayton Mahaffey, Jr. is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments including 10 PGA Tour events.... |
Lost to par on second extra hole |