Tommy Jacobs
Encyclopedia
Keith Thomas Jacobs, Jr. (born February 13, 1935) is an American
professional golfer
and golf course
owner/operator who has played on the PGA Tour
and the Champions Tour
. He is the older brother of John Jacobs
who has also played on the PGA Tour and is a current player on the Champions Tour.
Jacobs was born in Denver Colorado and raised in southern California
, where he started in junior golf. In 1951, Jacobs won the USGA National Junior Championship. At sixteen, he advanced to the semi-finals of the USGA National Amateur, which earned him an invitation to The Masters at age 17. For 58 years, Jacobs had the distinction of being the youngest golfer to play in the Masters (in 1952). 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 in 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). Jacobs was a member of the 1965 Ryder Cup
team, and finished with a record of 3-1-1.
Like most pro golfers of his generation, Jacobs earned his living primarily as a club pro during his thirties and forties. He was Director of Golf at La Costa Hotel Spa and The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California
for more than 20 years. He 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
. In 1995, he went on to form an LLC, which purchased Bel Air Greens golf course, and changed the name to Tommy Jacobs' Bel Air Greens – a nine-hole, par-32 golf course in Palm Springs, California
. Jacobs and his partners completed the sale of the golf course in 2006.
Jacobs and his brother John have 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.
Jacobs lives in Leland, North Carolina
.
Professional
LA = Low Amateur
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion of U.S. Amateur
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for The Masters: www.masters.com
Source for U.S. Open: USGA Championship Database
Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1955 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1955, pg. 4.
Source for PGA Championship: PGA Championship Media Guide
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;...
and golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
owner/operator who has 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...
and 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...
. He is the older brother of John Jacobs
John Jacobs (American golfer)
John Alexander Jacobs is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. Jacobs is the younger brother of professional golfer Tommy Jacobs....
who has also played on the PGA Tour and is a current player on the Champions Tour.
Jacobs was born in Denver Colorado and raised in southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, where he started in junior golf. In 1951, Jacobs won the USGA National Junior Championship. At sixteen, he advanced to the semi-finals of the USGA National Amateur, which earned him an invitation to The Masters at age 17. For 58 years, Jacobs had the distinction of being the youngest golfer to play in the Masters (in 1952). The record was broken by Matteo Manassero
Matteo Manassero
Matteo Manassero is an Italian professional golfer. He is the youngest golfer to win a European Tour event.Manassero was born in Negrar, in the Province of Verona. In 2009, at the age of 16, he became the youngest ever winner of the British Amateur Championship, defeating England's Sam Hutsby in...
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 in the 1964 Palm Springs Golf Classic. During his career, Jacobs had sole 2nd place finishes in two major championships
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...
. He lost the 1964 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
to Ken Venturi
Ken Venturi
Kenneth Venturi is an American former professional golfer and golf broadcaster.-Early years and amateur career:Venturi was born in San Francisco, California. He learned golf from an early age, and developed his game at Harding Park Golf Course and other public courses in the area...
by four strokes, and was runner-up in a playoff at the Masters Tournament in 1966 that he (72) and Gay Brewer
Gay Brewer
Gay Robert Brewer, Jr. was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and won the 1967 Masters Tournament....
(78) lost to Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
(70). Jacobs was a member of the 1965 Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
team, and finished with a record of 3-1-1.
Like most pro golfers of his generation, Jacobs earned his living primarily as a club pro during his thirties and forties. He was Director of Golf at La Costa Hotel Spa and The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe known locally as ″The Ranch″, is one of the most exclusive and affluent communities in Southern California. It is also a census-designated place in San Diego County, California and an unincorporated bedroom community of San Diego County...
for more than 20 years. He joined the Senior PGA Tour (now known as 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...
) in 1985 and continued to play in selected events into the 2000s; his last appearance was at the 2003 Senior PGA Championship
Senior PGA Championship
The Senior PGA Championship is one of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour. It was formerly an unofficial money...
. In 1995, he went on to form an LLC, which purchased Bel Air Greens golf course, and changed the name to Tommy Jacobs' Bel Air Greens – a nine-hole, par-32 golf course in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
. Jacobs and his partners completed the sale of the golf course in 2006.
Jacobs and his brother John have 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.
Jacobs lives in Leland, North Carolina
Leland, North Carolina
Leland is a town in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,938 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
PGA Tour wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 14, 1958 | Denver Open | 1 stroke |  Ernie VosslerErnie Vossler Ernest Orville Vossler is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour; he later prospered in the fields of golf course design and construction, golf course management services and real estate development.... |
|
| 2 | Jan 14, 1962 | San Diego Open Invitational | Playoff | Johnny Pott |
|
| 3 | Sep 8, 1963 | Utah Open Utah Open The Utah Open is the Utah state open golf tournament, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is organized by the Utah section of the PGA of America. It was first played in 1926 and has been played at a variety of courses around the state... |
1 stroke | Don January Don January Donald Ray January is an American professional golfer.January was born in Plainview, Texas, and graduated from Sunset High School in Dallas... |
|
| 4 | Feb 2, 1964 | Palm Springs Golf Classic | Playoff | Jimmy Demaret Jimmy Demaret James Newton Demaret was an American professional golfer. He won 31 PGA Tour events in a long career between 1935 and 1957, and was the first three-time winner of the Masters.... |
Results in major championships
Amateur| Tournament | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | 60 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | R64 |
Professional
| Tournament | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | CUT | T10 | T59 |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | T14 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | T28 | CUT | T15 | 2 | CUT | CUT | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | CUT | T6 | T32 | 2 | T28 | CUT | CUT | CUT | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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... |
CUT | DNP | T23 | T8 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T67 | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 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... |
T61 | DNP | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT |
LA = Low Amateur
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion of U.S. Amateur
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for The Masters: www.masters.com
Source for U.S. Open: USGA Championship Database
Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1955 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1955, pg. 4.
Source for PGA Championship: PGA Championship Media Guide