Tony Jacklin
Anthony Jacklin is an English golfer. He was the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, the 1969 Open Championship and the 1970 U.S. Open. He was also Ryder Cup captain from 1983 to 1989, Europe winning two and tying another of these four events.
After a brief amateur career, Jacklin turned professional at the start of 1962 and in 1963 was chosen by Henry Cotton as his Rookie of the Year. In 1967 he won two tournaments on the British PGA circuit and he finished fifth, behind Roberto De Vicenzo, in the Open Championship. That year he also made the first televised hole-in-one, made his debut in the 1967 Ryder Cup and qualified for the 1968 PGA Tour. He had a successful first season on the PGA Tour, winning the Jacksonville Open and finishing 29th in the money list. Jacklin won the 1969 Open Championship at Royal Lytham in July, two strokes ahead of Bob Charles. He won the 1970 U.S. Open at Hazeltine, finishing 7 strokes ahead of the runner-up. In 1972 he won again on the PGA Tour, taking the Greater Jacksonville Open after a playoff. He also won the Viyella PGA Championship at Wentworth, and came close to winning the Open Championship, when he lost to Lee Trevino after Trevino had chipped in at the 71st hole, while Jacklin three-putted from 15 feet. Jacklin chose not to play on the PGA Tour in 1973 and 1974, playing mostly on the European Tour where he won three times. In early 1975 he moved to Jersey for tax reasons and returned to the PGA Tour. However, he had less success than previously and again dropped off the tour. He returned to the European tour, playing on that tour until 1984. After turning 50, Jacklin played on the Senior PGA Tour from 1994 to 1997, winning twice. He also played on the European Seniors Tour.
Jacklin played in seven successive Ryder Cup matches from 1967 to 1979. He was never on the winning side, although the 1969 contest was tied. Later he was the European Ryder Cup captain from 1983 to 1989; Europe winning two and halving another of these four events.
Early life
Jacklin was born on 7 July 1944 in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, the son of Arthur and Doris Jacklin. He had a sister, Lynn. His father was a lorry driver and introduced Jacklin to golf. Jacklin attended Henderson Avenue Primary School in the town, and later the Doncaster Road Secondary School. Doris died in 1992, while Arthur died in 1996.Amateur career
Jacklin won the Lincolnshire junior championship four times, from 1958 to 1961. In 1958 he won with a 36-hole gross score of 162, playing off a handicap of 12. By August 1961 he had a handicap of 3 and won for the fourth successive time, with a score of 138, 20 strokes ahead of the runner-up. Later in the month Jacklin competed in the Boys Amateur Championship at Dalmahoy. He was selected for two team matches before the championship, competing for a combined England and Scotland team against the Continent of Europe and, the following day, for England in their annual boys match against Scotland. In the boys championship itself, he lost at the last-64 stage to Hans-Hubert Giesen. Jacklin won the Lincolnshire Open in September 1961, 8 strokes ahead of the runner-up. His father also competed in the event.Professional career
British PGA
At the start of 1962 Jacklin turned professional, becoming an assistant to Bill Shankland at Potters Bar Golf Club. Jacklin qualified for the 1963 Open Championship at Royal Lytham. He played at Fairhaven where 39 places were available. Jacklin had rounds of 77 and 70 to qualify; those on 148 had to play off for places. In the championship itself Jacklin had rounds of 73 and 72 to make the cut comfortably and then had rounds of 76 and 74 on the last day to finish in a tie for 30th place. Later in 1963 he reached the last-32 of the News of the World Match Play before losing to Malcolm Gregson at the 20th hole, and was runner-up, with Gregson, in the Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament. At the end of 1963 he was chosen by Henry Cotton as his Rookie of the Year. Having been runner-up in 1963, Jacklin won the 1964 Coombe Hill Assistants' Tournament, a stroke ahead of Adrian Sadler. The event was played at Hill Barn near Worthing. He also had good performance in the Blaxnit Tournament which was played in Belfast. Jacklin finished tied for 3rd place after a last round 65.Jacklin played in South Africa in early 1965 but had little success. He received an entry into the 1965 Carling World Open, played in the United States in August, which had a $35,000 first prize. Jacklin made the cut, finished tied for 35th place and won $1,000 in prize money. However weather meant that the event did not finish until the Monday and Jacklin was due to play in the Gor-Ray Cup, the Assistants' Championship, the following day, at Hartsbourne. Jacklin arranged a late tee-off time and, after opening rounds of 73 and 74. he had two rounds of 68 on the final day and won the championship after a sudden-death playoff. The following week he reached the semi-finals of the News of the World Match Play and in October he was third in the Piccadilly Medal. Jacklin finished the season 12th in the Order of Merit.
In early 1966 Jacklin made his second visit to South Africa. The visit was more successful that his first, with a third place finish in the South African Masters and a joint victory in the Kimberley 4000 Tournament, to put him in 4th place in the money list with £903. In 1966 Jacklin won the Blaxnit Tournament by 5 strokes and was runner-up in the Rediffusion Tournament in Jersey. He finished 5th in the Order of Merit and won £2,715 on the circuit. Jacklin was selected, together with Peter Alliss, for the England team for the 1966 Canada Cup in Japan, the pair finishing in 10th place. He then travelled to New Zealand to play on the circuit there. He was runner-up in the Wattie's Tournament behind Bob Charles, and was a joint winner, with Charles, of the Forest Products Tournament. He finished 5th in the prize money list with £905. Jacklin stayed in New Zealand and won the 1967 New Zealand PGA Championship in early January, beating Martin Roesink by 6 strokes in an 18-hole playoff. He then played in a few events in Australia, where he was joint third in the Victorian Open, before playing a number of events on the 1967 Far East Circuit, including a runner-up finish in the Thailand Open, before travelled to the United States to play in the 1967 Masters for which he had received an invitation. Jacklin was tied for 7th place after three rounds but a final round 77 dropped him into a tie for 16th place.
Jacklin won twice on the 1967 British PGA circuit, the Pringle of Scotland Tournament and the Dunlop Masters, and he finished 5th, behind Roberto De Vicenzo, in the 1967 Open Championship. In the Dunlop Masters he had a hole-in-one at the 16th hole of the final round, televised live. He played a few events on the PGA Tour and finished tied for 7th in the Carling World Open in Canada. In early October, Jacklin played in the 1967 PGA Tour Qualifying School, an 8-round event with 30 places available for the 1968 PGA Tour. Early rounds of 74-76-76 left him down the field, 18 strokes behind the leader, but he improved his position over the last 5 rounds and finished tied for 11th place, 12 shots behind the winner Bobby Cole. The following week he played in his first Ryder Cup. Selection for the 1967 Ryder Cup team was based on a points system using performances in 1966 and 1967, finishing after the 1967 Open Championship. Jacklin was in 5th place, to get a place in the 10-man team. The United States won the match by 15 points. Jacklin played with Dave Thomas on the opening two days, winning two and halving another of their matches. Jacklin played in both singles sessions on the final day, losing them both.
PGA Tour
Jacklin was successful at 1967 PGA Tour Qualifying School earning him playing privileges on the PGA Tour for the following year. He played regularly until the end of June 1968 and then returned to play a number of events in August. Early in 1968, he finished tied for 10th place in the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am and tied for 8th in the Tucson Open. In March in Florida he had more success, finishing tied for 4th in the Florida Citrus Open, joint runner-up in the Pensacola Open and winner of the Jacksonville Open in successive weeks. It was the first win by a British player in an important American event since the 1920s. His win earned him $20,000 and he also won the prize for the lowest aggregate score in the four Florida events. He finished tied for 22nd place in the Masters and had further top-10 finishes in the Tournament of Champions and the Cleveland Open. He finished the season 29th in the official money list with $58,495. Jacklin returned to Britain in July and finished tied for 18th in the Open Championship at Carnoustie. He failed to qualify for the U.S. Open after a second round 82 in his qualifying event, and didn't play in the PGA Championship, which was played the week after the Open. In October Jacklin made his debut in the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship, losing to Gary Player in the semi-finals, at the 37th hole.The 1969 Open Championship was held at Royal Lytham in July. He had rounds of 68-70-70-72 for a total of 280, 5-under-par. Bob Charles was two strokes behind with Roberto De Vicenzo and Peter Thomson a further stroke back. All the four players scored 72 on the final day. Jacklin was the first British winner of The Open since 1951.
Jacklin was involved in one of the most memorable moments in Ryder Cup history at Royal Birkdale in the 1969 Ryder Cup, which ended in a tie. Six places in the team were allocated to the leaders of a points list after the 1969 Open Championship. Jacklin was one of the other six that were chosen by committee the following week. Jacklin played in all four pair sessions on the opening two days, winning three matches and halving the other, He played Jack Nicklaus in two singles matches on the final day, winning the morning match 4&3. In the afternoon match Jacklin made an eagle putt on the 17th to level the match. At the final hole, Nicklaus conceded Jacklin's two-foot putt, halving the match, and ending the Ryder Cup with a tied score. "The Concession" ended with the two golfers walking off the course with arms around each other's shoulders. Jacklin and Nicklaus later co-designed a golf course in Florida called "The Concession" to commemorate the moment.
In the first half of 1969 Jacklin largely repeated his 1968 schedule, playing most weeks on the PGA Tour. However he had less success, with a tie for 8th place in the Doral Open and ties for 5th place in the Western Open and the Kemper Open. That year Jacklin made his first appearances in the U.S. Open, although he had to qualify for the event, and in the PGA Championship, which was played at a later date than in 1968. He finished tied for 25th place in both tournaments. He returned to the PGA tour in mid-October to play in the Sahara Invitational and had another 5th place finish. He won $3,850, a sum that lifted him to 60th in the official money list with $33,036 and meant he was exempt from qualifying for PGA Tour events in 1970.
In 1970 Jacklin won his second major title, the U.S. Open by seven strokes on a windblown Hazeltine National Golf Club course. The win gave him a 10-year exemption from pre-qualifying for PGA Tour events.
As previously Jacklin played on the PGA Tour in the first half of the year. He had a number of high finishes. He lost in a playoff to Pete Brown in the Andy Williams San Diego Open after taking a bogey five at the first playoff hole. He was tied for 8th place in the Doral-Eastern Open, tied for 4tn in the Monsanto Open, third in the Greater Jacksonville Open and joint runner-up in the Tournament of Champions. The also had a good finish in the 1970 Masters Tournament, finishing tied for 12th place. He returned to the tour in August but performed badly, missing the cut in the PGA Championship. He finished the year at 20th place in the money list with $87,859. Defending his title, Jacklin finished solo 5th in the 1970 Open Championship at St Andrews, three strokes behind the leaders. He had some success in Europe towards the end of the year. He was runner-up to Christy O'Connor in the John Player Classic, winning £10,000, won the W.D. & H.O. Wills Tournament, lost to Jack Nicklaus in the semi-final of the Piccadilly World Match Play and won the Lancome Trophy. He also played with Peter Butler in the World Cup in Argentina, the English team finishing tied for 7th place.
Jacklin played on the PGA Tour in the first half of 1971, but had less success that previously. His only top-10 finish was tied for 7th place in the Greater Greensboro Open. He finished the year with winnings of $19,977, leaving him in 102nd place in the money list. Jacklin again did well in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, finishing solo third, two stroke behind the winner, Lee Trevino. On the British circuit he won the Benson & Hedges Festival in August, beating Peter Butler in a playoff. Jacklin was again a committee choice for the Ryder Cup team in St. Louis. Jacklin played twice with Brian Huggett on the opening day, winning one match and halving the other, as the team took a narrow lead. However the United States dominated the second day and won comfortably. Jacklin partnered Peter Oosterhuis in the 1971 World Cup in Florida, the England team finishing tied for 6th place.
In 1972 Jacklin had a much better season on the PGA Tour, compared to 1971. He was tied for 6th place in the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am before being tied for 4th in both the Phoenix Open and the Jackie Gleason's Inverrary Classic in successive weeks. He then won the Greater Jacksonville Open after a playoff against John Jacobs. Jacobs failed to make a par at the first extra hole. It was Jacklin's second win in the event. He was tied for 7th in the Greater Greensboro Open, the weeks before the Masters. He finished the season in 35th place in the money list with $65,976.
Jacklin suffered a devastating near-miss in the 1972 Open Championship at Muirfield. Tied for the lead with playing partner Lee Trevino playing the 71st hole, Jacklin had a straightforward 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 hole, while Trevino was not yet on the green after four struggling strokes. But Trevino holed a difficult chip shot, and Jacklin took three putts, leaving him one shot behind. Trevino parred the final hole to win, but Jacklin bogeyed, finishing third behind Jack Nicklaus. Jacklin was just 28 years old at the time, but never seriously contended again in a major championship. In 2013, Jacklin said of his experience in the 1972 Open: "I was never the same again after that. I didn't ever get my head around it – it definitely knocked the stuffing out of me somehow."
After the Open Championship, Jacklin played in a number of events in Europe. He was runner-up in the Swiss Open but then withdrew from the PGA Championship. He won the Viyella PGA Championship by 3 strokes from Peter Oosterhuis, and had three other top-5 finishes in British tournaments including being runner-up to Bob Charles in the Dunlop Masters. At the end of the year Jacklin was in Australia for the 1972 World Cup. Playing with Guy Hunt the England team finished in 6th place. The previous week he had won the Dunlop International at Yarra Yarra.