Steve Jones (golfer)
Encyclopedia
Steven Glen Jones is an American
professional golf
er who is best known for winning the U.S. Open
in 1996.
. He was a semi-finalist at the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1976. He attended the University of Colorado
and turned professional in 1981.
in 1982, but only made three cuts. His first top 10 finish on the PGA Tour came at the Texas Open in September 1985, and in 1986 he won the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to retain his card for the following year. This marked the beginning of a more successful period.
In November 1991 Jones suffered ligament and joint damage to his left ring finger in a dirtbike accident, and he missed almost three years of play as a professional. He played in only two events in 1994.
of his career. He defeated Tom Lehman
and Davis Love III
by one stoke, and was the first sectional qualifier to win the tournament since Jerry Pate
in 1976.
Jones played for the United States in the 1996 World Cup of Golf. He won two more PGA Tour events in 1997; in 1998, he won another, his last to date.
, but starting playing again in 2005.
Jones was captain's assistant for the United States team at the 2004 Ryder Cup
.
In 2007, he played in nine PGA tour events and four Nationwide tour events in 2007, making the cut six times, with no top-25 finishes.
PGA Tour playoff record (2-1)
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional 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....
er who is best known for winning the 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...
in 1996.
Early life and education
Jones was born in Artesia, New MexicoArtesia, New Mexico
Artesia is a city in Eddy County, New Mexico, United States, centered at the intersection of U.S. Route 82 and 285; the two highways serve as the city's Main Street and First Street, respectively...
. He was a semi-finalist at the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1976. He attended the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
and turned professional in 1981.
Early years
In the early years of his professional career, Jones did not have much success. He played the PGA TourPGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
in 1982, but only made three cuts. His first top 10 finish on the PGA Tour came at the Texas Open in September 1985, and in 1986 he won the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament to retain his card for the following year. This marked the beginning of a more successful period.
1987-1994
Jones won on the PGA Tour for the first time at the 1988 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. 1989 was the most victorious year of his career with three PGA Tour wins, and he finished a career best eighth on the money list.In November 1991 Jones suffered ligament and joint damage to his left ring finger in a dirtbike accident, and he missed almost three years of play as a professional. He played in only two events in 1994.
Comeback
Jones began his comeback in earnest in 1995, when he had two top 10 finishes. In 1996 he achieved three top ten places by May, but he was still a rank outsider when he picked up the U.S. Open title that June, which was the only major championshipMen'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...
of his career. He defeated Tom Lehman
Tom Lehman
Thomas Edward Lehman is an American professional golfer.Lehman was born in Austin, Minnesota, but Alexandria, Minnesota is credited as his official Minnesota hometown. He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating with a degree in Business/Accounting and turned professional in 1982. It took...
and Davis Love III
Davis Love III
Davis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA...
by one stoke, and was the first sectional qualifier to win the tournament since Jerry Pate
Jerry Pate
Jerome Kendrick "Jerry" Pate is an American golfer.Jerry Pate was born in Macon, Georgia. He attended the University of Alabama, where he played on the golf team. Pate had a distinguished amateur career. He won the U.S. Amateur in 1974, and the following year he was a member of victorious U.S....
in 1976.
Jones played for the United States in the 1996 World Cup of Golf. He won two more PGA Tour events in 1997; in 1998, he won another, his last to date.
1999 - 2007
Since 1999, Jones has slipped steadily down the money list. He remained exempt on the PGA Tour through 2006 because a major tournament win carried a 10-year exemption when he won in 1996. He missed part of 2003 and all of 2004 after undergoing surgery for tennis elbowTennis elbow
Lateral epicondylitis or lateral epicondylalgia, also known as tennis elbow, shooter's elbow and archer's elbow, is a condition where the outer part of the elbow becomes sore and tender...
, but starting playing again in 2005.
Jones was captain's assistant for the United States team at the 2004 Ryder Cup
2004 Ryder Cup
The 35th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 17–19 at the Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan.The European team won the competition by a margin of 18½ to 9½ points, the winning putt being made by Colin Montgomerie, who maintained his record of never losing in any of his...
.
In 2007, he played in nine PGA tour events and four Nationwide tour events in 2007, making the cut six times, with no top-25 finishes.
Comeback (again)
In 2008 and 2009 Steve had surgeries for tennis elbow. He made his first full golf swings in January 2011. In 2011, Jones returned to playing professional golf. In January, Jones played the Bob Hope Classic on the PGA Tour. He then began playing on the Champions Tour in April.PGA Tour wins (8)
EWLINE
|
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 7, 1988 1988 PGA Tour The 1988 PGA Tour season was played from January 14 to November 13. The season consisted of 47 official money events. Curtis Strange won the most tournaments, four, and there were 11 first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament results:The... |
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am | Playoff |  Bob TwayBob Tway Robert Raymond Tway IV is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments including eight PGA Tour victories. He spent 25 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 1986-87.... |
|
| 2 | Jan 8, 1989 1989 PGA Tour The 1989 PGA Tour season was played from January 5 to October 29. The season consisted of 44 official money events. Steve Jones and Tom Kite won the most tournaments, three, and there were nine first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament... |
MONY Tournament of Champions | 3 strokes |  David FrostDavid Frost (golfer) David Laurence Frost is a South African professional golfer who has more than twenty professional tournament wins to his name, spread across four continents.... , Jay HaasJay Haas Jay Dean Haas is an American professional golfer.Haas was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Belleville, Illinois. He attended Wake Forest University and was a member of the NCAA Championship team of the middle 1970s with Curtis Strange and Bob Byman that Golf World has called "the... |
|
| 3 | Jan 15, 1989 1989 PGA Tour The 1989 PGA Tour season was played from January 5 to October 29. The season consisted of 44 official money events. Steve Jones and Tom Kite won the most tournaments, three, and there were nine first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament... |
Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Bob Hope Chrysler Classic The Bob Hope Classic is a professional golf tournament played each January in California's Coachella Valley. Part of the PGA Tour's early season West Coast Swing, this tournament is well known for its celebrity pro-am, as well as having five daily 18-hole rounds of competition vs. the Tour standard... |
Playoff | Paul Azinger Paul Azinger Paul William Azinger is an American professional golfer and occasional on air golf analyst. He spent almost 300 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1988 and 1994.-Early years:... ,  Sandy LyleSandy Lyle Alexander Walter Barr "Sandy" Lyle, MBE is a Scottish professional golfer. Lyle has won two major championships during his career. Along with Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, he became one of Britain's top golfers during the 1980s... |
|
| 4 | Jun 25, 1989 1989 PGA Tour The 1989 PGA Tour season was played from January 5 to October 29. The season consisted of 44 official money events. Steve Jones and Tom Kite won the most tournaments, three, and there were nine first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament... |
Canadian Open | 2 strokes | Clark Burroughs, Mark Calcavecchia Mark Calcavecchia Mark John Calcavecchia is an American professional golfer and a former PGA Tour member. During his professional career, he has won thirteen PGA Tour events, including the 1989 Open Championship. Calcavecchia currently plays on the Champions Tour.-Early years:Calcavecchia was born in Laurel,... , Mike HulbertMike Hulbert Michael Patrick Hulbert is an American professional golfer and sportscaster.Hulbert was born in Elmira, New York. He grew up in Horseheads, New York, and was a childhood friend and high school golf rival of fellow PGA Tour player Joey Sindelar... |
|
| 5 | Jun 16, 1996 1996 PGA Tour The 1996 PGA Tour season was played from January 4 to October 28. The season consisted of 44 official money events . Phil Mickelson won the most tournaments, four, and there were 13 first-time winners. The season notably featured the first Tour win for Tiger Woods... |
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... |
1 stroke | Tom Lehman Tom Lehman Thomas Edward Lehman is an American professional golfer.Lehman was born in Austin, Minnesota, but Alexandria, Minnesota is credited as his official Minnesota hometown. He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating with a degree in Business/Accounting and turned professional in 1982. It took... , Davis Love IIIDavis Love III Davis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA... |
|
| 6 | Jan 26, 1997 1997 PGA Tour The 1997 PGA Tour season was played from January 9 to November 2. The season consisted of 45 official money events. Tiger Woods won the most tournaments, four, and there were six first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament results:The... |
Phoenix Open | 11 strokes |  Jesper ParnevikJesper Parnevik Jesper Bo Parnevik is a Swedish professional golfer. He spent 38 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 2000 and 2001.-Early years:... |
|
| 7 | Sep 7, 1997 1997 PGA Tour The 1997 PGA Tour season was played from January 9 to November 2. The season consisted of 45 official money events. Tiger Woods won the most tournaments, four, and there were six first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament results:The... |
Bell Canadian Open | 1 stroke |  Greg NormanGreg Norman Gregory John Norman AO is an Australian professional golfer and entrepreneur who spent 331 weeks as the world's Number 1 ranked golfer in the 1980s and 1990s... |
|
| 8 | Jul 12, 1998 1998 PGA Tour The 1998 PGA Tour season was played from January 8 to November 1. The season consisted of 45 official money events. David Duval won the most tournaments, four, and there were eight first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament results:The... |
Quad City Classic | 1 stroke | Scott Gump Scott Gump Scott Gump is an American professional golfer.Gump was born in Merritt Island, Florida. He has had three Nationwide Tour victories and has finished runner-up three times in PGA Tour tournaments, including The Players Championship in 1999.-Nationwide Tour wins :*1994 NIKE Monterrey Open, NIKE... |
PGA Tour playoff record (2-1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1988 | AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Bob Tway Bob Tway Robert Raymond Tway IV is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments including eight PGA Tour victories. He spent 25 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings in 1986-87.... |
Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1989 | Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Bob Hope Chrysler Classic The Bob Hope Classic is a professional golf tournament played each January in California's Coachella Valley. Part of the PGA Tour's early season West Coast Swing, this tournament is well known for its celebrity pro-am, as well as having five daily 18-hole rounds of competition vs. the Tour standard... |
Paul Azinger Paul Azinger Paul William Azinger is an American professional golfer and occasional on air golf analyst. He spent almost 300 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1988 and 1994.-Early years:... , Sandy LyleSandy Lyle Alexander Walter Barr "Sandy" Lyle, MBE is a Scottish professional golfer. Lyle has won two major championships during his career. Along with Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, he became one of Britain's top golfers during the 1980s... |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1990 | MCI Heritage Golf Classic | Larry Mize Larry Mize Lawrence Hogan "Larry" Mize is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour... , Payne StewartPayne Stewart William Payne Stewart was an American professional golfer who won three majors in his career, the last of which occurred only months before he died in an airplane accident at the age of 42.... |
Stewart won with birdie on second extra hole |
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 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... |
1 shot deficit |
| 1 stroke | Tom Lehman Tom Lehman Thomas Edward Lehman is an American professional golfer.Lehman was born in Austin, Minnesota, but Alexandria, Minnesota is credited as his official Minnesota hometown. He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating with a degree in Business/Accounting and turned professional in 1982. It took... , Davis Love IIIDavis Love III Davis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA... |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | T30 | T31 |
| 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 | T46 |
| 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 | CUT |
| 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 | T9 | T51 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T20 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | T26 | 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... |
T8 | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 1 | T60 | CUT | CUT |
| 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... |
T16 | T64 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | T48 | T57 | 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 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | T41 | DNP | CUT |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | T25 | T27 | 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... |
T27 | T30 | CUT | DNP | DNP | T57 | T32 |
| 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... |
T31 | CUT | T43 | 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... |
T24 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10