The Great Bobby Jones

If one were to mention the greatest players in golfyear (1926).Beyond the golf course, Jones was also an
history, no list would be complete without mentioningimpressive figure and an exemplary athlete off it,
Bobby Jones, arguably the greatest golfer to competeknown for being a class act and a paragon of
on a national and international level.On record, Jones issportsmanship and fair play. For these reasons, the
still the only player ever to win golf's elusive GrandUnited States Golf Association named its
Slam, which is winning all four major championships insportsmanship award as the Bob Jones Award.During
the same year. Jones represented the United States inthe sports-crazy Roaring Twenties, Jones was among
the Walker Cup five times and won nine of tenthe five giant sports icons that the public practically
matches. He also won two other tournaments againstworshipped at the time. The others were baseball's
professionals: the 1927 Southern Open and the 1930Babe Ruth, boxing's Jack Dempsey, football's Red
Southeastern Open.Like most other great players,Grange, and tennis player Bill Tilden.Although Jones
Jones started out as a child prodigy who, at the tenderretired from golf at the relatively young age of 28, his
age of six, won his first children's tournament. At agesuccess continued in his private life. He earned his
14, he reached the third round of the U.S. AmateurBachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from
Championship. He burst unto the national stage in 1923Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of
when he won his first U.S. Open. From 1923 to 1930,Arts in English Literature from Harvard University
he won 13 major golf championships out of the 20 thatwhere he was a member of the Owl Club. After only
he joined. He is second only to Jack Nicklaus (20 wins)one year in law school at Emory University, he passed
on the list of most major championships won. Jones isthe bar exam and spent the rest of his life operating a
also the first player ever to win The Double, which issuccessful Atlanta law practice.
both the US Open and the British Open in the same