Throughout the incredible history of golf, no one person has encapsulated the title of “the common golfer” as much as Bobby Jones. Born Robert Tyre Jones Jr. in 1902, Bobby was immediately a natural talent at golf, learning to golf at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club (site of this week’s Tour Championship) and winning his first tournament at age 6. He then went on to leave an impressive mark on the game of golf, that still can be felt today.
After winning his first competitive tournament at 6 years old, Jones went on at 9-yrs old to defeat a 16-yr old to win the junior title at East Lake. He early successes continued as a junior, and earned him the nickname the “new kid from Dixie.” He also set a record that still stands today, as the youngest person to ever qualify for the US Amateur at 14 years old. Read the rest of this entry »