Jack Newton
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jack Newton OAM (30 January 1950 – 14 April 2022) was an Australian
professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
. Newton had early success in Australia, winning the 1972 Amoco Forbes Classic. He soon moved on to the British PGA where he won three times in the mid-1970s and finished runner-up at the 1975 Open Championship. Shortly thereafter, Newton started playing on the
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
where he won the 1978 Buick-Goodwrench Open. During this era, Newton also played significantly in Australia where he won a number events including the 1979
Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
. Four years later, Newton had a near-fatal accident when he walked into the spinning propeller of an airplane, losing his right arm and right eye. However, he survived and managed to work a number of golf-related jobs the remainder of his life.


Early life

Newton was born in
Cessnock, New South Wales Cessnock () is a city in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia, about by road west of Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle. It is the administrative centre of the City of Cessnock Local government in Australia, LGA and was named afte ...
.


Professional career

In 1969, he turned professional. He was one of Australia's most successful golfers in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1972, he won the Dutch Open and the Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf in successive weeks. In 1974, he won the Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship, beating Cesar Sanudo in the final. Later in 1974, he lost in a playoff for the
New Zealand Open The New Zealand Open is the premier men's golf tournament in New Zealand. It has been a regular fixture on the PGA Tour of Australasia tournament schedule since the 1970s. The 2019 event was the 100th edition of the tournament. Since 2014 it has ...
. In 1978, Newton won the Buick-Goodwrench Open on the
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
. In Australia, he won the New South Wales Open in 1976 and 1979 and the Australian Open Championship in 1979. At the 1975 Open Championship at
Carnoustie Carnoustie (; ) is a town and former police burgh in the subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast. In the UK census 2011, 2011 census, Carnoustie had a population of ...
in Scotland, Newton lost in a playoff to Tom Watson. In the third round, Newton set a course record of 65, despite having injured an ankle so severely on the practice tee prior to the start of the championship, that he had it professionally wrapped each day, and was subjected to pain-killing injections. In the final round, Newton was the leader during the back-nine but dropped shots in three of the last four holes. Watson holed a 20-foot putt for a birdie on the 72nd hole to tie Newton. In the 18-hole playoff on the following day, Watson defeated Newton by one stroke (71−72). Newton later said that the turning point in the playoff was when Watson chipped in for an eagle at the 14th hole. Newton won the PGA Tour of Australia's Order of Merit in 1979. He finished tied for second at the 1980 Masters Tournament, four strokes behind the winner
Seve Ballesteros Severiano Ballesteros Sota (; 9 April 1957 – 7 May 2011) was a Spanish professional golfer, a World No. 1 who was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. A member of a gifted golfing family, he won 90 inte ...
. In May 1983, Newton lost to
Terry Gale Terry R. Gale (born 7 June 1946) is an Australian professional golfer. Professional career Gale had a successful amateur career before turning professional at a relatively advanced age in 1976. From the mid-1970s to the early 1990s he won reg ...
in a playoff for the Western Australian Open.


Propeller accident

On 24 July 1983, during the height of his professional career, Newton had a near-fatal accident when he walked into the spinning propeller of a
Cessna Cessna () is an American brand of general aviation aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of the Cessna Aircraft Company, an American general aviation aircraft manufactu ...
airplane from which he was getting off at
Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport — colloquially Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney Airport or Mascot Airport — is an international airport serving Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district, in the subu ...
. He lost his right arm and eye, and sustained severe abdominal injuries. A severe rainstorm was in progress at the time, and in addition, safety aspects near the plane were deficient. Immediately after the accident, doctors gave Newton a 50–50 chance of surviving. He spent several days in a coma and eight weeks in intensive care. After a prolonged rehabilitation from his injuries, Newton returned to public life as a television and radio golf commentator, newspaper reporter, golf course designer, public speaker and chairman of the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation. He taught himself to play golf one-handed, swinging the club with his left hand in a right-handed stance. He typically scored in the mid-80s.


Personal life

Newton married his wife Jackie in 1974; they had two children, Kristie and Clint. Clint Newton played
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
, while Kristie is also a professional golfer. In 2003, Newton was diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis, and was rushed to hospital. He died on 14 April 2022 at the age of 72 due to health complications, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2020.


Awards and honors

* In 2007, Newton was awarded the
Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...
for services to golf, particularly through a range of executive, youth development and fundraising roles. * In 2016, Newton was inducted as a general member of the
Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Don Bradman, Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and ...
.


Amateur wins

''This list may be incomplete'' *1968
New South Wales Amateur The New South Wales Amateur Championship is the state amateur golf championship of New South Wales, Australia. It was first played in 1898. History In early 1898 Lord Hampden, the Governor of New South Wales, presented a solid silver cup to th ...
*1969 Lake Macquarie Amateur


Professional wins (13)


PGA Tour wins (1)

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1) Sources:


European Tour wins (3)

European Tour playoff record (0–1) Sources:


PGA Tour of Australia wins (3)

PGA Tour of Australia playoff record (0–1) Sources:


New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)

New Zealand Golf Circuit playoff record (0–1) Source:


Other wins (5)

''This list may be incomplete'' *1972 Amoco Forbes Classic *1974 Nigerian Open *1975 Sumrie-Bournemouth Better-Ball (with John O'Leary) *1976 Cock of the North, Mufulira Open


Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1973 and 1974 Open Championships)
"T" indicates a tie for a place Source:


Summary


Team appearances

Amateur * Sloan Morpeth Trophy (representing Australia): 1969 (winners) * Australian Men's Interstate Teams Matches (representing New South Wales): 1968, 1969 (winners)


See also

* Fall 1976 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates


References


External links


Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Jack Australian male golfers PGA Tour of Australasia golfers PGA Tour golfers European Tour golfers Australian golf commentators Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Australian amputees Sportsmen from New South Wales People educated at Epping Boys High School Sportspeople from Cessnock, New South Wales 1950 births 2022 deaths Place of death missing 20th-century Australian sportsmen