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Jesse William Sweetser (April 18, 1902 – May 27, 1989) was an amateur
golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
er, best known as the first American-born player to win the British Amateur.


Early life

Born in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
, Sweetser later attended
Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...
and
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
. In 1920, Sweetser won the individual title at the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships. He received golf lessons from noted Siwanoy Country Club professional Tom Kerrigan.


Golf career

Sweetser won the 1922
U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...
at the age of 20, defeating Bobby Jones, 8 and 7, in the semi-final and then
Chick Evans Charles E. "Chick" Evans Jr. (July 18, 1890 – November 6, 1979) was a prominent American amateur golfer of the 1910s and 1920s. Evans, who won the 1910 Western Open, became the first amateur to win both the U.S. Open (golf), U.S. Open and U. ...
, 3 and 2, in the final match. The following year, he again made the finals but lost on the second playoff hole to Max Marston. In 1926, Sweetser won the British Amateur at
Muirfield Muirfield is a privately owned golf links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Muirfield is one of the golf courses used in rotation for T ...
, defeating Fred Simpson, 6 and 5, in the final match. The 1904 winner,
Walter Travis Walter J. Travis (January 10, 1862 – July 31, 1927) was an American amateur golfer during the early 1900s. He was also a noted golf journalist and publisher, an innovator in all aspects of golf, a teacher, and golf course architect. Golfing ca ...
, was a naturalized American citizen born in Australia, but Sweetser's victory was the first time an American-born golfer had won the tournament. Sweetster won the Metropolitan Amateur in 1922 and 1925.


Walker Cup

Sweetser was a member of the original
Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup ...
team in 1922, and also played in 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928, and 1932. He was also selected for the
1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...
team but withdrew for business reasons. Later, he was non-playing captain for the 1967 and 1973 teams. He was also captain for the 1966 U.S.
Eisenhower Trophy The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958 Eisenhower Trophy, 1958, it is nam ...
team.


Professional life

In his professional life, Sweetser started as a
stockbroker A stockbroker is an individual or company that buys and sells stocks and other investments for a financial market participant in return for a commission, markup, or fee. In most countries they are regulated as a broker or broker-dealer and ...
in the 1920s, and later went to work for
Curtiss-Wright The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is an American manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation (business), consoli ...
. He retired in 1967 as a vice-president with
Martin Marietta The Martin Marietta Corporation was an American company founded in 1961 through the merger of Glenn L. Martin Company and American-Marietta Corporation. In 1995, it merged with Lockheed Corporation to form Lockheed Martin. History Martin Marie ...
. Sweetser also served as treasurer and on the executive committee of the
United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rule ...
. In 1986, he was named the
Bob Jones Award The Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. It is named in honor of Bobby Jones (golfer), Bobby Jones. Winners *1955 Francis Ouimet *1956 William C. C ...
winner, given in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.


Death and legacy

Sweetser died on May 27, 1989, in Bethesda, Maryland. Sweetser served as treasurer and on the executive committee of the
United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rule ...
. In 1986, he was named the
Bob Jones Award The Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. It is named in honor of Bobby Jones (golfer), Bobby Jones. Winners *1955 Francis Ouimet *1956 William C. C ...
winner, given in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.


Tournament wins

''this list may be incomplete'' *1920 NCAA Championship *1922
U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...
, Metropolitan Amateur *1923 Gold Mashie Tournament *1925 Metropolitan Amateur, Gold Golf Ball Tourney (with Glenna Collett), Gibson Island Club Invitational *1926 British Amateur *1927 Gold Mashie Tournament *1931 Cape Cod Open


Major championships


Wins (2)


Results timeline

Sweetser played in the Masters each year from 1952 to 1955 but withdrew on each occasion. NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play Source for The Masters:
www.masters.com
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur
USGA Championship Database
Source for 1923 British Amateur:
The American Golfer, July, 1923, pg. 10.
Source for 1926 British Amateur:
The American Golfer, July, 1926, pg. 9.


U.S. national team appearances

Amateur *
Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup ...
:
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
(winners),
1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...
(winners), 1924 (winners), 1926 (winners),
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...
(winners),
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
(winners),
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
(winners, non-playing captain),
1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
(winners, non-playing captain)


References


External links


Yale University profile


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090511123237/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,722037-1,00.html 1926 Time Magazine article on the British Amateur {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetser, Jess American male golfers Amateur golfers Yale Bulldogs men's golfers American golf administrators Golfers from St. Louis American stockbrokers Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Martin Marietta people 1902 births 1989 deaths