James Bradley Simons (May 15, 1950 – December 8, 2005) was an American

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 ...

who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s. Born in Pittsburgh, and raised in suburban Butler, Pennsylvania, Simons attended

Knoch High School Knoch High School is located in the Knoch School District in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. The school mascot is a knight, referring to them as; the "Knoch Knights". The Knoch Football team was a co-champion of the Greater Allegheny Conference in 20 ...

Saxonburg Saxonburg is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area in the western part of the state. It was founded in 1832 by F. Carl Roebling and his younger brother John A. Roebling, John as a ...

and later was a two-time All-American on the Wake Forest University golf team. He finished T-2 at the 1970 Canadian Amateur and finished runner-up at the 1971 British Amateur to

Steve Melnyk Steven Nicholas Melnyk (born February 26, 1947) is a former American professional golfer and golf sportscaster best known for his success as an amateur golfer. Melnyk won both the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur. Early years Melnyk was bor ...

. Simons is probably best remembered for nearly winning the U.S. Open in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

as an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

. At the age of 21, he shot a third-round 65 to take a two-shot lead after 54 holes at Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia. That set up the possibility of Simons becoming the first amateur to win the event since Johnny Goodman in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

. A stroke out of the lead on the final hole, his tee shot found the rough and he double bogeyed. Simons carded a 76 to finish tied for fifth, three shots out of the Monday playoff, won by

Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and ...

. Four years earlier, Simons had qualified for the U.S. Open in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

Baltusrol The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club in the eastern United States, located in Springfield, New Jersey, about west of New York City. It was founded in 1895 by Louis Keller. In 1985, Baltusrol became the first club to have ho ...

, played just after his junior year in high school. At age 17, he shot 165 (+25) and missed the 36-hole cut by 17 strokes. Simons won three PGA Tour events during his career and had over three dozen top-10 finishes; his final win came at Pebble Beach in early

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

. His best finish in a major championship in the professional ranks was later that year, a tie for fifth in the PGA Championship. He was the first player to win a televised PGA Tour event using a metal driver. Simons played a handful of events on the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

after turning 50 in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. He was inducted into the Wake Forest University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.

Death

Simons was found dead in the hot tub in his Jacksonville, Florida home at the age of 55. The Jacksonville/Duval County medical examiner's office ruled the cause of death as accidental "multiple drug toxicity".

Amateur wins

*1966 West Penn Junior Championship *1969 West Penn Amateur,

Pennsylvania Amateur The Pennsylvania Amateur Golf Championship is an annual golf tournament in the American state of Pennsylvania. Jay Sigel Robert Jay Sigel (born November 13, 1943) is an American professional golfer. He enjoyed one of the more illustrious caree ...

, Western Junior *1970 Pennsylvania Amateur

Professional wins (3)

PGA Tour wins (3)

PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)

Results in major championships

''Note: Simons never played in The Open Championship.''
_LA = Low amateur
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur * Walker Cup:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simons, Jim American male golfers Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's golfers PGA Tour golfers Golfers from Pittsburgh Golfers from Jacksonville, Florida People from Butler, Pennsylvania Drug-related deaths in Florida 1950 births 2005 deaths