Steve Jones (golfer)
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Steven Glen Jones (born December 27, 1958) is an American professional golfer, best known for winning the U.S. Open in
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
.


Early life and education

Jones was born in Artesia, New Mexico. He was a semi-finalist at the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1976. He attended the
University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...
and turned professional in 1981.


Golf career


Early years

In the early years of his professional career, Jones did not have much success. He played 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 1982, but only made three cuts. His first top-10 finish came at the Texas Open in September
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...
, and in 1986 he was medalist at the
PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament The annual PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, also known as Qualifying School or Q-School, was historically the main method by which golfers earned PGA Tour playing privileges, commonly known as a Tour card. From 2013 to 2022, Q-School granted privil ...
, allowing him to retain his card for the following year.


1987–1994

Jones won on the PGA Tour for the first time at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 1988. The following year,
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
, was the winningest of his career with three PGA Tour wins. In January, he opened the season with a win in the MONY Tournament of Champions. He won again the next week, in a playoff over Paul Azinger and Sandy Lyle in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. In June he captured the Canadian Open with a two-stroke win over Mark Calcavecchia, Mike Hulbert and Clark Burroughs. He finished the season a career-best eighth on the money list. In November 1991, Jones suffered ligament and joint damage to his left ring finger in a dirtbike accident, and he missed almost three years of play as a professional. He played in only two events in 1994.


Comeback and U.S. Open win

Jones began his comeback in earnest in
1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
, when he had two top-10 finishes. In 1996, he achieved three top-10 finishes by May. Considered a rank outsider in June 1996, Jones won the U.S. Open which was the only major championship of his career, defeating Tom Lehman and Davis Love III by one stroke. He was also the first sectional qualifier to win the tournament since
Jerry Pate Jerome Kendrick Pate (born September 16, 1953) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour. As a 22-year-old rookie, he won the U.S. Open in 1976. Early life Born in Macon, Georgia, he was one of six ...
in 1976. Afterwards, Jones was selected as the PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year for 1996 and he played for the United States in the 1996 World Cup of Golf. Jones won two more PGA Tour events in 1997. In January, he shot 26-under to defeat Jesper Parnevik by an impressive 11 strokes at the Phoenix Open. He followed that in September with his second career win at the Canadian Open, by one stroke over Greg Norman. In 1998, he won the Quad City Classic, his last PGA Tour victory to date.


1999–2007

Since 1999, Jones has slipped steadily down the money list. He remained exempt on the PGA Tour through 2006 because a major tournament win carried a 10-year exemption when he won in 1996. He missed part of 2003 and all of 2004 after undergoing surgery for tennis elbow, but starting playing again in 2005. Jones was a captain's assistant for the United States team at the Ryder Cup in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
. In
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, he played in nine PGA tour events and four Nationwide tour events, making the cut six times, but with no top-25 finishes.


Return to professional golf

In 2008 and 2009, Jones had surgeries for tennis elbow. He made his first full golf swings in January 2011. In 2011, Jones returned to playing professional golf. In January, Jones played the Bob Hope Classic on the PGA Tour.


Champions Tour

Jones began playing on the Champions Tour (now PGA Tour Champions) in April 2011, making his debut at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, where he and partner
Doug Tewell Douglas Fred Tewell (born August 27, 1949) is an American professional golfer who has won several tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level, including two senior major championships. Early life and amateur career Tewell was ...
tied for 10th in the Raphael Division. His best individual effort among his 10 official starts was a T16 at The Senior Open Championship at Walton Heath. In 2012, he played in 12 Champions Tour events, with five top-25 finishes, earnings of $164,934, and a Champions Tour personal best finish of a tie for second at the 2012 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. His 11th-place finish at the National Qualifying Tournament earned him a conditional spot on the tour for the following year. In 2013, he played in 15 events with three top-25 finishes and $153,335 in earnings. In 2014, he played 11 events on the Champions Tour, making 9 cuts, and with a best finish T40 at the Pacific Links Hawaii Championship. In 2015, he played 13 events, making all the cuts and posting one top ten, T9 at the Senior PGA Championship. Jones has not played any Champions Tour events in 2016. His career on the PGA Tour Champions consists of 70 events played, making 66 cuts and two top-10 finishes. His total career earnings are over $800,000.


Professional wins (10)


PGA Tour wins (8)

PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)


Other wins (2)

*1987 JCPenney Classic (with Jane Crafter) *1988 Colorado Open


Major championships


Wins (1)


Results timeline

CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.


Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (2000 Masters – 2001 U.S. Open) *Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (three times)


Results in The Players Championship

CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place


Results in World Golf Championships

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play


U.S. national team appearances

Professional * World Cup:
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...


See also

* Fall 1981 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates * 1984 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates * 1986 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates


References


External links

* *
University of Colorado Athletics Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Steve American male golfers Colorado Buffaloes men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Golfers from New Mexico People from Artesia, New Mexico Sportspeople from Tempe, Arizona 1958 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen