Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius | |
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Directed by | Rowdy Herrington |
Written by |
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Based on | Life of Bobby Jones |
Produced by | Kim Dawson |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Tom Stern |
Edited by | Pasquale Buba |
Music by | James Horner |
Production company | McDongall Films |
Distributed by | Film Foundry Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 123 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $20 million [2] |
Box office | $2,707,913 [2] |
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius is a 2004 biographical sports drama film directed and co-written by Rowdy Herrington. The film is based on the life of golfer Bobby Jones, the only player in the sport to win all four of the men's major golf championships in a single season (1930, an era when the majors were The Amateur Championship in Britain, the U.S. Amateur, The Open Championship, and the U.S. Open). The film was the first motion picture concerning The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews that was given permission to film on location.[ citation needed ].
The film is Herrington's most recent film, as of September 2024.
This article needs an improved plot summary.(October 2015) |
In 1936, golfer Bobby Jones, while traveling to the Olympics in Berlin, makes a stop in Scotland to visit the Old Course at St. Andrews. Anxious about his reception, he is warmly welcomed by many spectators, some of whom have closed their local shops for the day to watch him play.
The scene changes to Atlanta, Georgia, where Jones, a young boy, observes his father "Colonel" Jones playing golf, poorly. The more young Bobby watches, the more he emulates the better players he sees, such as Stewart Maiden, a club professional originally from Scotland. By the time he is 14, Jones wins the 1916 Georgia State Amateur Championship and makes the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur that same year. Notable sportswriters of the era such as O.B. Keeler and Grantland Rice take a keen interest in him.
With World War I coming to an end, Jones participates in war-relief matches with several famous golfers such as the colorful Walter Hagen, who eventually becomes Bobby's chief rival on the course. He also attends Georgia Tech, where he receives a diploma and meets Mary Malone, whom he ultimately marries. Despite his great skill as a golfer, he also has a hot temper that affects his game and reputation. His first time at St. Andrews, in 1921, Jones walks off the course after 11 holes of the third round, expressing his dislike for the course. His idol Harry Vardon, who would win The Open Championship a record six times during his career, cautions Bobby never to quit, particularly at St. Andrews, which he considers the greatest golf course of all.
In 1923, Jones finally overcomes his temper troubles and wins his first major championship at the U.S. Open, defeating Bobby Cruickshank in a playoff. In the following years, great success follows as Bobby wins 2 more U.S. Opens, 4 U.S. Amateurs, and 2 Open Championships through 1929. During that timeframe, Jones attends Harvard College and later Emory University School of Law, becoming a lawyer by profession (which was his grandfather's wish), never turning professional as a golfer. By 1930, Jones begins to lose interest in tournament golf. He tells Mary his final goal is to win all 4 majors in the same year and will then retire. That year, Jones accomplishes that goal, becoming the first and still only golfer to win the calendar Grand Slam. Soon after, Bobby keeps his word and he shocks the sports world by retiring from tournament golf at only 28 years old.
A title card reveals that after retirement, Jones would continue to make contributions to the game of golf such as founding the Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters. He served in the United States Air Force during World War II. In 1948, Jones was diagnosed with syringomyelia which crippled him for the rest of his life until his death in 1971.
The film was shot in multiple locations, including Southern California, Georgia: Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA, East Lake Golf Club, Castleberry Hill, Covington, Griffin; and Scotland and St. Andrews, Fife.[ citation needed ] This film marks the film debut of Matt Lanter.
The film was a commercial failure, with an opening weekend gross of $1.2 million and $2,707,913 overall, [3] against a production cost of $20 million. [2]
The film received negative reviews. It has a 26% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 76 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "This earnest, monotonous biopic lacks dramatic tension and simplifies Jones' life." [4] On Metacritic, which uses an average of critics' reviews, the film has a 45 out of 100 rating, based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [5]
Robert Tyre Jones Jr. was an American amateur golfer who was one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport; he was also a lawyer by profession. Jones founded and helped design the Augusta National Golf Club, and co-founded the Masters Tournament. The innovations that he introduced at the Masters have been copied by virtually every professional golf tournament in the world.
Henry William Vardon was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship six times, and also won the 1900 U.S. Open.
Francis DeSales Ouimet was an American amateur golfer who is frequently referred to as the "father of amateur golf" in the United States. He won the U.S. Open in 1913 and was the first non-Briton elected Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
The following is a partial timeline of the history of golf.
Walter Charles Hagen was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus (18) and Tiger Woods (15). Known as the "father of professional golf," he brought publicity, prestige, big prize money, and lucrative endorsements to the sport. Hagen is rated one of the greatest golfers ever.
The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is a golf club in Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club. It received the "Royal" designation in 1871 due to the patronage of Prince Arthur the Duke of Connaught, one of Queen Victoria's younger sons. Robert Chambers and George Morris were commissioned to lay out the original course, which was extended to 18 holes in 1871. Harry Colt, one of the world's leading golf course architects, redesigned the course early in the 20th century, and it has since been tweaked periodically, mainly as a response to advances in equipment.
The Greatest Game Ever Played is a 2005 American biographical sports film based on the early life of amateur golf champion Francis Ouimet and his surprise winning of the 1913 U.S. Open. The film was directed by Bill Paxton, and was his last film as a director. Shia LaBeouf plays the role of Ouimet. The film's screenplay was adapted by Mark Frost from his 2002 book, The Greatest Game Ever Played: Harry Vardon, Francis Ouimet, and the Birth of Modern Golf. It was shot in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with the Kanawaki Golf Club, in Kahnawake, Quebec, the site of the golf sequences.
John George Goodman was the last amateur golfer to win the U.S. Open, 91 years ago in 1933, and also won the U.S. Amateur in 1937.
The 1938 Masters Tournament was the fifth Masters Tournament, held April 2–4 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Due to adverse weather conditions, the first round was delayed until Saturday, rounds 2 and 3 were played on Sunday, and the final round was on Monday.
The 1920 U.S. Open was the 24th U.S. Open, held August 12–13 at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
The 2000 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 129th Open Championship, held from 20 to 23 July at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. Tiger Woods, 24, won his first Open Championship and fourth major title, eight strokes ahead of runners-up Thomas Bjørn and Ernie Els.
The 1900 Open Championship was the 40th Open Championship, held 6–7 June at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. J.H. Taylor won the Championship for the 3rd time, by eight strokes from runner-up Harry Vardon.
The 1905 Open Championship was the 45th Open Championship, held 7–9 June at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. James Braid won the Championship for the second time, five strokes ahead of runners-up Rowland Jones and John Henry Taylor.
The 1921 Open Championship was the 56th Open Championship, held 23–25 June at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. Former local Jock Hutchison won his only Open Championship, in a 36-hole playoff over amateur Roger Wethered. It was Hutchison's second and final major title.
The 1926 Open Championship was the 61st Open Championship, held 23–25 June at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England. Amateur Bobby Jones won the first of his three Claret Jugs, two strokes ahead of runner-up Al Watrous. Jones was the first amateur to win the title in 29 years, last by Harold Hilton in 1897. Americans finished in the top four spots and it was the fifth victory by an American in six years.
The 1913 U.S. Open was the 19th U.S. Open, held September 18–20 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb southwest of Boston. Amateur Francis Ouimet, age 20, won his only U.S. Open title in an 18-hole playoff, five strokes ahead of Britons Harry Vardon and Ted Ray.
Bert Hodson (1905–1971) was a Welsh professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. Hodson's best performances in major championships came in the 1927 and 1934 Open Championships when he was tied for seventh place in each event. Hodson played on the Great Britain Ryder Cup team in 1931.
Tom Williamson was an English professional golfer who played in the early 20th century. Williamson finished in the top 10 in the Open Championship on six occasions and played in it over fifty years. His best performance came in the 1914 Open Championship when he tied for fourth place, six shots behind the winner. With Harry Vardon he won the 1913 Sphere and Tatler Foursomes Tournament by a convincing 7 & 5 margin. He was Captain of England in 1909 and represented England between 1904 and 1913. He won the Midland Professional Championship when it was first held in 1897 and a further six times. He was a renowned club maker and was the first to number clubs in 1906. He experimented with score cards placing a course plan on the reverse side in 1930. He designed sixty courses, the majority in the East Midlands. He was a founder member of the PGA and became its Captain in 1928. He had a good reputation as a teacher and taught Enid Wilson who won the English Ladies Championship three times. He was known as a modest man of integrity.
Frederick Mackenzie was a Scottish golfer of the early 20th century. He had a successful amateur career, winning the Dundee Evening Telegraph Cup three times between 1899 and 1903. He then had a brief spell as a professional in America, during which time he finished third in the 1904 U.S. Open. On his return to Scotland he gave up professional golf but was unable to get reinstated as an amateur. He played local competitions but was ineligible for the more important amateur tournaments.