Grier Jones

Last updated

Grier Jones
Personal information
Born (1946-05-06) May 6, 1946 (age 79)
Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight165 lb (75 kg; 11.8 st)
Sporting nationalityFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Career
College Oklahoma State University
Turned professional1968
Former tour(s) PGA Tour
Professional wins4
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour3
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament T33: 1972
PGA Championship T16: 1978
U.S. Open T18: 1975
The Open Championship DNP

Grier Jones (born May 6, 1946) is a former college head golf coach and former PGA Tour professional golfer.

Contents

Early years

Jones was born, raised and has been a lifelong resident of Wichita, Kansas. He attended Wichita's Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School where he played both football and golf. He won the 1963 and 1964 Kansas State High School golf championships. An All-American at Oklahoma State University, Jones won the Big Eight Championship in 1967 and 1968 before taking the individual medalist honors at the 1968 NCAA Championships. He also won the 1966 Kansas State Amateur Championship held in Topeka, Kansas while a student at Oklahoma State. [1]

Professional playing career

Jones spent 14 years on the PGA Tour, beginning in 1969, when he earned PGA Rookie of the Year honors. [1] His career year was 1972 when he won two PGA Tour events and finished fourth on the final money list. [2] He won his third and final PGA Tour event in 1977. Jones ended his career with 54 top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events. His best finish in a major championship was a T-16 at the 1978 PGA Championship.

Post-playing career

After his full-time tour playing days ended, Jones took a club teaching job at Willowbend Golf Club in Wichita, while continuing to play part-time on the Nationwide (then called the NIKE Tour) and PGA Tours. Later he became the head pro at Terradyne Country Club in Wichita. In 1995, he was named men's head golf coach at Wichita State University, where he remained until his retirement in 2019. He was named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2006. [1]

Amateur wins

Professional wins (4)

PGA Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1Feb 6, 1972 Hawaiian Open −14 (65-73-72-64=274)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Bob Murphy
2Sep 24, 1972 Robinson's Fall Golf Classic −11 (66-72-67-68=273)Playoff Flag of the United States.svg Dave Marad
3Nov 6, 1977 Walt Disney World National Team Championship
(with Flag of the United States.svg Gibby Gilbert)
−35 (62-64-61-66=253)1 stroke Flag of the United States.svg Steve Melnyk and Flag of the United States.svg Andy North

PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
1 1972 Hawaiian Open Flag of the United States.svg Bob Murphy Won with par on first extra hole
2 1972 Robinson's Fall Golf Classic Flag of the United States.svg Dave Marad Won with par on second extra hole

Other wins (1)

Results in major championships

Tournament196719681969
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT
PGA Championship
Tournament1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
Masters Tournament T38T33T37
U.S. Open CUTT45T18T28T35
PGA Championship T41T53T51T32T30T25T16
Tournament19801981198219831984
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT
PGA Championship

Note: Jones never played in The Open Championship.

  Did not play

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

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bio from Wichita State University Athletic Department". Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2007.
  2. "Bio from Kansas Golf Hall of Fame".