Jim Simons (golfer)
| Jim Simons | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | James Bradley Simons |
| Born | May 15, 1950 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Died | December 8, 2005 (aged 55) Jacksonville, Florida |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 175 lb (79 kg; 12.5 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1972 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 3 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T15: 1981, 1982 |
| PGA Championship | T5: 1982 |
| U.S. Open | T5: 1971 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
James Bradley Simons (May 15, 1950 – December 8, 2005) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1970s and 1980s.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Simons was born in Pittsburgh and raised in suburban Butler, Pennsylvania. He attended Knoch High School in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania.[3]
Simons qualified for the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol, played just after his junior year in high school.[3] At age 17, he shot 165 (+25) and missed the 36-hole cut by seventeen strokes.[4]
Amateur career
[edit]Simons 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.
Simons is probably best remembered for nearly winning the 1971 U.S. Open as an amateur. 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. 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 a playoff.[5]
Professional career
[edit]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.[6][7] His best finish in a major championship in the professional ranks was later that year, a tie for fifth in the PGA Championship.[8] He was the first player to win a televised PGA Tour event using a metal driver. Simons also notably worked as an investment executive while golfing professionally.[9]
Simons played a handful of events on the Champions Tour after turning 50 in 2000.
Death
[edit]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".[2][10]
Awards and honors
[edit]In 1996, Simons was inducted into the Wake Forest University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Amateur wins
[edit]- 1966 West Penn Junior Championship
- 1969 West Penn Amateur, Pennsylvania Amateur,[11] Western Junior
- 1970 Pennsylvania Amateur[11]
Professional wins (3)
[edit]PGA Tour wins (3)
[edit]| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apr 24, 1977 | First NBC New Orleans Open | 70-69-67-67=273 | −15 | 3 strokes |  Stan Lee
|
| 2 | May 21, 1978 | Memorial Tournament | 68-69-73-74=284 | −4 | 1 stroke | Billy Kratzert
|
| 3 | Feb 7, 1982 | Bing Crosby National Pro-Am | 71-66-71-66=274 | −14 | 2 strokes | Craig Stadler
|
PGA Tour playoff record (0–3)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979 | Buick-Goodwrench Open | John Fought
|
Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1980 | Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open | Howard Twitty
|
Lost to birdie on sixth extra hole |
| 3 | 1984 | Bob Hope Desert Classic | John Mahaffey
|
Lost to par on second extra hole |
Results in major championships
[edit]| Tournament | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | 63 | |
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T41 | CUT | CUT | T23 | |||||
| U.S. Open | T5LA | T15LA | CUT | T62 | CUT | T35 | T16 | |||
| PGA Championship | T60 | T25 | T46 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T19 | T15 | T15 | CUT | |
| U.S. Open | T22 | T58 | CUT | ||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | T5 | T30 | CUT |
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
[edit]Amateur
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Dulac, Gerry (December 15, 2005). "Obituary: Jim Simons / Golfer who nearly won '71 U.S. Open as amateur". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Frank (May 12, 2013). "For 1971 Merion contender Jim Simons, life proved to be toughest course". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "Simons has high time at Baltusrol". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 15, 1967. p. 31.
- ^ "Scally makes grade for U.S. Open finale". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. June 17, 1967. p. 31.
- ^ "Playoff today in Open". Palm Beach Post. UPI. June 21, 1971. p. C1. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ "Simons claims Crosby title as Stadler falters". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. February 8, 1982. p. 23.
- ^ "Great 66 round, Stadler blow up lifts Jim Simons". Spokane Chronicle. UPI. February 8, 1982. p. 20.
- ^ "Golf Major Championships".
- ^ Lakeland Ledger, January 13, 1984, publisher: Lakeland Ledger, published: 1984
- ^ Fields, Bill (February 6, 2006). "What happened to Jim Simons?". ESPN. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "Amateur Championship – Past Champions". Pennsylvania Golf Association. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
External links
[edit]- Jim Simons at the PGA Tour official site