The Life of Bobby Jones
Born in nearby Grant Park in 1902, Robert Tyre “Bobby” Jones popularized golf on an international stage. His sportsmanship called attention to the game’s traditions, and his success and personal character on and off the course continue to inspire. His 14-year playing career culminated in 1930 when he became the only golfer to achieve a Grand Slam by winning golf ’s four major tournaments in the same year. Two months later, he retired from competitive golf to devote time to his family, career, and his native city of Atlanta. Bobby Jones became golf’s beloved ambassador and helped establish Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament. Jones transcended sport and became an American hero at a time when the nation needed one.
Biographical Timeline
Robert Tyre “Bobby” Jones, Jr. is born.
1902Robert Tyre “Bobby” Jones, Jr. born to “Colonel” Robert Purmedus Jones and Clara Merrick Thomas Jones.
East Lake Golf Club opens.
1908East Lake Golf Club opens. Six-year-old Jones attends opening reception with his father
Wins East Lake Junior Club Championship Cup at age 9.
1911Jones wins inaugural Georgia State Amateur Championship at age 14. Competes in the U.S. Amateur tournament as the youngest competitor that year.
1916Competes in British Open at age 19.
1921Bobby Jones competed in the British Open in 1921. He withdrew after the third round in frustration after struggling to get out of a bunker.
Earns degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech
1922Wins First U.S. Open Championship
1923Bobby Jones wins first career major championship at U.S. open at Inwood Country Club in New York.
Marries Mary Rice Malone
1924Bobby Jones married Mary Rice Malone at the bride’s parents’ Druid Hills home.
Wins first of five U.S. Amateur Championships at Merion Cricket Club
1924Daugher Clara Malone born.
1925Enters Emory Law School. Passes Georgia bar exam after only three semesters.
19261926 Robert Tyre Jones III born.
1926Daughter Mary Ellen Jones born
1930Bobby Jones becomes the only golfer to win the “Grand Slam”.
1930Bobby Jones wins the “Grand Slam”, by winning all four major golf tournaments of the time in a single year: the British Amateur, the British Open, the U.S. Open, and the U.S. Amateur.
Bobby Jones retires from competitive golf.
1930Augusta National Golf Club Opens
1933The property upon which Augusta National Golf Club now stands was purchased for $70,000, and an organizational committee of five men, including Jones, was assembled to build the golf club. When Jones first viewed the site that would become Augusta National Golf Club, he declared, “Perfect! And to think this ground has been lying here all these years waiting for someone to come along and lay a golf course on it.” The club opened in 1933.