Jim Simons (golfer)

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Jim Simons (golfer) - Wikipedia

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Jim Simons
Personal information
Full name	James Bradley Simons
Born	(1950-05-15)May 15, 1950 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died	December 8, 2005(2005-12-08) (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

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

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

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

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

In 1996, Simons was inducted into the Wake Forest University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Amateur wins

1966 West Penn Junior Championship
1969 West Penn Amateur, Pennsylvania Amateur,^[11] Western Junior
1970 Pennsylvania Amateur^[11]

Professional wins (3)

PGA Tour wins (3)

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

Tournament	1967	1968
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open	CUT	63
PGA Championship

Tournament	1971	1972	1973	1974	1976	1977	1978	1979
Masters Tournament	CUT	T41	CUT				CUT	T23
U.S. Open	T5_LA	T15_LA	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.

Top 10

Did not play

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

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

Walker Cup: 1971

References

^ 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

Jim Simons at the PGA Tour official site

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