George Jonathan Sargent (2 August 1882 – 18 June 1962)Ancestry.com was an English professional golfer.

Early life

Sargent was born in

Brockham Brockham is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. It is approximately east of Dorking and west of Reigate. The village lies south of Box Hill, with the River Mole flowing west through the village. At t ...

, Surrey, England to William Henry Sargent and Amelia Jane Harkett. The family moved to

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

when he was young and he began his golf career at age twelve at Epsom Downs Golf Club in his home county.

Professional career

In 1899 Sargent spent some time at

Ganton Golf Club Ganton Golf Club is an 18-hole golf course in Ganton, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1891, the course was initially designed by Tom Chisholm and Robert Bird, but modifications to the course have been made since by a number of people includ ...

under

Harry Vardon Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) 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 a record six times, and also won the ...

. He first made an impact in the 1901 Open Championship at Muirfield where we was in 6th place after the first round. Soon afterwards he became the professional at Dewsbury Golf Club. Later he moved to Canada, where he served as a professional at

Royal Ottawa Golf Club The Royal Ottawa Golf Club is a premier private golf club located in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1891, and has made major contributions to the development of Canadian golf right from its early years, hosting many important champion ...

and finished second in the 1908 Canadian Open. Sargent won the 1909 U.S. Open at

Englewood Golf Club Englewood Golf Club was a private golf course in the eastern United States, located in Englewood and Leonia, New Jersey, just west of New York City. Opened as a nine-hole course in 1896, a second nine was added four years later; it hosted the U. ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He set a new 72-hole scoring record for the tournament of 290. He played in sixteen U.S. Open in total, and finished in the top-10 six times. He also won the 1912 Canadian Open and the 1918 Minnesota State Open. He is credited with introducing the use of motion pictures to study the

golf swing The golf swing is the action by which players hit the ball in the sport of golf. The golf swing is a complex motion involving the whole body; the technicalities of the swing are known as golf stroke mechanics. There are differing opinions on what ...

. In the early 1910s be started work as a club professional. He was head professional at

Scioto Country Club Scioto Country Club, is a private country club and golf course in the central United States, located in Upper Arlington, Ohio, a suburb northwest of Columbus. It hosted the U.S. Senior Open in August 2016. History Designed by Donald Ross, the ...

in Ohio from 1912 to 1924. Sargent became a member of the Professional Golfers' Association of America at its inception in 1916 and served as president for five years. After his stay at Scioto he moved onto

Interlachen Country Club The Interlachen Country Club is a private country club in Edina, Minnesota which has hosted several national golf tournaments, including the 1930 U.S. Open (golf), 1930 U.S. Open (won by Bobby Jones (golfer), Bobby Jones on his way to winning the ...

in Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1924 to 1928. He then moved to Maryland to work at Chevy Chase Club. He worked there from 1928 to 1932. His final club professional job was at

East Lake Golf Club East Lake Golf Club is a private golf club 5 miles east of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1904, it is the oldest golf course in the city. East Lake was the home course of golfer Bobby Jones and much of its clubhouse serves as a tribu ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

from 1932 until his retirement fifteen years later. He is a member of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

Personal life

He married Beatrice Margaret Pearse (1886–1968) in 1907 and fathered eleven children. Like him, his sons Harold and Jack are members of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

Professional wins

* 1909 U.S. Open * 1912 Canadian Open * 1918 Minnesota State Open

Major championships

Wins (1)

Results timeline

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

References

External links

Georgia Golf Hall of Fame profile
English male golfers Winners of men's major golf championships Golf administrators People from Dorking 1882 births 1962 deaths {{England-golf-bio-stub