Jesse William Sweetser (April 18, 1902 – May 27, 1989) was an amateur

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

er, best known as the first American-born player to win the

British Amateur The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 19 ...

Early life

Born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, Sweetser later attended Phillips Exeter Academy and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

. In 1920, Sweetser won the individual title at the

NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship, played in late May or early June, is the top annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. The teams that win their respective Division I conference championships are given automatic spots in th ...

. He received golf lessons from noted

Siwanoy Country Club Siwanoy Country Club is a country club located in Bronxville, New York. The club hosted the first PGA Championship in 1916, which was won by Jim Barnes. History The Club was incorporated on May 20, 1901 at the Westchester County Clerk's office. ...

professional Tom Kerrigan.

Golf career

Sweetser won the 1922

U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...

at the age of 20, defeating Bobby Jones, 8 and 7, in the semi-final and then

Chick Evans Charles E. "Chick" Evans Jr. (July 18, 1890 – November 6, 1979) was an American amateur golfer of the 1910s and 1920s. Evans, who won the 1910 Western Open, became the first amateur to win both the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in one year, a ...

, 3 and 2, in the final match. The following year, he again made the finals but lost on the second playoff hole to Max Marston. In 1926, Sweetser won the

Muirfield Muirfield is a privately owned golf links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Muirfield is one of the golf courses used in rotation for The ...

, defeating Fred Simpson, 6 and 5, in the final match. The 1904 winner,

Walter Travis Walter J. Travis (January 10, 1862 – July 31, 1927) was an American amateur golfer during the early 1900s. He was also a noted golf journalist and publisher, an innovator in all aspects of golf, a teacher, and golf course architect. Golfing ca ...

, was a naturalized American citizen born in Australia, but Sweetser's victory was the first time an American-born golfer had won the tournament. Sweetster won the

Metropolitan Amateur The Metropolitan Amateur or Met Amateur is an amateur golf tournament organized by the Metropolitan Golf Association. It has been played annually since 1899 and is one of the oldest amateur golf tournaments in the United States along with the U.S. ...

in 1922 and 1925. Jess Sweetser sketch

Walker Cup

Sweetser was a member of the original

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

team in 1922, and also played in 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928, and 1932. He was also selected for the

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...

team but withdrew for business reasons. Later, he was non-playing captain for the 1967 and 1973 teams. He was also captain for the 1966 U.S.

Eisenhower Trophy The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958, it is named after Dwight D. Eise ...

team.

Professional life

In his professional life, Sweetser started as a stockbroker in the 1920s, and later went to work for

Curtiss-Wright The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation of Curtiss, Wright, and v ...

. He retired in 1967 as a vice-president with Martin Marietta. Sweetser also served as treasurer and on the executive committee of the

United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

. In 1986, he was named the Bob Jones Award winner, given in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.

Death and legacy

Sweetser died on May 27, 1989 in Bethesda, Maryland. Sweetser served as treasurer and on the executive committee of the

. In 1986, he was named the Bob Jones Award winner, given in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.

Tournament wins

''this list may be incomplete'' *1920

NCAA Championship The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

*1922

*1923 Gold Mashie Tournament *1925

, Gold Golf Ball Tourney (with

Glenna Collett Glenna Collett Vare (June 20, 1903 – February 3, 1989) was an American Hall of Fame golfing champion whom the Hall calls the greatest female golfer of her day, and who dominated American women's golf in the 1920s. Biography Born in New Haven, ...

), Gibson Island C.C. Invitational *1926

*1927 Gold Mashie Tournament *1931

Cape Cod Open The Cape Cod Open was a golf event in the early 1930s. The tournament was held at Eastward Ho!, a links course in Chatham, Massachusetts on the Cape Cod Peninsula. The event was generally known for its strong fields and windy weather. The first ev ...

Amateur major championships

Wins (2)

Results timeline

Sweeter played in the Masters each year from 1952 to 1955 but withdrew on each occasion. NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play Source for The Masters:
www.masters.com
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur
USGA Championship Database
Source for 1923 British Amateur:
The American Golfer, July, 1923, pg. 10.
Source for 1926 British Amateur:
The American Golfer, July, 1926, pg. 9.

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur *

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...

(winners),

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

(winners), 1924 (winners), 1926 (winners),

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...

(winners),

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...

(winners),

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

(winners, non-playing captain),

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

(winners, non-playing captain)

References

External links

Yale University profile

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090511123237/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,722037-1,00.html 1926 Time Magazine article on the British Amateur {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetser, Jess American male golfers Amateur golfers Yale Bulldogs men's golfers Golf administrators Golfers from St. Louis Stockbrokers Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Martin Marietta people 1902 births 1989 deaths