Keith Thomas Jacobs Jr. (February 13, 1935 – July 9, 2022) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

and

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

owner/operator who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

and the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

. He was the older brother of John Jacobs who has also played on the PGA Tour and is a current player on the Champions Tour. Jacobs was born in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and raised in

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, where he started in junior golf. In 1951, Jacobs won the

U.S. Junior Amateur The United States Junior Amateur Championship is one of the fourteen U.S. national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association. It is open to amateur boys who are under 19 on the last day of the competition and have a USGA Ha ...

. At sixteen, he advanced to the semifinals of the

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 ...

, which earned him an invitation to the

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...

at age 17. For 58 years, Jacobs had the distinction of being the youngest golfer to ever play in the Masters (in 1952). The record was broken by

Matteo Manassero Matteo Manassero (born 19 April 1993) is an Italian professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. He is the youngest golfer to win a European Tour event. Amateur career Manassero was born in Negrar, in the Province of Verona. After a short ...

in 2010. He turned professional in 1956. Jacobs won four PGA Tour events. His first win came in 1958 at the newly revamped

Denver Open The Denver Open Invitational was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was played intermittently in the Denver, Colorado area from 1947 to 1963. Chi-Chi Rodríguez Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez (born October 23, 1935) is a Puerto Rican p ...

, and his last was at the 1964

Palm Springs Golf Classic The Desert Classic (currently known as The American Express for sponsorship reasons; previously known as the CareerBuilder Challenge, Palm Springs Golf Classic, the Bob Hope Desert Classic, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, and the Humana Challen ...

. During his career, Jacobs had sole 2nd-place finishes in two major championships. He lost the 1964 U.S. Open to

Ken Venturi Kenneth Paul Venturi (May 15, 1931May 17, 2013) was an American professional golfer and golf broadcaster. In a career shortened by injuries, he won 14 events on the PGA Tour including a major, the U.S. Open in 1964. Shortly before his death in ...

by four strokes, and was runner-up in a playoff at the

in 1966 that he (72) and

Gay Brewer Gay Robert Brewer Jr. (March 19, 1932 – August 31, 2007) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and won the 1967 Masters Tournament. Life Brewer was born in Middletown, Ohio, and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. As an am ...

(78) lost to

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...

(70). Jacobs was a member of the 1965

Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...

team, and finished with a record of 3-1-1. Jacobs joined the

Senior PGA Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

(now known as the

) in 1985 and continued to play in selected events into the 2000s; his last appearance was at the 2003

Senior PGA Championship The Senior PGA Championship, established in 1937, is the oldest of the five major championships in men's senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers' Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both PGA ...

. Jacobs and his brother John teamed up with Roger Fredericks, to form Champions Corporate Golf Outings, which provides custom tailored golf events for small to medium size groups and corporations. Jacobs died on July 9, 2022, at the age of 87.

Professional wins (7)

PGA Tour wins (4)

PGA Tour playoff record (2–2)

Other wins (3)

*1971

Southern California PGA Championship The Southern California PGA Championship is a golf tournament that is the championship of the Southern California section of the PGA of America. The Southern California section was formed in 1924, and the tournament was first played that year. It ...

*1972

*1976

Results in major championships

Amateur Professional CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1960 and 1964 PGA Championships)
R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place Source for Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, British Amateur, PGA ChampionshipPGA Championship Media Guide
/ref>

Summary

*Most consecutive cuts made – 5 (1962 U.S. Open – 1963 PGA) *Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)

Team appearances

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

(winners) *

Diamondhead Cup The PGA Cup is a men's golf competition for club professionals played between a Great Britain and Ireland team and a United States team. The winning team is presented with the Llandudno Trophy. The competition is run by the British PGA and the PG ...

: 1974 (winners)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Tommy American male golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Ryder Cup competitors for the United States Golfers from Denver Golfers from California Golfers from North Carolina Sportspeople from Palm Springs, California People from Brunswick County, North Carolina 1935 births 2022 deaths