José Jurado (1899–1971) was a professional golfer in the sport’s Golden Age. Born in Villa Ballester, northern suburb of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, he was the first Argentine to travel to major international championships and is thus often credited as the “Father of Argentine Professional Golf” or the “Godfather of Argentinean Golf.” He is perhaps best known for his losing stroke to Tommy Armour at the 1931 Open Championship at

Carnoustie Carnoustie (; ) is a town and former police burgh in the subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast. In the UK census 2011, 2011 census, Carnoustie had a population of ...

. Jurado was personal friends with the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, who was reportedly enraged by his double bogey that lost him the championship.

Career

Jurado began his career as a caddie at San Andrés Golf Club, located in

General San Martín Partido General San Martín Partido is a partido in the Gran Buenos Aires urban area, immediately to the north-west of the Capital federal in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The provincial subdivision has a population of 422,830 inhabitants in an are ...

Province of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

. At the age of 21, he won his first of seven championships at the Argentine Open, and was also a seven-time winner of the Argentine PGA Championship. In 1932, Jurado traveled to the US, justifying these journeys as the only way to progress his skill as a professional golfer. After studying the operations of the American PGA, he undertook the organization of the AAPG (Asociación Argentina de Profesionales de Golf). Jurado also recruited international golf figures to teach Argentine enthusiasts the emerging and popular American-style swing. In 1931 he won an exhibition match against Aubrey Boomer in France. Jurado finished in the top ten in four majors: T8 at the British Open in 1926, T6 in the British Open in 1928, 2nd in the British Open in 1931 and 6th in the U.S. Open in 1932.

In literature

Jurado is referenced in ''The Book of Golfers: A Biographical History of the Royal & Ancient Game'', by Daniel Wexler. The book is an encyclopedia of the most important golfers since the 15th century, and in it Jurado is described as “... a golfing pioneer in the truest sense, for while early British professionals ventured out to parts unknown with the psychological might of the world’s biggest empire (both golfing and otherwise) behind them, Jurado traveled thousands of miles to challenge the British golf monolith on its own turf.” Jurado is also referenced in the 2005 biography ''Sir Walter:

Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen (December 21, 1892 – October 6, 1969) was an American professional golfer and a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of 11 professional Men's major golf championships, majors is third behin ...

and the Invention of Professional Golf'', by Thomas Clavin. The biography details the life and career of Walter Hagen, who won eleven major professional golf tournaments over his career. In the book, Jurado is described as having “demonstrated the

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

” to a group of 1933 Ryder Cup golfers at a dancehall in Southport, UK. Jurado, who was there for the British Open, apparently “won the (dance) contest”.Clavin, Thomas. Sir Walter: Water Hagen and the Invention of Professional Golf. Simon and Schuster, 2005

Tournament wins

:''this list may be incomplete'' :''all tournaments in Argentina'' *1920 Argentine Open *1921 Argentine PGA Championship *1922 Argentine PGA Championship *1924 Argentine Open, South Open *1925 Argentine Open, Argentine PGA Championship, South Open *1927 Argentine Open, Argentine PGA Championship *1928 Argentine Open, Argentine PGA Championship *1929 Argentine Open, Argentine PGA Championship, Center Open *1931 Argentine Open *1932 South Open *1933 South Open *1936 Center Open *1937 Argentine PGA Championship *1938 Palermo Masters

Results in major championships

''Note: Jurado never played in the

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

nor the

PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...

.''
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

* Great Britain–Argentina Professional Match (representing Argentina): 1939 (captain)

References