Tony Jacklin

With an aggressive style of play and a well-rounded game, Tony Jacklin rose from an English working-class family to make a permanent mark on the game of golf. Jacklin’s memorable career was highlighted by 24 victories worldwide, two major championships, and a Ryder Cup legacy as both a player and captain.

In 1969, Jacklin brought a fresh new face to the British Open at Royal Lytham, besting Bob Charles by two shots for the victory and making Jacklin the first Englishman to win the British Open since 1951. Later that year, in the Ryder Cup matches at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, Jacklin and U.S. team star Jack Nicklaus walked on to the 18th green in the final singles match of the competition with their match all square and the teams tied. In a spontaneous gesture following his par putt, Nicklaus reached down, grabbed his playing partner’s ball marker, and conceded a 2-foot putt to Jacklin that resulted in a tie between United States and the Great Britain and Ireland teams—the first tie in Ryder Cup history.  Although the United States retained the Cup, the moment has been referred by some sports writers “as the greatest single sporting gesture ever.”

This moment inspired the creation of The Concession Golf Club near Sarasota, FL, which features a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course designed in association with Jacklin. The course was voted the 2006 Best New Private Course in America by Golf Digest.

Jacklin’s success in the British Open was followed in 1970 with his second major championship. Jacklin became the first U.K. golfer in 50 years to win the U.S. Open. His major championship victories sparked a surge of golf in Britain.

Jacklin went on to play in seven Ryder Cups, but arguably his most important contributions to the future of the matches came as captain. In 1985 at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England, Jacklin led the Europeans to their first win in 28 years, and the 16½-11½ margin of victory remained Europe’s largest until its 9-point triumphs in 2004 and ‘06. Two years later at Muirfield Village Golf Club, Jacklin again led his team to victory, this time over a U.S. team led by Nicklaus, for the European’s first win on U.S. soil.

With two major championship victories, three PGA Tour wins, and 22 career wins on the European Tour, Jacklin was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002 and continues to make his mark on the game as a golf course designer, competitor, and global ambassador.