BOBBY JONES
June 2008
Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. (March 17, 1902 – December 18, 1971), born in Atlanta, Georgia, was one of the greatest golfers of all time. He participated only as an amateur, primarily on a part-time basis, and chose to retire from competition at age 28. Jones was a child prodigy who won his first children's tournament at the age of six and made the third round of the U.S. Amateur Championship at 14. Jones graduated from Georgia Tech in mechanical engineering in 1922. He added an A.B. in English from Harvard in 1924. Bobby is still the only player ever to have won the Grand Slam, or all four major championships, in the same year. Jones was not only a great golfer, but he also exemplified the principles of sportsmanship and fair play. In the beginning of his amateur career, he was in the final playoff of the U.S. Open. During the match, his ball ended up in the rough just off the fairway, and as he was setting up to play his shot his iron caused a slight movement of the ball. He immediately got angry with himself, turned to the marshals, and called a penalty on himself. The marshals discussed among themselves and questioned some of the gallery if anyone had seen Jones' ball move. Their decision was that neither they nor anyone else had witnessed any incident, so the decision was left to Jones. Bobby Jones called the two-stroke penalty on himself, not knowing that he would lose the tournament by one stroke. When he was praised for his gesture, Jones replied, "You may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank." The United States Golf Association's sportsmanship award is named the Bob Jones Award in his honor. · Today we are seeing more and more athletes either flat-out cheating or in some way trying to gain an illegal advantage over their competition. This "win at all costs" attitude demonstrates a weakness in character and virtue. Bobby Jones is an example of strength. He was very talented and a great competitor but never lost sight of the fact that being a champion or not on the golf course was not as important as being a virtuous man in life. What virtues did Bobby demonstate? · Was there ever a time when you did something dishonest in sports in order to gain an advantage, big or small? Regardless of whether you won or lost, how did you feel after the game? How can you follow Bobby Jones' example and be leaders in virtue to your teammates?
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