Steve Jones
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st)
Birthdate: December 27, 1958
College: University of Colorado
Year turned pro: 1981
Birthplace: Artesia, New Mexico, USA
Country: USA
Sponsor: –
Born in Artesia, New Mexico in 1958 Jones saw some success as an amateur. He got to the semi-finals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1976. After high school, Jones went on to attend the University of Colorado. After graduating from college, he turned professional in 1981.
It took some time before Jones could establish any level of success at the start of his career. In 1982, he played on the PGA Tour but only made the cut three times. It was a further three years before Jones achieved his first top 10 finish, at the Texas Open. The following year he was successful in retaining his PGA Tour card, when he was a medalist at the PGA Tour qualifying school.
It wasn’t until 1988 that Jones won for the first time on the PGA Tour, at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. After many years of searching for wins on the Tour, Jones finally achieved a good level of success in 1989, when he was victorious at MONY Tournament of Champions, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and the Canadian Open. Jones run of success was unfortunately interrupted by an event which took place away from the golf course. He injured a finger after having an accident while riding a dirt bike, and was away from the game for a total of three years.
Jones played just a few games in 1994, but really went for the comeback the following year. That year he finished in the top 10 of tournaments on three occasions. However, more impressive success was to come in 1996, when Jones won the US Open. The success surprised everyone as Jones was a complete outsider for the title. The following year Jones achieved a further two wins on the PGA Tour, at the Phoenix Open and the Canadian Open. These victories were followed by further success the following year, at the Quad City Classic.
After these victories, Jones’ level of success began to diminish although he continued to play on the PGA Tour thanks to the ten year exemption he received for winning a major. Despite his diminishing success rate, Jones had a high point when he was chosen to act as a captain’s assistant for the United States team at the 2004 Ryder Cup.
After further less successful performances, Jones took time out from the game to have surgery for a tennis elbow. Following his return to playing golf in 2011 he began playing on the Champions Tour. He has achieved several money winning results on the Champions Tour, including a tie for second place, at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf event in 2012.
As of the end of 2014, Jones had achieved eight wins on the PGA Tour, amassing total prize money of $6,519,456.
