Double Major Champion and one of Britain’s finest post-war golfers, Tony Jacklin, was named as the 2007 Ambassador of Golf by Northern Ohio Golf Charities this week in recognition of an outstanding career.
Jacklin succeeds Ken Schofield, former Executive Director of The European Tour, in the role, and was honoured at a special reception at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, in conjunction with the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational.
The award is presented annually to a person or persons who have fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concern for others extends beyond the golf course.
“We are pleased to honour Tony Jacklin during the Bridgestone Invitational as the 2007 Ambassador of Golf,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours, who presented Jacklin with his award.
“Tony’s on-the-course achievements throughout his storied career are remarkable enough, but when you also consider the influence he has had on growing the game in Europe and throughout the world, he truly exemplifies the word ‘ambassador.’”
Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002, Jacklin earned 15 European Tour victories in his career haul of 27 victories worldwide, including two Major Championships.
The son of a Scunthorpe lorry driver, Jacklin took up golf at the age of nine, at 13 won the Lincolnshire Boys Championship, and three years later won the Lincolnshire Open by nine shots.
He turned professional in 1962, becoming assistant to Bill Shankland at Potters Bar, and became Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year winner in 1963 after his debut season on the circuit.
He won his first European Tour title in 1965 at the Gor-Ray Cup and became a national hero in 1969 at Royal Lytham and St Annes when he became the first British player since Max Faulkner in 1951 to win The Open Championship.
Eleven months later, Jacklin achieved even greater heights when he became the first player since Ben Hogan to hold the US Open Championship and The Open Championship titles simultaneously.
Jacklin won the 1970 US Open at Hazeltine Golf Club by seven shots, the largest winning margin in 49 years, and became the first British player to win the US Open since Ted Ray in 1920.
A member of every Ryder Cup Team from 1967-1979, Jacklin enjoyed 13 wins and eight halves in the beiennial team competition, and famously was conceded a putt by his great friend Jack Nicklaus in 1969 at Royal Birkdale, a feat of sportsmanship that ensured the contest was tied.
Jacklin also captained the European Ryder Cup Team four times from 1983-1989, leading Europe to their first victory in 28 years in 1985. In 1987, he captained the team that won on American soil for the first time ever.
