About Tony Jacklin
Anthony Jacklin (born 7 July 1944) is an English golfer. He was the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, the 1969 Open Championship and the 1970 U.S. Open. He was also Ryder Cup captain from 1983 to 1989, Europe winning two and tying another of these four events. After a brief amateur career, Jacklin turned professional at the start of 1962 and in 1963 was chosen by Henry Cotton as his Rookie of the Year. In 1967 he won two tournaments on the British PGA circuit and he finished fifth, behind Roberto De Vicenzo, in the Open Championship. That year he also made the first televised hole-in-one, made his debut in the 1967 Ryder Cup and qualified for the 1968 PGA Tour. He had a successful first season on the PGA Tour, winning the Jacksonville Open and finishing 29th in the money list. Jacklin won the 1969 Open Championship at Royal Lytham in July, two strokes ahead of Bob Charles. He won the 1970 U.S. Open at Hazeltine, finishing 7 strokes ahead of the runner-up. In 1972 he won again on the PGA Tour, taking the Greater Jacksonville Open after a playoff. He also won the Viyella PGA Championship at Wentworth, and came close to winning the Open Championship, when he lost to Lee Trevino after Trevino had chipped in at the 71st hole, while Jacklin three-putted from 15 feet. Jacklin chose not to play on the PGA Tour in 1973 and 1974, playing mostly on the European Tour where he won three times. In early 1975 he moved to Jersey for tax reasons and returned to the PGA Tour. However, he had less success than previously and again dropped off the tour. He returned to the European tour, playing on that tour until 1984. After turning 50, Jacklin played on the Senior PGA Tour from 1994 to 1997, winning twice. He also played on the European Seniors Tour. Jacklin played in seven successive Ryder Cup matches from 1967 to 1979. He was never on the winning side, although the 1969 contest was tied. Later he was the European Ryder Cup captain from 1983 to 1989; Europe winning two and halving another of these four events.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.