Grier Jones (born May 6, 1946) is a former college head golf coach and former PGA Tour professional golfer.
Early life
Jones was born, raised and has been a lifelong resident of Wichita, Kansas. He attended Wichita's Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School where he played both football and golf. He won the 1963 and 1964 Kansas State High School golf championships.
Amateur career
An All-American at Oklahoma State University, Jones won the Big Eight Championship in 1967 and 1968 before taking the individual medalist honors at the 1968 NCAA Championships. He also won the 1966 Kansas State Amateur Championship held in Topeka, Kansas while a student at Oklahoma State.
Professional career
In 1968, Jones turned professional. He spent fourteen years on the PGA Tour, beginning in 1969, when he earned PGA Rookie of the Year honors.
His career year was 1972 when he won two PGA Tour events and finished fourth on the final money list.
He won his third and final PGA Tour event in 1977. Jones ended his career with 54 top-10 finishes in PGA Tour events. His best finish in a major championship was a T-16 at the 1978
PGA Championship.
After his full-time tour playing days ended, Jones took a club teaching job at Willowbend Golf Club in Wichita, while continuing to play part-time on Nike Tour and PGA Tours. Later he became the head pro at Terradyne Country Club in Wichita. In 1995, he was named men's head golf coach at Wichita State University where he remained until his retirement in 2019.
Personal life
Jones is married to Janie. They have five children: Carey, Corey, Grier II, Brian, and daughter Casey.
Awards and honors
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In 1969, he earned PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors
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In 1995, Jones was honored as the Kansas Chapter PGA Teacher-of-the-Year.
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Jones was named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year seven times: in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010.
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In 2010, Jones was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
Amateur wins
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1966 Kansas State Amateur
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1967 Big Eight Championship
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1968 Big Eight Championship, NCAA Championship
Professional wins (4)
PGA Tour wins (3)
PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)
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| 1 | 1972 | Hawaiian Open | Bob Murphy | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1972 | Robinson's Fall Golf Classic | Dave Marad | Won with par on second extra hole |
Source:
Other wins (1)
Results in major championships
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| Masters Tournament | T38 | | T33 | T37 | | | | | | |
| U.S. Open | | CUT | | T45 | | T18 | T28 | T35 | | |
| PGA Championship | | T41 | T53 | T51 | T32 | | T30 | T25 | T16 | |
Note: Jones never played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
See also
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Fall 1968 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
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1983 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates
External links
