For other people, see Jack Newton (disambiguation).
Jack Newton
Birth date30 January 1950
Birth placeCessnock, New South Wales, Australia
Death date14 April 2022 (aged 72)
SpouseJackie
Yearpro1969
ExtourPGA Tour of Australasia
European Tour
PGA Tour
Prowins13
Pgawins1
Eurowins3
Auswins3
Otherwins6
MastersT2: 1980
UsopenT32: 1980
Open2nd: 1975
PgaT20: 1980
Award 1PGA Tour of Australia
Order of Merit winner
Year 11979

Jack Newton OAM (30 January 1950 – 14 April 2022) was an Australian professional golfer. Newton had early success in Australia, winning the 1972 Amoco Forbes Classic. He soon moved on to the British PGA where he won three times and finished runner-up at the 1975 Open Championship. Shortly thereafter, Newton started playing on the PGA Tour where he won one event, the 1978 Buick-Goodwrench Open. During the era, Newton still played extensively in his home country culminating with a win at the 1979 Australian Open. Four years later, in 1983, Newton had a near-fatal accident when he accidentally walked into the spinning propeller of an aeroplane, losing his right arm and right eye. Despite the tragedy Newton managed to survive and, though unable to continue as a professional golfer, was able to work a number of golf-related jobs for the remainder of his life.

Career

In 1950, Newton was born in Cessnock, New South Wales.

In 1969, he turned professional.[1] He was one of Australia's most successful golfers in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1972, he won the Dutch Open and the Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf in successive weeks.[2] In 1974, he won the Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship, beating Cesar Sanudo in the final.[3] Later in 1974, he lost in a playoff for the New Zealand Open.[4] In 1978, Newton won the Buick-Goodwrench Open on the PGA Tour.[5] In Australia, he won the New South Wales Open in 1976 and 1979 and the Australian Open Championship in 1979.[6][7][8]

At the 1975 Open Championship at Carnoustie in Scotland, Newton lost in a playoff to Tom Watson. In the third round, Newton set a course record of 65, despite having injured an ankle so severely on the practice tee prior to the start of the championship, that he had it professionally wrapped each day, and was subjected to pain-killing injections.[9] In the final round, Newton was the leader during the back-nine but dropped shots in three of the last four holes. Watson holed a 20-foot putt for a birdie on the 72nd hole to tie Newton. In the 18-hole playoff on the following day, Watson defeated Newton by one stroke (71−72). Newton later said that the turning point in the playoff was when Watson chipped in for an eagle at the 14th hole.[10]

Newton won the PGA Tour of Australia's Order of Merit in 1979. He finished tied for second at the 1980 Masters Tournament, four strokes behind the winner Seve Ballesteros.[11] In May 1983, Newton lost to Terry Gale in a playoff for the Western Australian Open.[12]

Propeller accident

On 24 July 1983, during the height of his professional career, Newton had a near-fatal accident when he walked into the spinning propeller of a Cessna aeroplane from which he was getting off at Sydney Airport. He lost his right arm and eye, and sustained severe abdominal injuries. A severe rainstorm was in progress at the time, and in addition, safety aspects near the plane were deficient.[13][14][15]

The Bureau of Air Safety Investigation summary of the accident reads:

When two passengers had not arrived at the aircraft by a pre-arranged time, the pilot commenced to taxi for departure. After the aircraft had travelled a short distance, one of the missing passengers approached the right hand door. The pilot stopped the aircraft, and shortly afterwards the other passenger was seen moving along the left side of the aircraft towards the nose. The pilot shouted a warning and moved to shut down the engine, but the passenger was struck by the propeller.[16]
Immediately after the accident, doctors gave Newton a 50–50 chance of surviving. He spent several days in a coma and eight weeks in intensive care.[17] After a prolonged rehabilitation from his injuries, Newton returned to public life as a television and radio golf commentator, newspaper reporter, golf course designer, public speaker and chairman of the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation. He taught himself to play golf one-handed, swinging the club with his left hand in a right-handed stance. He typically scored in the mid-80s.[14]

Personal life

Newton married his wife Jackie in 1974; they had two children, Kristie and Clint. Clint Newton played rugby league, while Kristie is also a professional golfer.[18] In 2003, Newton was diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis, and was rushed to hospital.[19]

He died on 14 April 2022 at the age of 72 due to health complications, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2020.[20][21]

Awards and honors

Amateur wins

This list may be incomplete

Professional wins (13)

PGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
118 Jun 1978Buick-Goodwrench Open−8 (72-67-70-71=280)PlayoffMike Sullivan

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11975The Open ChampionshipTom WatsonLost 18-hole playoff;
Watson: −1 (71),
Newton: E (72)
21978Buick-Goodwrench OpenMike SullivanWon with birdie on first extra hole

Sources:[9][10][5][26]

European Tour wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
113 Aug 1972Dutch Open−11 (64-75-69-69=277)1 strokeMalcolm Gregson, Peter Oosterhuis
219 Aug 1972Benson & Hedges Festival of Golf−3 (73-70-67-71=281)1 strokeHarry Bannerman
315 Sep 1974Benson & Hedges Match Play Championship2 and 1Cesar Sanudo

European Tour playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11975The Open ChampionshipTom WatsonLost 18-hole playoff;
Watson: −1 (71),
Newton: E (72)

Sources:[9][10]

PGA Tour of Australia wins (3)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runners-up
117 Oct 1976New South Wales Open−19 (67-68-68-66=269)10 strokesTed Ball, David Good
24 Nov 1979New South Wales Open (2)−11 (69-70-70-72=281)9 strokesWayne Grady, Jeff Hall,
Gary Vanier
318 Nov 1979Dunhill Australian OpenE (74-72-70-72=288)1 strokeGraham Marsh, Greg Norman

PGA Tour of Australia playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11983Town and Country Western Australian OpenTerry GaleLost to birdie on first extra hole

Sources:[6][7][8][4][12]

New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
117 Dec 1972City of Auckland Classic−7 (75-71-67-64=277)1 strokeBob Tuohy

New Zealand Golf Circuit playoff record (0–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11974New Zealand OpenBob Charles, Bob GilderGilder won with birdie on third extra hole
Newton eliminated by par on second hole

Source:[27]

Other wins (5)

This list may be incomplete

Results in major championships

Tournament19711972197319741975197619771978197919801981
Masters TournamentCUTCUTT12T2CUT
U.S. OpenT32
The Open ChampionshipT49T40CUTCUT2T17CUTT24T57T10
PGA ChampionshipT50T20

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1973 and 1974 Open Championships)
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Source:[34]

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament01011252
U.S. Open00000011
The Open Championship010124107
PGA Championship00000122
Totals0202371812

Team appearances

Amateur

See also

References

  1. ^ "Devlin shares golf lead". The Canberra Times. Vol. 44, no. 12439. 11 October 1969. p. 34. Retrieved 15 April 2022. – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Sporting world". The Canberra Times. Vol. 46, no. 13208. 21 August 1972. p. 12. Retrieved 15 April 2022. – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "Newton powers his way to title". The Glasgow Herald. 16 September 1974. p. 5.
  4. ^ "Gilder wins play-off". The Glasgow Herald. 25 November 1974. p. 5.
  5. ^ "Unknown North takes Open". The Canberra Times. Vol. 52, no. 15612. 20 June 1978. p. 28. Retrieved 16 April 2022. – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Newton beats aching legs for golf record". The Canberra Times. Vol. 51, no. 14512. 18 October 1976. p. 18. Retrieved 16 April 2022. – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Newton wins NSW Open". The Canberra Times. 5 November 1979. p. 16. Retrieved 13 February 2020. – via Trove.
  8. ^ "Newton takes open by a shot". The Canberra Times. Vol. 54, no. 16126. 19 November 1979. p. 16. Retrieved 22 November 2020. – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "The Battle of Britain". Golf World. 18 July 1975. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Modest Watson joins the great Ben Hogan". The Age. 15 July 1975. p. 24. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  11. ^ "Ballesteros takes US Masters with 13-under-par total". The Canberra Times. Vol. 54, no. 16273. 15 April 1980. p. 21. Retrieved 16 April 2022. – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Gale wins play-off". The Age. 23 May 1983. p. 26. – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Bolton, Matthew (25 July 1983). "Jack Newton loses arm". The Age. p. 1. Retrieved 4 September 2012.[dead link]
  14. ^ Hagan, John (June 2008). "Jack Newton: Whole Again". Golf Digest. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  15. ^ "Newton 'Critical'". The New York Times. Associated Press. 4 August 1983. p. B-15.
  16. ^ "Aviation Safety Digest 119". Bureau of Air Safety Investigation. 1984.
  17. ^ "Newton Remains Close To Golf". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. 18 August 1984. p. B5. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  18. ^ Mossop, James (15 July 2003). "Jack Newton's triumph over tragedy". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  19. ^ "TV commentator Newton hospitalized with meningitis". ESPN. Associated Press. 2 January 2003. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  20. ^ "Jack Newton, Australian pro who turned tragedy into opportunity, dies at age 72". Golf Digest. 14 April 2022.
  21. ^ Riordan, Joey (15 April 2022). "Australian golfing legend Jack Newton passes away aged 72 after health complications". 7news
  22. ^ "Crampton named player of the year". The Canberra Times. February 21, 1973. p. 31.
  23. ^ Williams, Mark (11 October 2016). "Newton to be inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame". PGA Tour.
  24. ^ Webster, Jim (26 July 1968). "Champion, 18, youngest since Ferrier". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 15. Retrieved 18 February 2021. – via Google News Archive.
  25. ^ "History Lake Macquarie Amateur Championships". Belmont Golf Club. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018.
  26. ^ "Buick Open Winners". Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  27. ^ "Charge wins for Newton". The Age. 18 December 1972. p. 21. Retrieved 30 November 2023. – via Google News Archive.
  28. ^ "Biggest win". The Canberra Times. Vol. 46, no. 13051. 22 February 1972. p. 18. Retrieved 15 April 2022. – via National Library of Australia.
  29. ^ "Golf". The Sydney Morning Herald. February 21, 1972. p. 13. Retrieved 9 December 2025. – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Newton wins Nigerian Open". The Glasgow Herald. 25 February 1974. p. 5.
  31. ^ "O'Leary and Newton storm home as Scots fade". The Glasgow Herald. 19 May 1975. p. 23.
  32. ^ "Late burst by Newton". The Glasgow Herald. 15 March 1976. p. 17.
  33. ^ "Newton Triumph". The Glasgow Herald. 22 March 1976. p. 16.
  34. ^ Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. Vol. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  35. ^ "Last Hole Wins Trophy". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 September 1969. p. 13.
  36. ^ "Tasmania fights back for first win". The Age. 18 November 1968. p. 23. Retrieved 20 March 2021. – via Google News Archive.
  37. ^ Stone, Peter (25 August 1969). "Hartley loes to Donohoe – NSW wins". The Age. p. 21. Retrieved 20 March 2021. – via Google News Archive.