What happened to golfer Bobby Jones? Exploring the sickness of one of golf’s most successful amateurs

Bobby Jones was known to be one of the most influential golfers of his time. He helped design the famous Augusta National Golf Club, and co-founded what is now a major championship on the PGA Tour- the Masters. However, Jones never turned pro.

Jones was one of the most successful amateur golfers of all time to ever compete on the national and international level. Surprisingly, he was a lawyer by profession and only played golf as an amateur.

Over his illustrious golf career, Jones won 13 out of the 20 Majors he took part in. He retired at the age of just 28, leaving the golf world in shock.

Sadly, Jones developed syringomyelia in 1948. Syringomyelia is a fluid-filled cavity in the spinal cord that causes intense pain. It eventually led to paralysis and then Jones was bound to a wheelchair.

Jones took his first victory in 1923 at the U.S. Open. He also completed the revered Grand Slam in 1930, becoming the only golfer to win the U.S. Amateur, British Amateur, British Open, and U.S. Open all in the same year.

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Bobby Jones' illustrious golf career

After his retirement, Jones continued as an instructor and equipment designer in golf. Speaking about his retirement, he said:

"It [championship golf] is something like a cage. First you are expected to get into it and then you are expected to stay there. But of course, nobody can stay there."

In 1933 Jones helped design the Augusta National Club. He came out of retirement in 1934 just to play at the Masters. He competed on an exhibition basis all the way till 1948, till he could not play anymore.

Bobby Jones sadly passed away on December 18, 1971, at the age of 69. In honor of Jones, the USGA's sportsmanship award is named the Bob Jones Award. He was also inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

In 2019 Jones' family got together with the Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundation to create the Bobby Jones Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundation, which raises awareness and searches for cures for Chiari malformation and Syringomyelia. The Bobby Jones Classic golf tournament is held every year to raise awareness for the same.

Needless to say, Bobby Jones remains an icon not only in the golf world but in the sporting world as a whole. His influence in golf is fondly remembered and revered to this day.