Jeff Hawkes

Jeff Hawkes
Personal information
Full nameJeffrey Owen Hawkes
Born (1953-09-03) 3 September 1953 (age 71)
Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Sporting nationality South Africa
ResidenceBruma, Gauteng, South Africa
Bracknell, England
Children2
Career
Turned professional1974
Former tour(s)European Tour
Sunshine Tour
European Senior Tour
Professional wins5
Highest ranking89 (30 July 1989)[1]
Number of wins by tour
European Tour1
Sunshine Tour3
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipT30: 1989

Jeffrey Owen Hawkes (born 3 September 1953) is a South African professional golfer, who formerly played on the European Tour. In 1991, he the won the Canon European Masters Swiss Open.

Early life

Hawkes was born in Mthatha (then Umtata), Eastern Cape, South Africa.[2] In addition to his home in Bruma near Johannesburg, he also resides in Bracknell, England.

Amateur career

Hawkes represented South Africa at the 1974 Eisenhower Trophy in the Dominican Republic, were he finished tied tenth individually and fourth with his team, behind United States, Japan and Brazil.[3]

Professional career

In 1974, Hawkes turned professional. He played on the European Tour for over twenty years, making the top one hundred on the European Tour Order of Merit every year from 1977 to 1991, with a best ranking of 34th in 1987.

In 1982, Hawkes was part of the ten-man-team representing Rest of World, under the captaincy of Greg Norman, in the Hennessy Cognac Cup, a team event between Great Britain and Ireland, Continent of Europe and Rest of World.[4]

In 1985, Hawkes finished second, reaching his best finish so far on the European Tour, at the Sanyo Open at Real Club de Golf El Prat, Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain. In May 1987, Hawkes finished second to Mats Lanner at the European Tour match-play event Epson Grand Prix of Europe Matchplay Championship at St Pierre Golf & Country Club in Wales, losing with 1 hole on the last green in the final.[5] In the semi-final, Hawkes beat Seve Ballesteros 3 and 2.[6] Another second place finish came at the 1989 Torras Monte Carlo Golf Open at Monte Carlo Golf Club outside Monaco.[7]

His sole European Tour win came at the 1991 Canon European Masters Swiss Open, were he held on a late charge from Seve Ballesteros, who finished one shot behind.[8]

Hawkes has also won three tournaments 1988-1989 on the Southern Africa Tour, later named the Sunshine Tour.

His best finish in a major championship was tied 30th in The 1989 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club, Scotland,[9] after which he reached a career best 89th on the Official World Golf Ranking.

Hawkes joined the European Seniors Tour in 2004, but did not win at that level, although his playing schedule was rather limited as he also worked as a golf commentator and analyst for Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and ran his own waste management business in South Africa. He played his last tournament in 2010.[2]

Professional wins (5)

European Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 8 Sep 1991 Canon European Masters Swiss Open −20 (68-69-65-66=268) 1 stroke Spain Seve Ballesteros

Southern Africa Tour wins (3)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up
1 13 Feb 1988 Bloemfontein Classic −20 (64-69-66-69=268) 1 stroke South Africa John Bland, United States Jay Townsend
2 11 Feb 1989 AECI Charity Classic −15 (67-64-70=201) 2 strokes Zimbabwe Tony Johnstone
3 19 Feb 1989 Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Classic −14 (67-66-69=202)* 1 stroke United States John Daly, Eswatini Joe Dlamini

*Note: The 1989 Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Classic was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

Other wins (1)

  • 1979 Rolex Pro-Am (Switzerland)

Results in major championships

Tournament 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
The Open Championship CUT CUT CUT T46 74 T30 CUT

Note: Hawkes only played in The Open Championship.

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1977 and 1982 Open Championships)
"T" = tied

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

References

  1. ^ "Week 30 1989 Ending 30 Jul 1989" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Player Profile, Jeff Hawkes, Meet Jeff". European Tour. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Record Book 1974 World Amateur Golf Team Championships" (PDF). World Amateur Golf Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b "James proves too hot for Faldo". The Glasgow Herald. 13 September 1982. p. 16. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  5. ^ Persson, Lars-Åke (June 1987). "Vilken fullträff för Mats" [What a success for Mats]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 6. pp. 101–102. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Golf, Epson Match Play". Boca Raton News. 11 May 1987. pp. 3D. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Player Profile, Jeff Hawkes, Career Record Details". European Tour. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  8. ^ Sellberg, Lena (November 1991). "Tävling, Volvo Tour, Jeff Hawkes; Resultat, Volvo Tour, Canon European Masters Swiss Open" [Competition, Volvo Tour, Jeff Hawkes; Results, Volvo Tour, Canon European Masters Swiss Open]. Svensk Golf (in Swedish). No. 11. pp. 73, 77. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  9. ^ "1989 Open Championship, Leaderboard". R&A. July 1989. Retrieved 17 October 2024.