The European Tour group is saddened to hear of the death of Australian golfing great Jack Newton, aged 72.
Newton turned professional in 1971 and won the Dutch Open the following year, going on to win twice more on what was then the European Tour. In a stellar career he also recorded three victories on his home Tour, including the 1979 Australian Open, won the Buick Open on the PGA TOUR in 1978 and finished runner-up at the The Open in 1975 and the Masters in 1980.
He demonstrated his battling qualities as he narrowly lost to Tom Watson in The Open play-off at Carnoustie, after he had set a course record of 65 in the third round, despite having injured an ankle so severely in a practice round that he required pain-killing injections just to get on the course.
In 1983, aged 33, he lost his right arm and eye in a near-fatal aircraft propeller accident. He spent several days in a coma and nearly two months in intensive care and required lengthy rehabilitation.
Newton fought back valiantly, teaching himself to play golf one-handed to get back to a handicap of 12 or 14, and returned to public life as a popular television commentator, radio and newspaper pundit, golf course designer and chairman of the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation.
He was awarded an Order of Australia for his services to golf in 2007 and was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2016.
European Tour group Chief Operating Officer Keith Waters said: “This is a truly sad day for the golfing community in Australia and beyond. Jack started to make his name as a professional with three wins in Europe and went on to have an enviable career. He will be remembered as a hugely popular figure who never gave up, on or off the course. On behalf of the European Tour group family, I send our deepest condolences to his wife Jackie and his family and friends.”
PGA of Australia Chief Executive Gavin Kirkman praised Newton's impact on the game in Australia. "Jack has been such an influential figure in Australian golf and his contribution and legacy will live on for many decades to come. He was as tough off the course as he was on it. Yet underlying everything was his deep passion for the game of golf and the positive impact it could have on people's lives, particularly young people."
