Robert (Bobby) Tyre Jones, Jr., was born on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1902, in Atlanta, Georgia. The amateur golfer Bobby Jones dominated the game of golf from the early 1920's through 1930. From 1923 through 1930, Jones won 13 of 21 major championships he entered. His record includes five U. S. Amateur Championships, one British Amateur Championship, four U.S. Open Championships and three British Open Championships. In 1926 he was the first man ever to win the Open Championship of both countries in the same year.

In 1930, Jones won the British Amateur on the Old Course at St. Andrews, the British Open at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England, the U.S. Open at Interlachen Country Club in Minneapolis and the U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA to capture golf's Grand Slam. In 11 of the last 12 Open Championships he played, nine U.S. Opens and three British, he finished first or second. At the age of 28, Jones retired from competitive golf except for playing yearly at the Masters.

Academically Jones was equally successful. He studied engineering at Georgia Tech earning a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, then completed a BS degree in English Literature from Harvard. He later entered Emory University to pursue a degree in law, passing the bar exam after his first year of school.

Off the golf course Jones designed golf clubs, wrote four books including Bobby Jones on Golf, hundreds of newspaper articles, and gave instructional performances in several movies. He helped found and make successful the Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club, where he was named President in 1933 and remains President in Perpetuity.

He was married to the former Mary Malone and had three children, Clara Malone,
Robert T., III, and Mary Ellen. In 1971 at age 69, Jones died of the spinal disease syringomyelia.